Here are StangTV, we love us some classic Mustang commercials. Old commercials provide a look into what sometimes seems like a whole different world full of whole boys and girls, and their mean-as-hell muscle cars. Though the 1970’s brought about the end of the muscle car, the illusion of performance was still there. No car better hyped itself up than the much-maligned Ford Mustang II and its Cobra performance variant.
So when we came across this old Mustang II commercial on the YouTube, we knew we just had to share it with our fans who can appreciate the “sweet handling” of the 1977 Mustang II.
Though many Mustang enthusiasts have little good to say about the 1974-78 Mustang II, the fact of the matter is that the Mustang II got back to the roots of the original ‘64 ½ pony car. It was compact, lightweight, and loaded with new performance technology. But whereas the original Mustang was fast, the Mustang II had to be nimble, as emissions laws had killed carbureted performance cars.
That’s why throughout this 30-second commercial there is no mention of the Mustang II’s 140 horsepower 302 V8 engine. Instead, the commercial focuses on all the standard features, like a rear spoiler, rack and pinion steering, staggered shocks, stabilizer bar, and “four on the floor.”
Despite criticism from performance fans though, the Mustang II was a consistently strong seller all the way through its four-year run. It seems the emphasis on handling over brute horsepower really did appeal to 1970’s America, and commercials like this probably helped, no matter how silly they look to us now.