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This article popped up on the Motor Trend / Hot Rod website. Interesting but I found the writer's interest in the 1986 Fox body mustang even more interesting. Hopefully others will start to see FORDs built on the Fox platform as a real performance vehicle - WITHOUT an LS swap !!!!!!!
First is a short clip of todays Mecum's auction summary (with link to the complete article on top in blue) where the writer encloses a link to one of his fav cars. - 1986 Mustang GT. The text of that article is copied.
NOTE: the text and photos are the property of the people/companies listed, and shown here for reference.
https://www.motortrend.com/features/top-10-muscle-cars-mecum-auctions-harrisburg-2024/
Top 10 Muscle Cars From Mecum Harrisburg: Big Bids Fetch Over $1.4M!
If you were looking for a solid deal, top-shelf muscle cars were bargains for the big buyers.
Top 10 Muscle Cars From Mecum Harrisburg: Big Bids Fetch Over $1.4M!
If you were looking for a solid deal, top-shelf muscle cars were bargains for the big buyers.
Johnny Hunkins Writer Mecum Auctions Photographer Violet Cruz Illustrator Aug 21, 2024
Mecum Auctions' Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, summer event is always a strong one for traditional muscle cars, and with over 1,300 lots offered for bid during this year’s July 24–27 event, it was one to watch. We had taken interest in a few of these lots prior to the auction and we’ll start by reporting that the colonnade-style A-body 1973 Pontiac GTO we featured sold for $30,800 (against a Hagerty valuation of $27,800) and the pristine 1986 Ford Mustang we longed for sold for $31,900 (see car below). By contrast, the 1957 Studebaker Gold Hawk Custom Roadster street rod we gushed over failed to meet reserve with a high bid of $40,000. We’ve always liked cars off the beaten path, but when it comes to those that will demand the biggest bucks, it is the star-powered classics from the 1960s that drive the bids high. In line with this, the top 10 muscle cars that successfully met the hammer included three 1969 Camaros (you probably didn’t see that coming), two Pontiac GTOs, two Plymouths, a Dodge, one Merc, and a Shelby Mustang. Beginning with number 10, let’s dig in!
Top 10 Muscle Cars From Mecum Auctions Harrisburg 2024
1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda, Lot S186, $264,000
1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Lot S215, $181,500
1970 Dodge Super Bee, Lot S71, $154,000
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge, Lot S201, $143,000
1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Lot S149, $137,500
1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS Z28, Lot S77, $112,750
1969 Shelby GT350H Fastback, Lot F152, $110,000
1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT-E, Lot F226, $110,000
1968 Plymouth Hemi Road Runner, Lot S119, $110,000
1964 Pontiac GTO Convertible, Lot S237, $106,700
================================================== ================================================== ====================
https://www.motortrend.com/features/...rrisburg-2024/
Where It All Began: The SEFI 5.0-Liter 1986 Ford Mustang GT Kick-Started Performance in the Modern Era
Few all-original fuel-injected 5.0-liter V-8 Mustangs survive today, making this no-reserve Mecum lot all the more fantastic.
Johnny Hunkins Writer Mecum Auctions Photographer Jul 12, 2024
Considering that Ford built 50,465 Mustang GTs in 1986, it’s remarkable how few survive today in pristine form. That’s why we were so excited to discover that just such a machine will be up for auction at no reserve for Mecum’s Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, auction on Saturday, July 27, as lot number R538, which you can watch live on MotorTrend.
For many folks, it was the Fox Body Mustang that brought people to the revitalized high-performance party during the 1980s. After a disastrous decline in performance during the 1970s, Detroit seemed initially reluctant to turn the wick up on power, cranking out only performative gestures comprised of trim packages, stripes, and wheel/tire upgrades. To be sure, this tactic worked for a while, with the new-for-1979 Fox Body Mustang selling a mind-blowing 369,936 units (47,568 of which had the line-topping 140-hp small-block.) But muscle car fans have long memories. At any NASCAR race of the era you would have found the parking lots and grassy fields packed with late-model Thunderbirds, Monte Carlos, Camaros, Mustangs, and Regals. Bill Elliot won 14 races in 1985 and Ford was racking up sales. That year, Ford sold 156,514 Mustangs, but that was just a warm-up for 1986.
