In the early 80's, if you wanted a true performance engine in your 'Stang, you were SOL, unless you were the cops. Engine revving, tires squealing. In 1982, Ford produced some SSP models. SSP stands for special service package.

The California Highway Patrol asked for some Mustangs to test as fleet vehicles after they tested some 79 Chevy Camaros for 18 months and they weren't a good fit. The five liter four speed must have ticked off some boxes because the CHP bought 406 of them. Y'all buckle up now. And a year later, Ford opened the SSP up to other law enforcement agencies.

And these cars were made up until the Fox body was retired. Police car Fox bodies are so sick. The boss is back. (Tires squealing) After a 13-year hiatus, Ford finally brought back the GT in 1982. Ford marketed the new GT as the boss is back. An homage to the Boss 302 of the 70's.

The new boss 5.0 got a bump in power with new valves, cams, exhaust, and intake. The popular five liter was back and here to stay, baby. (Car engine revving) The five-year-old Fox body got some cosmetic upgrades a year later with a styled front face shelf that was more rounded, and a new front grill.

If you change the front you gotta change the back, duh, plastic surgery freaking 101. And the rear end got new tail lights and a new blue oval Ford emblem slapped on its boot. After nine years of not being able to let your hair flap in the wind, you can finally get your little pony in convertible trim. (Car engine revving)

1984 marked the 20th anniversary of the Mustang, and to bring some attention to 20 years of the 'Stang, Ford brought back the GT 350 namesake. Now if you were an 80's dude or duette and heard that Ford was bringing back the beloved GT 350 from the 70's, you probably clenched your little butt cheeks with excitement, well relax those buns bud, 'cause again, it was just basically another cosmetics package.

It did get some upgraded suspension components, but overall it really didn't do that much to match the legacy of the original GT 350. That same year, a familiar name in the Mustang scene hit the road running. Saleen. Ford Saleen went off and built their own American supercars. They were hopping up Fox body Mustangs.

Steve Saleen was looking to take all that potential that the Fox body had, and turn it into race car gold. He took the cars to various SCCA races, winning along the way. His success on the track gave his new Mustang some street cred, and if you had the dough, you too could buy your own Saleen equipped Fox body.

So what made his Saleen conversion so special? Well, he worked on the stuff that makes a race car better, the chassis, the suspension, the brakes. He didn't even touch the engine, for two reasons, one, he didn't want any trouble with the EPA, they were still pretty strict at the time regarding emissions, and two, it allowed him to sell his conversions while maintaining the Ford factory warranty.

Smart. (Car engine revving) He used Racecraft suspension, custom wheels, and a body kit that was very period correct. And in the early 90's, Saleen released the Saleen SSC and SC, their first crack at their very own Fox body with a modified engine.

Saleen worked 290 horsepower out of the beloved 5.0 for the SSC, and got even more power baby out of the SC with 304 buff horses. While Saleen was off modifying Mustangs, in-house Ford was looking to put some muscle back into their production pony. The oil crisis was long gone, and performance junkies wanted more buff horses to put back into their four-wheeled steed, and Ford needed a division of their own to do it.

So they decided to form a division that would oversee not only Ford's racing program, but also spearhead the production of high-performance, street-legal cars. Ford came up with Special Vehicle Operations Department, or SVO for short. Their first task was turning the Mustang into a more performance-oriented car. Surprisingly instead of going the conventional route with the five-liter small block, the SVO team used the 2.3-liter turbo, making 175 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque.

The SVO 'Stang was the highest performer of the time. Now remember when McLaren was making waves with their own turbo four banger? Well, the newly formed SVO, they didn't like that. So they killed it, they killed the McLaren Mustang, and said...

