By Matt Nelson
You can't get much more American than a Ford Mustang. It's been responsible for converting millions of normal folks into gearheads ever since its debut in 1964. It was so popular when it was launched that it created an entirely-new market segment: the pony car. Since then, numerous automakers have joined the pony car fun, including General Motors with its Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, and Chrysler with the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda.
Throughout the early part of the Mustang's life, it was wholeheartedly designed for the American car buyer, with little regard to what international markets may have preferred. However, Ford released the Fox Platform in the late 1970s, which the third-gen Mustang adopted for its own purposes. The new architecture was not just designed with Americans in mind, it was also purposely positioned for the global market, indicating a major shift in the Mustang's purpose.
An All-New Platform With The World In Mind
| 1979 Ford Mustang with Fox platform | |
| Engine | 2.3L I4 (2.8L, 3.3L and 5.0L variants were also available) |
| Power | 89–132 hp |
| Torque | 120–143 lb-ft |
| Top Speed | 9.1 secs |
| 0–60 mph | 117 mph |
| Table stats are for theBase Ghia and Cobra Turbo options only | |
In 1978, Ford's all-new Fox platform debuted. At the time, the scope of the American automotive market was quickly shifting away from large, V8-powered models to smaller, more economical models. At the same time, Japanese and European cars were fast becoming more commonplace on American roads. Because of this, some US-based manufacturers were struggling to keep up with the changing times, and Ford's Fox platform was one of the first full-blooded attempts to counter the foreign-born automotive invasion.
Prior to the introduction of the Fox platform, Ford had been using the Falcon architecture since 1960. Because so much had changed regarding handling preferences, safety requirements, and general innovation, the Falcon platform had become long overdue for a replacement. Work on the Fox platform began roughly five years before its introduction, and was aimed at much grander aspirations than the Falcon architecture it was replacing.
The first models to receive the new Fox platform were the Ford Fairmont and the Mercury Zephyr, both of which began sporting the new architecture in 1978. A year later, the Mustang adopted the platform, alongside the Mercury Capri. Following those two were other models, like the Ford Thunderbird in 1980, the Ford Granada in 1981, and the Lincoln Continental in 1982. We'll list out the rest of the Fox platform recipients below:
- Ford Durango
- Ford LTD
- Mercury Cougar
- Mercury Marquis
- Lincoln Mark VII
Making The Fox Platform
Just as the OAPEC issued its total embargo on all oil exports in 1973, causing the first Gas Crisis to hit the US, work on what would be called the Fox platform began. The crisis forced several major changes to be made regarding Ford's top brass, with some executives being let go, and others being shifted around to different roles. The official order to commence the Fox project came from Lee Iaccoca, who served as Ford's president during this time.
His vision, along with vice president Hal Sperlich's, was an all-new, downsized platform that could be adopted across the American and most of the European market. In short, the as-yet-unnamed Fox platform would be the first "world car" architecture to come from Ford. Shortly after the project's launch, the name "Fox" was chosen, which was, possibly, gleaned from the Audi Fox, the USDM namesake used on the Audi 80 subcompact.
Unfortunately, Ford's dreams of a multinational vehicle platform were dashed by mid-1974. It was discovered that the sheer number of regulatory guidelines, which varied widely between the US and various European governments, rendered the idea virtually impossible. This meant that Ford's desire to replace the aging Euro-market Cortina and Taunus with a Fox-platformed model was also thrown out the window. Regardless, work on the project carried on.
What The Fox Platform Consists Of
The crux of the Fox platform's futuristic make-up was its unibody construction. During the 1970s, most cars on the market took advantage of a body-on-frame construction, wherein a separate frame is mated to a separate body shell. The use of a unibody meant cars using the Fox platform could be lighter, which meant they were more fuel efficient. In addition, unibody models are, typically, safer than most equivalent body-on-frame designs.
All Fox-platformed models took advantage of a rear-wheel drive drivetrain, along with a MacPherson strut-supported front end. At the back, a live rear axle was present. One of the hallmarks of the Fox architecture was its wider-than-typical stance. This meant that the engine bays of Fox-based models were able to fit a litany of engines despite being smaller in stature. A good example can be found with the 5.0-liter V8 used in the third-gen "Fox Body" Mustangs.
Sources: Ford, LMR.com, Hemmings, CJ Pony Parts
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