Wally Bieber: Father of the SEFI 5.0-Liter V-8
What we know today is that a humble engineer at Ford Powertrain named Wally Bieber had concocted a fuel-injection system for the 302ci Windsor small-block V-8—the top engine in the Mustang. The Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection (SEFI) system and its EEC-IV controller would become standard on the 1986 Ford Mustang GT and all 5.0-liter Mustangs through the 1995 model year. Though Bieber’s contribution came before the age of the internet and therefore would leave no official historical imprint, those of us who were involved at the time remember his contribution like it was yesterday. Without Bieber’s contribution of SEFI and EEC-IV engine management, none of this would have happened.
The 1986 Mustang GT Launches a Revolution
The SEFI 5.0-liter V-8, first found in the 1986 Mustang GT, would become Ford’s flagship high-performance engine and spawn a revolution that created a Ford performance subculture literally overnight. Magazines and event series for the “five-oh” crowd proliferated during the SEFI 5.0-liter Mustang’s 10-year reign, and it all kicked-off with the 224,410 Mustang units sold in 1986. Beiber’s SEFI would proliferate through the Ford lineup, finding its way onto such diverse products as the Ford F-150 and Lightning, Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Capri and Cougar, the Mustang Cobra and Cobra R, and even the Ford Explorer, which extended the SEFI 5.0-liter’s life into 2001, making it the last vehicle ever to be sold with the SEFI 5.0-liter V-8.
The 1986 Ford Mustang GT is the car that kicked-off this movement, and among the millions of fans that formed Ford’s massive V-8 army during the 1980s and 1990s, there is going to be fierce competition to possess this unmolested ponycar. Though the 1986 GT was the first Mustang to have the SEFI 5.0-liter V-8, it was also the car that finally combined several other technologies and features, some of which had appeared earlier.
Ford Pulls Away From the Pack
Internally, the 5.0-liter V-8 was loaded with forged pistons, which is as rare today as it was back in 1985 when they made their first appearance in the 302. This afforded the engine an added degree of strength. The 1985 model year’s 5.0-liter V-8 also brought stainless-steel shorty headers, hydraulic roller lifters, and a new cylinder block design with taller lifter bores. For 1986, these features would continue, but more restrictive cylinder heads for 1986 meant power output dropped from 210 hp (at 4,400 rpm) to 200 hp (at 4,000 rpm). Notable, however, is the fact that compression climbed from 8.4:1 (in 1985) to 9.2:1 (in 1986), which resulted in torque output climbing from 270 lb-ft (3,200 rpm) to 285 lb-ft (3,000 rpm).
Mustang GT vs. IROC Camaro
To be sure, the addition of sequential fuel-injection helped the ’86 model’s throttle response and overall drivability in addition to its elevated torque output and wider power band, despite its lower horsepower rating. (0-60 acceleration times improved from 6.8 seconds for the ’85 model to 6.0 seconds for the ’86—a huge seat-of-the-pants difference.) Power would rise to 225 hp the following year in 1987 once Ford Powertrain figured out that the ’86’s new high-swirl heads were a restriction. Nevertheless, the 1986 Mustang’s new SEFI 5.0-liter was a knockout punch to Chevy’s more expensive IROC Camaro, which could only muster 7.3-seconds 0-60 according to a contemporary test conducted by HOT ROD magazine. It would take an additional $5,700 and another year of waiting for Chevy fans to seize on the 1987 IROC Camaro with the 220-hp 350ci TPI V-8, a Pyrrhic victory at best because by then the Mustang GT was already at 225 hp.
