The Mustang, its name alone brings the thought of smoking rubber, blistering quarter mile times, and looks that could kill. The Mustang is most famous for its V8 power and status as the first pony car. It ushered in a new era of automobiles, where small cars, big engines, and killer looks were the status quo for cars. But too often people forget what kept the Mustang alive and what has sold the most, making it one of the best selling domestic automobiles. The life-blood of the Mustang is the V6 engine.

Starting off in April of 1964 the Mustang rolled off the assembly line with either a 260 cubic inch V8 engine or a 200 cubic inch I-6. The I-6 was a light, quick, reliable engine, many of which are still running in original form with more miles on them than planes have seen. The 200 c.i.d. engine continued on in the Mustang, and was later accompanied by the 250 c.i.d. engine, put into Sprint package Mustangs. These engines like their 200 cubic inch cousins were quick and reliable, and sold Mustangs. While the mighty 289 and 302 engines were sharing space with beasts like the 428 Cobra Jet, 351 Windsor, 351 Cleveland, 427, and the Boss 429 engine, the quiet six cylinder engines were selling Mustangs, keeping sales up and the name alive.

Enter the dark ages of the Mustang with the feared Mustang II. The emissions were becoming tighter every single year, killing the V8 cars of the day. Many platforms which only largely sold the V8 models of their cars, such as the Trans Am Firebird and the GTO were fighting to stay above the surface. The Mustang however, with its reliable six cylinder engines, kept on selling. While the V8 Mustang was being choked to death with emissions, resulting in a high water mark of horsepower at only 134 ponies, and having a gas shortage as well, the Mustang fell back on its smaller engines to sell their cars. For the first and only time the Cobra Mustang sold with a 4 cylinder engine, a six cylinder, and for some years the 302 8 cylinder. But people still bought the Mustang because it was as good as it got during these times.

The dark ages of the Mustang would soon end, and what would enter is what we see today in 79-04 Mustang, the 232 cubic inch 3.8 liter V6 engine. It was built to save gas, be somewhat quick, and satisfy those just wanting the Mustang name. The aftermarket has grown for the V6 Mustang, and it is quickly catching up to the V8, with more and more sixers ‘Stangs running into the 11’s for a quarter mile, it is just a matter of time before one hits the 10 second mark and then enters the infamous single digit ET club. Written by Kyle (38gunner)