We like to debate the best of the best-the fastest, the most valuable, the rarest, and probably a few others we haven't thought of yet. This month, we're going to pick the 10 best Mustangs based on what we've seen and heard from you-our readers. This time, we're going to try something different. We're going to begin with No. 10 and work our way up to No. 1. Now don't you peek.
10 - '73 Mustang Convertible
Enthusiasts are fond of this one because it represents the end of an era. It also represents the buyer being heard at a time when more attention was being paid to safety, profit, and efficiency issues rather than what buyers wanted. The '73 Mustang convertible was a smashing success because of Ford corporate communications leaks that created a buying frenzy when word hit the streets that there would not be a Mustang convertible after 1973. The convertible swan song generated the sale of thousands more convertibles than were sold in 1972-the Mustang's worst sales year ever.
Original public panic aside, we like the last convertible for its interior space, elongated body, and optional V-8 power. It is the end of an era best remembered for roomy, top-down wonderfulness.
9 - '71 Boss 351
It's hard to hear one of these roll up and not pay attention. The '71 Boss 351 Mustang yields a familiar sound heard from the '69-'70 Boss 302 and earlier Mustangs powered by the 289 Hi-Po V-8. Solid lifters and a throaty dual exhaust system are what make the '71 Boss 351 a winner with us. Turn around for a look and you've got to admit that the '71 SportsRoof body is a ride to die for. Super-short deck, flatback styling, and a long nose fit for the likes of the powerful Cleveland mill inside. Aside from the short-lived '72 R-code 351C H.O. to follow a year later, there has never been anything like the Boss 351.
8 - '86 Mustang SVO
Few of us give the '86 Mustang SVO the credit it deserves. The '84-'86 Mustang SVO led us to more advanced Mustangs to come later on in the '90s. Quad-shock suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, 16-inch wheels and tires, killer seating, nice interior amenities, rear deck spoiler, and more were features the Mustang GT and Cobra would ultimately employ later. For those of you just tuning in, the '84-'86 Mustang SVO was a limited-production, state-of-the-art, four-cylinder, turbocharged Mustang hatchback produced by Ford's Special Vehicle Operations. SVO, as we know it, is gone now, but SVO's futuristic thinking remains. The Mustang SVO was a handler and a snappy performer produced at a time when Detroit was reinventing the factory musclecar. We've chosen the '86 because it was the ultimate refinement of one of the nicest Mustangs ever built. It was a factory testbed for better things to come.
7 - '85 Mustang GT
This one's a favorite because it was chock-full of firsts and lasts. It was the first Mustang GT with quad-shock suspension, roller tappets, huge (at the time) 15-inch cast wheels, and super-comfortable high-back bucket seats with lumbar support and side bolsters. It was also the last Mustang with a four-barrel carburetor. The '85 Mustang GT was a sweet blast from the past with its 5.0L 4V H.O. V-8-yet it was a wave to the future with all the nice features mentioned earlier. It remains an enthusiast's favorite.
6 - '67 Mustang GT390
Enthusiasts like the '67 Mustang GT with 390 Hi-Po power because it was the first of the big-block Mustangs. Granted, it was never much of a threat to the 396 Camaro SS across town, but the 390 Hi-Po V-8 brought Mustang buyers abundant torque for the freeway and did it quietly. Stand by the quad dual exhaust tips of a '67 GT390 and you will hear a soft pulsing that reminds us of a velvet-gloved ironfist. It speaks quietly, but it gets the job done. The '67 GT's wider stance made it a revised Pony for the masses, with big-block power designed to propel all those new accessories available for 1967.