The Fox Body Platform: Mustang’s Secret Sauce
To understand Ford’s dominance of the factory muscle car battle of the ’80s and ’90s, one has to understand that the Mustang shared its Fox Body platform—and all the engineering resources and parts in the bins—with many other cars across Ford’s North American lineup. Everything from Mercury Zephyrs to Thunderbirds and Lincoln Mark VIIs shared powertrain, driveline, suspension, and chassis components, making the cost to produce the powerful and lightweight Mustang GT significantly less than GM’s comparable Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, both built on the specialized F-body platform. Moreover, the duration and quantity of Fox Body models, which were produced from 1978 to 1993 and encompassed nearly 8 million vehicles, meant that they could be serviced and supported long after Ford stopped making parts for them. For fans of the late-model Mustang, the hook was set with the 1986 Ford Mustang GT.
Other Improvements for the 1986 Mustang GT
The 1986 Mustang GT’s fuel-injected 5.0-liter V-8, however, wasn’t the only improvement that year in the Mustang lineup. From the headers back, the 1986 gained a dual exhaust with four catalytic converters, up significantly from the more restrictive single-exhaust/single-catalytic-converter system of 1985. (The chrome-plated stainless-steel exhaust tips of the 1985 model were replaced with unplated stainless-steel tips in 1986.) More important was the change from the 7.5-inch rear axle (1979–1985) to the beefier 8.8-inch rearend for 1986, offered with a 2.73:1 or 3.08:1 Traction-Lok limited-slip rear. Manual transmission GTs like this one also saw an upgrade to the driveshaft’s universal joints, which moved from a 1310 to a 1330 U-joint beginning in 1986.
I think our SVO's have this beat on several features. Especially MPG - as if we care HaHa.
1986 Ford Mustang GT, Mecum Lot R538
Engine: 5.0-liter V-8
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Exterior Color: Bright Red
Interior Color: Charcoal/Gray
Odometer displays 14,095 miles
Originally delivered to John Stenach Ford of Plymouth, Pennsylvania
Final year for this body style
5.0-liter fuel-injected V-8 engine
First year for fuel injection
Five-speed manual transmission
Bright Red exterior with Dark Charcoal hood stripe
Black body moldings
Charcoal and Gray cloth interior
Tilt steering column
Bucket seats
Console
AM/FM/cassette stereo with premium sound
Halogen headlights
Marchal foglamps with covers
Rear spoiler
Owner's manual
Window sticker
Deluxe Marti Report
Power rack-and-pinion steering
Traction-Lok limited-slip differential
Dual exhaust
Power front disc brakes
Alloy wheels
Biography
Johnny Hunkins, born 1963, grew up mainly in Greensboro, NC. Attended Southeast Guilford High School (Greensboro) and graduated in 1981. Received a BFA degree in Art with a concentration in Design from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC-G) in 1985. The son of a music teacher and a music composer, began playing guitar at age 6, meanwhile harbored companion interests in muscle cars, model car building, NASCAR racing, and drag racing. During and after attending UNC-G, worked as an auto service writer at Montgomery Ward Auto Express. Bought a Ford Mustang LX 5.0L in 1987 which he began modifying immediately, then started contributing freelance stories to Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords (MM&FF) in 1991. Moved to New Jersey from North Carolina and became fulltime MM&FF tech editor in the fall of 1992. Helped create, then became editor of GM High-Tech Performance (originally High-Tech Performance) magazine in 1995. While at MM&FF, invented the popular “True Street” drag racing class used by many sanctioning organizations. Moved to California in 2003 to become editor of Popular Hot Rodding magazine. In July of 2014, became editor of Mopar Muscle magazine for the rebranded TEN network. Previous and current magazine projects cars: 1987 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 (Project Excalibur), 1989 Ford Mustang LX 5.0, 1987 Buick Regal Turbo-T (2 of them), 1993 Pontiac Firebird Formula (Project Thunderchicken), 1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350 (Project Magnum TPI), 1994 Chevy Camaro Z 28 (The Grape Of Wrath), 1976 Chevy Camaro (Project g/28), 1968 Chevy Chevelle (Street Sweeper), 1975 Chevy Laguna S-3 NASCAR clone, 1968 Chevy Nova, and 1968 Plymouth Valiant. Other interests include fine cigars, writing and recording rock music (Hunkins is an artist on the indy label Grooveyard Records), and mid-century modern architecture and design. Hunkins lives in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
First is a short clip of todays Mecum's auction summary (with link to the complete article on top in blue) where the writer encloses a link to one of his fav cars. - 1986 Mustang GT. The text of that article is copied.