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(car engine revving)(tires squealing)- It's the tire smoking,drag strip ripping,unofficial top muscle car of the 80's.It's got a reputationfor leaving skid marksnot only on the pavement but alsoon your passenger's tighty whities.(car engine revving)This European influenced looking sportsterrebirthed the American pony carand ushered in a new generation of driversslamming Bernie's in front ofthe local Foster's Dairy Freeze.(car engine revving)(tires squealing)Buckle up buckaroos,'cause this is everythingyou need to know to get up tospeed on the Fox body Mustang.(horse neighs) Whoa!Whoa, whoa big fella, whoa big fella.Let's ride!(electricity crackles)(old video game music)Oh hi, I'm glad you're here.Donut just crossed threemillion subscribers.Thank you to every single one of youthat have subscribedto our YouTube channel.To commemorate this momentwe're making a special editionthree million subscribers sticker.It's only gonna be availablefor the next 72 hours,it's proof that you werehere with us in this moment.If you come in 78 hours, sorrypal, you're late to the game.This is for you guys, wehave no plans of stoppinganytime soon, now back to work.This is how we make videos.Back when we did our upto speed on the Mustangwe gave the Fox body lessthan a minute of love.We thought for a car withsuch a huge following,and honestly such an interesting story,it deserved its own episode.So we're gonna look at how theFox body Mustang came about,how it brought muscle back intothe American pony car scene,and why it has a cult followinglike virtually no other car.(car engine revving)Now before the Fox body came out,Ford was selling the unimpressive yetconfusingly successful Mustang two.Ford took away the V8of the original Mustang,made it smaller, andused the Pinto platformto build the new Mustang two upon.Now the infamous oil crisis of 73 put ahurt on people's wallets,and gas guzzling V8'swere thrown to the wayside.(jazzy music)In 1974 gas only cost 55 cents a gallon,that's 2.87 in today's monies.Everybody freakin' pays that now!Although it lacked thesexiness of it's older brother,the Mustang deuce was a huge successas buyers wanted more fuelefficient, lower priced,less extravagant cars,okay, boo, no thanks.Luckily the oil crisis ended,and by the mid 70'speople were back to buyingfull sized honkers that drankgas like no one drinks milk.But the people over atFord, they were smart,and they knew that all thatgulping couldn't last forever.And they moved to build smaller,more fuel efficient cars,'cause they thought that that would bethe name of the game in the futs.So Ford engineers went towork building a new platformfor their fleet of cars to build upon.They called it the Fox platform.Just to be clear, this isnot the Fox body Mustang.We're getting to the Foxbody, don't you worry.Ford wanted their new multi car platformto be smaller, weigh less,have a wider engine baythan the Falcon chassis predecessor,and be versatile enough to put a bunchof different models on soyou could drive around fast,or you could tote yourboring family around.Ford's vice president ofproduct planning and research,Hal Sperlich, came up withthe idea of a world car,a Ford product that appealed toboth Americans and Europeans.Now with Lee Iacocca's blessing in 1973,Hal started the Fox platform.There were to be two wheel bases,a long wheel base, that theFairmont would be built on,and a short version for thePinto, Cortina, and Mustang.There's a ton of carsbuilt on the Fox platform,Mercury Zephyr, FordDurango, Mercury Cougar,Lincoln Continental, Ford Thunderbird,and now that Ford wasin the works on the newmulti platform chassis,we could start working onwhat the Mustang was gonna look like.It took three different design teams,a bunch of concept images were drawn up,even one based on a wagon, but in the end,Ford went with thestylings of Jack Telnack.He was the vice presidentof design for Ford Europe,and knew that the smaller,more Euro looking carsof the East might do wellon the American market.The all new third genMustang debuted in 1979,the first Fox body Mustang.(car engine revving)The new 'Stang got square,bucketed headlights,inside a slanted grill.Had freaking louverson the quarter windows,and a wedge style hood.It was lighter, safer, more aerodynamic,it was a complete departure fromthe looks of its predecessor.You got five different engine optionsfrom an 88 horsepower2.3 liter four cylinder,to the most coveted andbeloved Mustang engineof all time, the freaking five oh.(car engine revving)Although this early versionof the five liter V8only puts out 140 horsepowers.But there was a beast inside,it just needed some massaging.We're gonna talk about that in just a bit.The Fox body also gotthree different trim levelsduring its first initial year.The first one was called the basic (beep),not really, it was just pretty basic.Then there was the moreluxurious Ghia trim,which after some researchdoesn't seem very luxurious.It got deluxe seatbelts, map pockets,and a carpeted luggage compartment.Which I guess would be a nice gestureto all the people that you kidnap,because anyone who spentmore money on these optionsis probably a psychopath.The third and final trim was the Cobra.