1969 Vs. 1970 Ford Mustang: Pick Your Pony (PowerNation TV)
The year was 1969, and quite a bit happened in the automotive world, which was deemed by many as one of the most exciting times for muscle cars to date.
From its debut in 1964, the Ford Mustang went relatively unchanged until 1968 due to a lack of competition and dominated a market they had all to themselves. It wasn’t until 1967 when Dodge and Chevrolet realized what Ford had with the Mustang, leading them to debut muscle cars of their own and kick off a battle that still exists today. Ford had to respond – they were forced to make some significant updates and evolve on a dime due to the new additions from Dodge and Chevrolet.
Once the competition started, Ford endured a year-to-year loss of 5.5 percent between 1968 and 1969. It wasn’t their market any more. Since the blue oval had sunk a lot of cash into development, it warranted concern. There was a lot of money, time, and effort spent overhauling the 1969 Mustang, which is obvious by the seemingly endless amount of trims available. There was a sense of reluctance to go crazy with the 1970 model, meaning the upgrades don’t appear to be much.
Despite the minimal upgrades, the Mustang started making a name for itself again in 1970 when the popular Parnelli Jones helped Ford reclaim the Trans-Am manufacturer’s trophy. Although this was great news and launched them into the limelight, they were still sagging in the overall sales race. Ford was doing its best to cope. Vehicles ranging from the Pontiac Firebird, second-generation Chevrolet Camaro, the beefy Plymouth Barracuda, and Dodge Challenger were giving it all they had to come out victorious.
To stay in line, the 1970 Mustang needed some help to keep up the frenetic pace in the muscle car world, but how could they improve something iconic? What makes the 1969 iconic? That depends on who you ask, but the responses range from the trim levels, engines like the 428 Cobra Jet, and much more.