NOTE: the text and photos are the property of the people/companies listed, and shown here for reference.
https://www.motortrend.com/features/top-10-muscle-cars-mecum-auctions-harrisburg-2024/
Top 10 Muscle Cars From Mecum Harrisburg: Big Bids Fetch Over $1.4M!
If you were looking for a solid deal, top-shelf muscle cars were bargains for the big buyers.
Top 10 Muscle Cars From Mecum Harrisburg: Big Bids Fetch Over $1.4M!
If you were looking for a solid deal, top-shelf muscle cars were bargains for the big buyers.
Johnny Hunkins Writer Mecum Auctions Photographer Violet Cruz Illustrator Aug 21, 2024
Mecum Auctions' Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, summer event is always a strong one for traditional muscle cars, and with over 1,300 lots offered for bid during this year’s July 24–27 event, it was one to watch. We had taken interest in a few of these lots prior to the auction and we’ll start by reporting that the colonnade-style A-body 1973 Pontiac GTO we featured sold for $30,800 (against a Hagerty valuation of $27,800) and the pristine 1986 Ford Mustang we longed for sold for $31,900 (see car below). By contrast, the 1957 Studebaker Gold Hawk Custom Roadster street rod we gushed over failed to meet reserve with a high bid of $40,000. We’ve always liked cars off the beaten path, but when it comes to those that will demand the biggest bucks, it is the star-powered classics from the 1960s that drive the bids high. In line with this, the top 10 muscle cars that successfully met the hammer included three 1969 Camaros (you probably didn’t see that coming), two Pontiac GTOs, two Plymouths, a Dodge, one Merc, and a Shelby Mustang. Beginning with number 10, let’s dig in!
Top 10 Muscle Cars From Mecum Auctions Harrisburg 2024
1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda, Lot S186, $264,000
1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Lot S215, $181,500
1970 Dodge Super Bee, Lot S71, $154,000
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge, Lot S201, $143,000
1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Lot S149, $137,500
1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS Z28, Lot S77, $112,750
1969 Shelby GT350H Fastback, Lot F152, $110,000
1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT-E, Lot F226, $110,000
1968 Plymouth Hemi Road Runner, Lot S119, $110,000
1964 Pontiac GTO Convertible, Lot S237, $106,700
================================================== ================================================== ====================
https://www.motortrend.com/features/...rrisburg-2024/
Where It All Began: The SEFI 5.0-Liter 1986 Ford Mustang GT Kick-Started Performance in the Modern Era
Few all-original fuel-injected 5.0-liter V-8 Mustangs survive today, making this no-reserve Mecum lot all the more fantastic.
Johnny Hunkins Writer Mecum Auctions Photographer Jul 12, 2024
Considering that Ford built 50,465 Mustang GTs in 1986, it’s remarkable how few survive today in pristine form. That’s why we were so excited to discover that just such a machine will be up for auction at no reserve for Mecum’s Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, auction on Saturday, July 27, as lot number R538, which you can watch live on MotorTrend.
For many folks, it was the Fox Body Mustang that brought people to the revitalized high-performance party during the 1980s. After a disastrous decline in performance during the 1970s, Detroit seemed initially reluctant to turn the wick up on power, cranking out only performative gestures comprised of trim packages, stripes, and wheel/tire upgrades. To be sure, this tactic worked for a while, with the new-for-1979 Fox Body Mustang selling a mind-blowing 369,936 units (47,568 of which had the line-topping 140-hp small-block.) But muscle car fans have long memories. At any NASCAR race of the era you would have found the parking lots and grassy fields packed with late-model Thunderbirds, Monte Carlos, Camaros, Mustangs, and Regals. Bill Elliot won 14 races in 1985 and Ford was racking up sales. That year, Ford sold 156,514 Mustangs, but that was just a warm-up for 1986.
