That Time Ford Tried To Turn The Mustang Into A Luxury Car

Ever since it was introduced in 1965, the Ford Mustang has been the most iconic sports car to come out of Detroit. The Mustang name will forever evoke images of V8-powered burnouts, donuts and quarter-mile showdowns. It’s a car that’s never been well-known for its social graces. With the 50th-anniversary revival of the Cobra Jet estimated to run the quarter-mile in just eight seconds, it’s hard to imagine the muscular Mustang being marketed as a comfort-oriented grand tourer. But that didn’t stop Ford from trying.

When the first-generation Mustang was refreshed in 1969, it had transformed from a compact pony car into another big, muscular coupe. Although it was beginning to stray from the traditional sports car formula, Ford capitalised on the Mustang’s increased corpulence by marketing it to a wider audience. As a result, the luxury-oriented Mustang Grande was born.

The Mustang Grande was intended to attract buyers who were more interested in a personal luxury car than a true-blue muscle car. Buyers who opted for the Grande were treated with luxuries such as cloth seats, teak-inspired faux wood trim, wire-style hubcaps, and an optional vinyl roof (in either black or white). The Grande also came equipped with softened suspension and about twice the sound-deadening insulation as the standard Mustang. Although performance was clearly not the Grande’s prerogative, it could be optioned with any of the engines and transmissions that were available to the Mustang. This included the 428 cubic-inch Cobra Jet V8 that made the Mach 1 Mustang one of the fastest muscle cars on the road.

Although it seemed contrary to the ethos of the Mustang, the Grande performed decently well in the market place. Of the approximately 150,000 Mustangs sold in 1969, 22,182 of them were Grandes. Of these, just 62 were equipped with the 428 Cobra Jet V8, making them among the most exclusive Mustangs ever built.

It might seem incredibly strange to think of the Ford Mustang as a luxury car, but its modest success shouldn’t really come as a surprise to fans of American muscle. After all, the concept of the Grande wasn’t far from the popular Mercury Cougar, which is itself remembered as a more luxurious variant of the Mustang. In spite of the warm reception, Ford decided to discontinue the Grande in 1973.

The Grande was an interesting foray into an alternative pony car sector, and I doubt that it’ll be the last time that Ford tries to find a niche market for the Mustang. Given recent events in America, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they made one with an off-road theme…