By 1978 America was at the height of the automotive misery known as the 1970’s. Horsepower couldn’t be found anywhere and performance was defined by the loudness of the stripes, spoilers and hood graphics that could be found all over the scene. Jimmy Carter was well on his way to destroying the economy which was precipitating high interest rates, inflation and once again high gas prices.
This year was the last for the Mustang II which was a welcome closing of a chapter to many Mustang enthusiasts. The sales for 1978 was rather good despite the lack of love for the Mustang, a full 40,000 cars more than in 1977. This can mostly be attributed to the above mentioned economic strife that sent people back to smaller more fuel efficient cars.
For 1978, the Mustang did offer again more luxury option packages and the well known “King Cobra” appearance package. With its loud and obnoxious stripe and graphics package, oversized front air dam and rear window slats it was unmistakably duplicative of the Firebird Trans Am. Fortunately, the future held better days.
1978 Mustang Production Data:
69F Hatchback: 68,408
69R Hatchback – Mach 1: 7,068
60F Coupe: 81,304
60H Coupe – Ghia: 34,730
Total Production: 192,410
1978 Mustang Specifications:
| 1978 Mustang Engines
2.3 L – 140 cid, I-4, 2bbl, 88 hp 2.8 L – 171 cid, V6, 2bbl, 91 hp 5.0 L – 302 cid, V8, 2bbl, 139 hp |
Code
Y Z F |
|
|
|
| Transmissions
4-speed manual 3-speed automatic (C4) |
|
|
|
|
| Brakes
Power front disc brakes / rear drum |
|
|
|
|
| Body Styles
Coupe Coupe – Ghia Hatchback Hatchback – Mach 1 |
Code
60F 60H 69F 69R |
|
|
|
| Dimensions
Curb weight – 4 cyl coupe Curb weight -4 cyl hatchback Length Height Wheelbase |
2,660 lb
2,807 lb 175″ 49.6″ 96.2″ |
|
|
|
| Assembly Plant
Dearborn, MI San Jose, CA |
Code
F R |
1978 Mustang Colors:
| 1978 Mustang Colors
Black Bright Red Bright Yellow Midnight Blue Metallic Bright Aqua Metallic Dark Jade Chamois Tangerine Metallic Light Aqua Metallic Dark Brown Metallic Chamois Metallic Medium Chestnut Metallic Silver |
Code
1C 2R 6E 3A 7H 46 83 8G 7Q 5Q 8W 5M 1G |
|
|
|
| Interior Colors:
Black Red Chamois Aqua Chamois/White Red/White Aqua/White Black/White |
A
D T K 2 N 7 W |