Wally Bieber: Father of the SEFI 5.0-Liter V-8
What we know today is that a humble engineer at Ford Powertrain named Wally Bieber had concocted a fuel-injection system for the 302ci Windsor small-block V-8—the top engine in the Mustang. The Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection (SEFI) system and its EEC-IV controller would become standard on the 1986 Ford Mustang GT and all 5.0-liter Mustangs through the 1995 model year. Though Bieber’s contribution came before the age of the internet and therefore would leave no official historical imprint, those of us who were involved at the time remember his contribution like it was yesterday. Without Bieber’s contribution of SEFI and EEC-IV engine management, none of this would have happened.
The 1986 Mustang GT Launches a Revolution
The SEFI 5.0-liter V-8, first found in the 1986 Mustang GT, would become Ford’s flagship high-performance engine and spawn a revolution that created a Ford performance subculture literally overnight. Magazines and event series for the “five-oh” crowd proliferated during the SEFI 5.0-liter Mustang’s 10-year reign, and it all kicked-off with the 224,410 Mustang units sold in 1986. Beiber’s SEFI would proliferate through the Ford lineup, finding its way onto such diverse products as the Ford F-150 and Lightning, Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Capri and Cougar, the Mustang Cobra and Cobra R, and even the Ford Explorer, which extended the SEFI 5.0-liter’s life into 2001, making it the last vehicle ever to be sold with the SEFI 5.0-liter V-8.
The 1986 Ford Mustang GT is the car that kicked-off this movement, and among the millions of fans that formed Ford’s massive V-8 army during the 1980s and 1990s, there is going to be fierce competition to possess this unmolested ponycar. Though the 1986 GT was the first Mustang to have the SEFI 5.0-liter V-8, it was also the car that finally combined several other technologies and features, some of which had appeared earlier.
Ford Pulls Away From the Pack
Internally, the 5.0-liter V-8 was loaded with forged pistons, which is as rare today as it was back in 1985 when they made their first appearance in the 302. This afforded the engine an added degree of strength. The 1985 model year’s 5.0-liter V-8 also brought stainless-steel shorty headers, hydraulic roller lifters, and a new cylinder block design with taller lifter bores. For 1986, these features would continue, but more restrictive cylinder heads for 1986 meant power output dropped from 210 hp (at 4,400 rpm) to 200 hp (at 4,000 rpm). Notable, however, is the fact that compression climbed from 8.4:1 (in 1985) to 9.2:1 (in 1986), which resulted in torque output climbing from 270 lb-ft (3,200 rpm) to 285 lb-ft (3,000 rpm).
Mustang GT vs. IROC Camaro
To be sure, the addition of sequential fuel-injection helped the ’86 model’s throttle response and overall drivability in addition to its elevated torque output and wider power band, despite its lower horsepower rating. (0-60 acceleration times improved from 6.8 seconds for the ’85 model to 6.0 seconds for the ’86—a huge seat-of-the-pants difference.) Power would rise to 225 hp the following year in 1987 once Ford Powertrain figured out that the ’86’s new high-swirl heads were a restriction. Nevertheless, the 1986 Mustang’s new SEFI 5.0-liter was a knockout punch to Chevy’s more expensive IROC Camaro, which could only muster 7.3-seconds 0-60 according to a contemporary test conducted by HOT ROD magazine. It would take an additional $5,700 and another year of waiting for Chevy fans to seize on the 1987 IROC Camaro with the 220-hp 350ci TPI V-8, a Pyrrhic victory at best because by then the Mustang GT was already at 225 hp.
The Fox Body Platform: Mustang’s Secret Sauce
To understand Ford’s dominance of the factory muscle car battle of the ’80s and ’90s, one has to understand that the Mustang shared its Fox Body platform—and all the engineering resources and parts in the bins—with many other cars across Ford’s North American lineup. Everything from Mercury Zephyrs to Thunderbirds and Lincoln Mark VIIs shared powertrain, driveline, suspension, and chassis components, making the cost to produce the powerful and lightweight Mustang GT significantly less than GM’s comparable Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, both built on the specialized F-body platform. Moreover, the duration and quantity of Fox Body models, which were produced from 1978 to 1993 and encompassed nearly 8 million vehicles, meant that they could be serviced and supported long after Ford stopped making parts for them. For fans of the late-model Mustang, the hook was set with the 1986 Ford Mustang GT.
