Among all domestic manufacturers, Ford is one of those who can be considered the pioneers of muscle cars as we know them today. A big V8 up front, rear-wheel drive, and two doors are what make a muscle car. And while there have been many cars with a similar or the same recipe, none of them capture the essence of freedom, boldness, and raw power as well as the original ones. Naturally, some of the greatest muscle cars come from Ford and there have been dozens worthy of mentioning over the years, and even more special editions. But in this article, we will focus on the five most important ones. Those that have marked the beginnings of a new eras and remain relevant even today. That also means we will, unfortunately, fail to mention many great Ford muscle cars, but don't get mad at us because we will justify our picks throughout the article as we explore each model. But before that, if you are looking to buy a Ford muscle car, regardless of the generation, you can always find a few examples at Exotic Car Trader.
I know, this one is pretty obvious. We can't talk about the greatest Ford muscle cars without first mentioning the car that arguably started it all. The first Ford Mustang was made to be a fun, small, and cheap sports car making it much more similar to the Toyota GT86 today than the current Mustang. That's even more obvious when we consider that the Mustang was introduced with a pretty small and weak inline-six engine instead of a V8 like we are all used to. Regardless, the Mustang was such a hit that it sold over 400,000 units the first year which broke all previous records for an initial launch. It also surpassed Ford's expected first-year sale of 150,000 examples by over 250,000. But of course, it wasn't long before Ford began offering the Mustang with a small 4.3 liter V8, and less than a year later a 289 (4.7 L) V8 with either 225 or a respectable 275 horsepower. And while those two powertrains were impressive for a small coupe back in the day, the original Mustang could definitely handle more. So, in 1967 we got the very first Shelby Mustang GT350 and a GT500. The GT350 was a more track-oriented version with a 306 horsepower 280 V8, while the GT500 was the most powerful with a 428 V8 (7.0 L) and 355 horsepower. And so, in the span of a few years, Ford put out three icons that were so popular that they are still made today, the GT, GT350, and the GT500. And all three were based on the first generation Mustang making it arguably the greatest muscle car ever, not just from Ford.
If you thought this list was all going to be Mustangs, think again. Truth be told, the original Ford Mustang is technically a pony car just like the original Camaro. The Torino, however, is no such thing. The first generation Ford Torino wasn't the first true muscle car Ford made (that was the Fairlane GT), but it is definitely the more relevant one. The initial Ford Torino is essentially the bigger brother of the Mustang we previously mentioned and it went right up against the Pontiac GTO, Dodge Charger, and the Dodge Challenger. Granted, its three competitors are definitely better known today, largely thanks to cinema, but that doesn't mean the Torino is any less of a car. With available 427, 428, and 429 V8 engines, there was hardly a car that could beat the Torino between lights back in the day, and it's much the same story even today, especially for those with the most powerful engine, the 370 horsepower 429 Cobra Jet. According to automotive journalists the Torino also handled well and that makes sense considering the Torino was made to satisfy everyone, not just a small niche group of buyers. Unfortunately, like every middle child, the Torino always lived in the shadows of its talented younger brother, the Mustang. But today, that's a good thing because you can pick up an original Cobra Jet with low miles for less than $50,000 while Mustangs with the same engines go for double that.
The Ford Mustang Fox Body, nicknamed after the Fox platform it was built on, may not seem like one of the greatest Ford muscle cars at first. However, the Fox Body is what revived the Mustang brand and kept it alive during some very difficult times for the American V8. Its predecessor, the Mustang 2, nearly killed off the model because Ford didn't want to invest much into it due to the ongoing gas crisis and new, rigorous exhaust emission standards. As a result, the Mustang 2 was by far the worst one and Ford thought of replacing it with the front-wheel drive Probe. Thankfully, car enthusiasts all over the country had something to say about that, and so Ford continued making the V8 Mustang. And good for Ford because it sold over 2.6 million examples during its long 14-year production run. And good for us enthusiasts because the Fox Body is what kept the Mustang alive until it made more sense to further invest in the model. Without the Fox Body, we would now have lethargic front-wheel drive coupes that do nothing right. It's also important to mention that the Fox Body Mustang is more popular today than it ever was since its production ended. That's because the Fox Body is dirt cheap today with so many examples built, and it's a great platform for drag racing, track racing, and street builds. That makes it one of the best beginner muscle cars ever made.
There is no denying that the SN95 Mustang is one of the greatest generations ever and it's the generation that shot the model into the future and kept it relevant as we entered the new millennium. However, the Mustang was always focused on the domestic market, until the S197 came out. The S197 marked a new era of retro-futuristic Mustang designs and that era is still ongoing nearly 20 years later. Moreover, the design of the Mustang made it more popular internationally than it ever was and it was featured in tons of movies and TV shows both domestically and abroad. Also, the GT with the old and legendary 4.6 Modular V8 made the perfect tuning platform and it was one of the cheapest V8s you could buy. All of this made it equally popular with both young and old buyers. Another great thing about the S197 is that it brought back the Shelby GT500 name after it was out of production for more than 35 years. And thankfully, after such a long time, it came with a bang. The GT500 packed a 5.4 liter, supercharged V8 based on the SVT Cobra R engine, but now with 500 horsepower. That's a substantial increase over the 385 horsepower the previous generation SVT got. All in all, the S197 turned a new page for the Mustang and is one of the main reasons the Mustang remains in production even after all of its competitors have been discontinued.
We all know just how important Ford has always been as a car manufacturer, but Ford is also a domestic car manufacturer that has by far the most presence on the international market. Many continents got their own special Fords that weren't sold anywhere else, but only Australia got their own special muscle cars. The pinnacle of those is the Ford Falcon XB GT which can in many ways be compared to the Mustang here at home. The XB GT sold like crazy for what it was, and rightfully so. Not only that, the Falcon XB has a huge cult following even today, a member of which is the famous actor Eric Bana who even shot a documentary about his Falcon and it starred Jeremey Clarkson among other guests (we highly recommend you give it a watch if you haven't). Now, there are a few reasons why the XB is so special. The first is that with the right set of wheels, it becomes one of the best-looking muscle cars ever, and the second is its highly durable 5.8 liter V8 engine. But the third reason it's so special is all its racing success. The Falcon XB GT won the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1973, 1976, and 1977, plus a few more racing championships in Australia. And lastly, the Falcon XB GT is one of the greatest automotive cinema superstars ever, if not the greatest because of course, it's the main car in the Mad Max film series.
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In the end, Ford was not only one of the muscle car pioneers, but they also brought the V8 engine to the masses with its flathead design. Today, Ford remains the last manufacturer to still produce a muscle car, and it's the only manufacturer that never took a break from making muscle cars since the very first one. Moreover, Ford already announced that it will keep the V8 alive in the Mustang for as long as it can and that by itself makes Ford a hero in our books, if not because it made some of the greatest muscle cars ever. Now, if you would like to acquire a piece of Ford muscle car history for yourself, Exotic Car Trader can make the entire purchasing process as easy as it can get. Exotic Car Trader can help you source the car, inspect it for you, deliver it to your address, and offer escrow services, while all you need to do is send a virtual offer to the seller. At the same time, Exotic Car Trader can help you sell your current car in much the same way.
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