Mustang Forty Years

Rating:
Summary: Dude, where's my car?
Review: As a 1977 Mach 1 owner I was also looking for more even coverage that included lower level Mustangs from across the years, they aren't just the stuff of fleet sales, they are Mustangs as well. I was also expecting more info on the Mustang II in such a definitive book. Maybe it would be better to get some of the smaller books that cover a narrower range of model years, like the MBI title "Mustang 5.0 & 4.6 1979-98", or one of the books on the 1964 1/2 - 73 cars.

Rating:
Summary: 5-star photos of McQueen/Bullitt/68 GT390 Fastback
Review: I have always loved Mustangs (among many other cars), but the one that trips my trigger the most is the Mustang in the 1968 movie Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen. Steve's co-stars are Robert Vaughn, Robert Duvall (early cameo)and many other recognizable actors and, of course, the '68 Mustang GT390 Fastback and the '68 Dodge Charger used in the chase. San Francisco should get a supporting actor nod as well.

Still referred to as the best auto chase scene ever filmed, this one lights me every time I watch it.

This book has the only high-resolution photos of the Mustang used in the movie that I have ever found. There some frames from the movie available on the NET, but nothing of this quality. The original cars are long since gone, but the car in these photos is an excellent reproduction and the photos are beautiful.

The rest of the book is just as good, and if you are a muscle-car nut in general or a Mustang afficiando in particular, you will want to buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: I was disappointed! Lots of photos, very little information.
Review: I was anxious to receive this book, but disappointed to discover that their were absolutely no specification charts of any kind. No engine sizes, body styles, horsepower ratings....nothing. You must read through paragraphs and paragraphs to glean any tpye of hard numbers. To be fair,much of the information is there but difficult to find and or use in any meaningful way.

Rating:
Summary: So many Mustangs, too few pictures....
Review: I was disappointed! Lots of pictures, very few cars. I didn't know that in '69-'70 that the only interesting Mustangs were of the Boss 429, or Boss 302 varieties, with the exception of a couple of Mach One's (which outsold both bosses at over ten to one). The '71-'73 Stangs though having 4 distinct grills during the period picture only the two Mach style grills. Pick any period you get too many photographs of too few types of cars. Even then, the case of the Shelby Mexico, a warmed over 302 coupe, they mention the interesting roofline without really showing it. Even the writing was suspect, Mustangs didn't exist in a vacuum. Sales slipped, but it had a lot to do with the market getting saturated by other manufacturers as well as competition from in house from the likes of the Cougar, Capri, and even Maverick. Those high sales of the past were of primarily bread and butter machines, which this book pretty much ignores. Save your money and go to the next Mustang show in your area, you'll see more Mustangs not just the ones that appear to excite the authors.

Rating:
Summary: Mustang Forty Years
Review: This is a great book. I was given this book as I have owned a 1966 Mustang GT and now own a Mustang Bullitt. It is very informative on the inception of the Mustang through its current models and even shows the next generation Mustang. It is very well written and has large beautiful photographs. Anyone who likes Mustangs will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, but....
Review: This was a very good book, especially if you prefer the older Mustangs of the 1960's and early 1970's. There are far more pictures of these cars than of the newer ones. Unfortunately for people who prefer the late model cars from the 1980's and newer, there is not as much attention paid to them. The section on the 1985-1993 "Fox" 5.0 Mustangs is only 29 pages long, and they only show pictures of seven different cars. The only 5.0 GT hatchback they show is a black one, not in the best shape; it had scratches and rock chips all over it! Surely they could have found a better one at any Mustang show. The 1994-2003 section is a little better, it is 33 pages long and they have 12 different cars pictured. Bottom line is, there are 148 pages for the 1964-1973 Mustangs, (10 years) but only 62 pages for the 1985-2003 Mustangs. (19 years) I like the old Mustangs too, but it's the new Mustangs that keep the pony galloping! Also consider that today's cars, as they are off the showroom floor, will clobber most (if not all) of the classic cars from the 1960's. When the 45th anniversary comes around in 2009, I hope whoever writes the next big book pays equal attention to all the years.