Other Improvements for the 1986 Mustang GT
The 1986 Mustang GT’s fuel-injected 5.0-liter V-8, however, wasn’t the only improvement that year in the Mustang lineup. From the headers back, the 1986 gained a dual exhaust with four catalytic converters, up significantly from the more restrictive single-exhaust/single-catalytic-converter system of 1985. (The chrome-plated stainless-steel exhaust tips of the 1985 model were replaced with unplated stainless-steel tips in 1986.) More important was the change from the 7.5-inch rear axle (1979–1985) to the beefier 8.8-inch rearend for 1986, offered with a 2.73:1 or 3.08:1 Traction-Lok limited-slip rear. Manual transmission GTs like this one also saw an upgrade to the driveshaft’s universal joints, which moved from a 1310 to a 1330 U-joint beginning in 1986.
I think our SVO's have this beat on several features. Especially MPG - as if we care HaHa.
1986 Ford Mustang GT, Mecum Lot R538
Engine: 5.0-liter V-8
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Exterior Color: Bright Red
Interior Color: Charcoal/Gray
Odometer displays 14,095 miles
Originally delivered to John Stenach Ford of Plymouth, Pennsylvania
Final year for this body style
5.0-liter fuel-injected V-8 engine
First year for fuel injection
Five-speed manual transmission
Bright Red exterior with Dark Charcoal hood stripe
Black body moldings
Charcoal and Gray cloth interior
Tilt steering column
Bucket seats
Console
AM/FM/cassette stereo with premium sound
Halogen headlights
Marchal foglamps with covers
Rear spoiler
Owner's manual
Window sticker
Deluxe Marti Report
Power rack-and-pinion steering
Traction-Lok limited-slip differential
Dual exhaust
Power front disc brakes
Alloy wheels
Biography
Johnny Hunkins, born 1963, grew up mainly in Greensboro, NC. Attended Southeast Guilford High School (Greensboro) and graduated in 1981. Received a BFA degree in Art with a concentration in Design from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC-G) in 1985. The son of a music teacher and a music composer, began playing guitar at age 6, meanwhile harbored companion interests in muscle cars, model car building, NASCAR racing, and drag racing. During and after attending UNC-G, worked as an auto service writer at Montgomery Ward Auto Express. Bought a Ford Mustang LX 5.0L in 1987 which he began modifying immediately, then started contributing freelance stories to Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords (MM&FF) in 1991. Moved to New Jersey from North Carolina and became fulltime MM&FF tech editor in the fall of 1992. Helped create, then became editor of GM High-Tech Performance (originally High-Tech Performance) magazine in 1995. While at MM&FF, invented the popular “True Street” drag racing class used by many sanctioning organizations. Moved to California in 2003 to become editor of Popular Hot Rodding magazine. In July of 2014, became editor of Mopar Muscle magazine for the rebranded TEN network. Previous and current magazine projects cars: 1987 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 (Project Excalibur), 1989 Ford Mustang LX 5.0, 1987 Buick Regal Turbo-T (2 of them), 1993 Pontiac Firebird Formula (Project Thunderchicken), 1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350 (Project Magnum TPI), 1994 Chevy Camaro Z 28 (The Grape Of Wrath), 1976 Chevy Camaro (Project g/28), 1968 Chevy Chevelle (Street Sweeper), 1975 Chevy Laguna S-3 NASCAR clone, 1968 Chevy Nova, and 1968 Plymouth Valiant. Other interests include fine cigars, writing and recording rock music (Hunkins is an artist on the indy label Grooveyard Records), and mid-century modern architecture and design. Hunkins lives in Desert Hot Springs, CA.