Ford Mustang Fourth Generation History

The fourth generation Mustang was bigger and heavier than any of the previous cars.  The 1971 - 1973 models would be the biggest to ever come out of Ford. Two more high-performance engines were introduced in the 1972; the 351 "HO" and the 351 Cobra Jet. Both fourth generation versions were high performers for their era, but nowhere near the level of the Boss cars and original Cobra Jet.  The fourth generation brought new stricter emissions laws along with higher fuel prices and higher insurance rates limited the big-block installation versions to a maximum of 351 cu in (5.8 L) in fourth generation 1972 and 1973.

Fourth generation body styling was more exaggerated that ever before, as was the line between love and hate. It is still very hard to "sort of like" the fourth generation cars. The fourth generation fastback car took the horizontal rear window to the extreme placing it so flat that it became difficult to see through. The fourth generation cars did not differ so much from the years before them that you cannot see the lines from where they sprang. The designers at all auto manufacturers need to be applauded for their attempts at giving the American auto buying public anything at all in this time when DOT, EPA and the insurance regulations were doing their best to make this world a better place. Public safety had been a concern since Ralph Nader's "Unsafe at any speed" placed vehicle design up for tighter regulation. Impact bumpers, side marker lights, seatbelts, smog equipment and higher insurance costs would all result from the findings in this report.  New regulations brought about higher production costs due to an increased number of parts on the vehicles, labor for the installation of the parts and ultimately a higher cost in replacement and repair for the consumer.

It is also worth noting that in 1972 automakers switched from "gross" to "net" power and torque ratings which coincided with the introduction of low-compression engines with different, far more restrictive induction systems. Thus, it is difficult to compare power and torque ratings from past years with those going forward.  The one major benefit though was it allowed all manufactures to begin comparing "apples" to "apples."

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