1967 Mustangs

## 1967 Mustangs - The First Redesign

1967 marked the first significant redesign of the Ford Mustang. Overall, the redesign was a success and the 1967 Mustang was widely considered to be an improvement over the previous years.

In recent years the 67 Mustang fastback has gained fame after being featured in the Nicholas Cage remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. The 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 referred to as "Eleanor" was the achilles' heel of Nic's character, car thief Memphis Raines.

Chevrolet was rolling out the new Chevy Camaro, and Ford felt the pressure to perform. Thus, the 67 Mustangs were redesigned to reflect a more muscular look and fit a more powerful engine. The suspension system was also improved. Though the wheel base remained the same, the length and the front suspension track of the new 67 Mustangs were increased 2 inches in length and 2.5 inches in width to accommodate the Mustang's first big block engine, an impressive 390 cubic inch 6.4L V-8 320hp.

The standard equipment was also changed to accommodate the new look. The side scoops, which were previously chrome, were painted the same color as the car in order to closely resemble real intakes. The gills that were placed next to the headlights on previous models were now gone. The grill still featured a galloping horse, but it now had bars that extended from the horse in various directions and was much larger in size. The rear tail lights were more inset and the rear in general was much bulkier than the 1965 and 1966 Mustangs. The 67 Mustang fastback could be ordered with a ribbed rear panel instead of the chrome bezels and a hood with dual recesses.

In the past, if you wanted a convertible Mustang you would have settled for soft plastic rear windows. Starting with the 67 Mustang model the convertible option featured glass panes. If you showed an interest in the Mustang fastback model, you would notice that the roof line now ran to the trunk.

A few things were kept the same, but were changed the following year in 1968. For example, the FORD block letters on the hood and the now iconic early Mustangs wheel style.

ENGINE AND HORSEPOWER OPTIONS

Ford offered a choice of five engine configurations for the 67 Mustangs. They are as follows:

Ford Code U 200 cubic inch I-6 120hp
Ford Code C 289 cubic inch V-8 200hp
Ford Code A 289 cubic inch V-8 225hp
Ford Code K 289 cubic inch V-8 271hp
Ford Code S 390 cubic inch V-8 320hp

## Special Edition 1967 Mustangs

1967 MUSTANG GT

The GT option was also available on the Ford Mustang 67 models. However, the upgrades were more cosmetic in nature than in previous year models. With the new Ford S Code option, Ford saw less of a reason to amplify horsepower with additional Shelby upgrades. A GT350 package on a 1967 Mustang would include a K Code engine with a Cobra aluminum hi-rise and the GT 500 option was equipped with the 428 "Police Interceptor".

As previously, driving lamps, side stripes and dual exhausts were part of the package.

The large engine option was the Thunderbird's 390cid, 320 hp big-block engine. It had cast-iron intake and exhaust manifolds, and a single 600 ccm Holley four-barrel carburetor. This option always included dual-exhausts.

RARE COLLECTIBLE 1967 MUSTANGS

1967 was the last year for the 289 Hi-Po engine option. Only 472 cars were equipped with this engine, making it an extremely rare find!

## 1967 Mustang Shelbys

Ford did their first significant redesign on 67 Mustangs, so there were naturally quite a few changes to the Shelby Mustangs as well. One of the most recognizable differences from the 66 Mustang version were the scoops. Fully functional scoops were located on the sides, the sides of the roof and the hood. The GT badging became more prominent with side striping, an extended grille with a Mustang GT350 or Mustang GT500 emblem, hood pins and a Shelby snake gas cap. The GTs were also lowered in price, making them more affordable for the average consumer and Ford sold twice as many of these as the previous Shelby Mustang GTs.

GT350

The Mustang Shelby GT 350 was fitted with a 289cid Hi Po engine that was modified by Shelby to 306hp. This was the same setup as the 66 Mustangs.

GT500

The Mustang Shelby GT 500 contained Ford's massive 428cid big-block engine. The 67 Mustang body style was modified to account for the bigger engines. The GT500 however, was the only Mustang at the time to contain this much larger engine. The engine was then modified by Shelby to give it even more horsepower, making it a popular buy in '67. Ford sold even more of these pricier Mustang models than the '67 GT350s. The design and flow of the body defined the term muscle car. Everything about this Mustang Shelby told you it was powerful. The GT500s came with two scoops on each side, one on the roof and one on the side panel. There was also a scoop on the hood as well as hood pins. The 1967 Mustang Shelby was the biggest and highest performance engine installed in Mustangs for that year, however 1968 is another story.

For those of you who are fans of the remake of Gone in 60 Seconds with Nicholas Cage, this car would be referred to in the movie as "Eleanor" the achilles heel of car thief Memphis Raines.