(thunder cracks)It's not the kind of cobra thatyou're probably thinking of.The first Fox body Cobra wasanother appearance packagethat got a center mounted,non functional hood scoop,pinstripes and slightly different bumpers.If we had to rankCobras, this one is abouta one out of five hisser.A year later, the 80's were upon us,and with it came a McLaren built Mustang?You heard me right, there are Fox bodyM81 McLaren Mustangs out there,10 production versions, to be exact.Sketched out while in a Mexican restaurantin California, the story goes like this,okay so this dude Gary Kohs ofMarketing Corporation of Americawent to his buddy RogerBailey who worked at McLaren.And he was like, we wannabuild a McLaren Mustang.Nice mate, rock and roll.But first, we'll build some race carsand with your guys' name attached,they'll sell like freaking hot cakes, man.Sounds great (burps).True story, that's how it happened.Racing in the IMSA series,the McLaren 'Stang got afour cylinder Cosworth BDA engine,Ford four speed manual transmission,and a quick change rear end.Of the two race cars built,the number two chassisraced in the GTX Classin the 1981 24 hours of Daytona.The car finished 21st overallwhich isn't that good,and eighth in it's class,which also isn't that good.But they did get in a wreck, so,I mean, I guess they did pretty good.From those race cars came theproduction McLaren Mustangs.McLaren took the 2.3 liter turbo enginesand gave them a goodold hot rod boy tune upwith some head porting and blue printingfor durability and performance.They put out a respectable 190 horsepowerswhen you cranked the dash mountedboost control all the way up.M81's got BBS wheels, a WayScape hood,it got all sorts of suspension goodiesand front rear sway bars, andinside, even got a roll bar.There's only 10 of thehand built M81's ever sold,and at a price of 25K, which is about 70Kin today's money, they were not cheap.- Pressure is building again in Washingtonfor a new look at gas rationing.- In 1979 a second oilcrisis hit the United States,and playing a bit of catch up,Ford ditched the five liter V8 toconserve fuel and meet consumer demands.And it was replaced with the255 cubic inch V8 for 1980 and 1981.The sole V8 option for the Mustang made120 little tiny horse boys,the lowest horsepowerever for a V8 Mustang.Ford also dropped the 2.3 liter turbo,so if you wanted a trueperformance engine in your 'Stangin the early 80's, you were SOL,unless you were the cops.(engine revving)(tires squealing)In 1982, Ford produced some SSP models.SSP stands for special service package.The California Highway Patrolasked for some Mustangsto test as fleet vehiclesafter they testedsome 79 Chevy Camaros for 18 monthsand they weren't a good fit.The five liter four speed musthave ticked off some boxesbecause the CHP bought 406.- Y'all buckle up now.- And a year later, Ford opened the SSP upto other law enforcement agencies.And these cars were made upuntil the Fox body was retired.Police car Fox bodies are so sick.- The boss is back.(tires squealing)- After a 13 year hiatus,Ford finally brought back the GT in 1982.Ford marketed the newGT as the boss is back.An homage to the Boss 302 of the 70's.The new boss 5.0 got a bump in powerwith new valves, cams,exhaust, and intake.The popular five liter wasback and here to stay, baby.(car engine revving)The five year old Fox bodygot some cosmetic upgradesa year later with arestyled front face shelfthat was more rounded,and a new front grill.If you change the front yougotta change the back, duh,plastic surgery freaking 101.And the rear end got new tail lightsand a new blue oval Fordemblem slapped on its boot.After nine years of not being able tolet your hair flap in the wind,you can finally get your littlepony in convertible trim.(car engine revving)1984 marked the 20thanniversary of the Mustang,and to bring some attentionto 20 years of the 'Stang,Ford brought back the GT 350 namesake.Now if you were an 80's dude or duetteand heard that Ford was bringing backthe beloved GT 350 from the 70's,you probably clenched your littlebutt cheeks with excitement,well relax those buns bud,'cause again, it was just basicallyanother cosmetics package.It did get some upgradedsuspension components,but overall it really didn't do that muchto match the legacy ofthe original GT 350.That same year, a familiarname in the Mustang scenehit the road running.Saleen.Ford Saleen went off and builttheir own American supercars.They were hopping up Fox body Mustangs.Steve Saleen was lookingto take all that potentialthat the Fox body had, andturn it into race car gold.He took the cars to various SCCA races,winning along the way.His success on the trackgave his new Mustangsome street cred, andif you had the dough,you too could buy your ownSaleen equipped Fox body.So what made his Saleenconversion so special?Well, he worked on the stuffthat makes a race car better,the chassis, the suspension, the brakes.He didn't even touch theengine, for two reasons,one, he didn't want anytrouble with the EPA,they were still pretty strictat the time regarding emissions,and two, it allowed himto sell his conversionswhile maintaining theFord factory warranty.Smart.(car engine revving)He used Racecraftsuspension, custom wheels,and a body kit that wasvery period correct.And in the early 90's, Saleenreleased the Saleen SSCand SC, their firstcrack at their very ownFox body with a modified engine.Saleen worked 290 horsepowers outof the beloved 5.0 for the SSC,and got even more power baby out of the SCwith 304 buff horses.While Saleen was off modifying Mustangs,in house, Ford waslooking to put some muscleback in their production pony.The oil crisis was long goneand performance junkies wantedmore buff horses to put backinto their four wheeled steed,and Ford needed a divisionof their own to do it.So they decided to form a divisionthat would oversee notonly Ford's racing program,but also spearhead the productionof high performance, street legal cars.Ford came up with SpecialVehicle Operations Department,or SVO for short.Their first task was turning the Mustanginto a more performance oriented car.Surprisingly instead ofgoing the conventional routewith the five liter small block,the SVO team used the 2.3 liter turbo,making 175 horsepower and210 pound feet of torque.The SVO 'Stang was thehighest performer of the time.Now remember when McLaren was making waveswith their own turbo four banger?Well the newly formed SVO,they didn't like that.So they killed it, theykilled the McLaren Mustangand said "We're not gonna do this".Now it didn't take long for them to findthe errors of their ways,about a year and a half,for Ford to make the switch to focusing onthe flagship V8, the five liter.Gone were the days of thechoked up 140 horsepowerversions of the infamous small block,and here to stay were the 200 plusbuff horse, high output 5.0's.(car engine revving)Will go down as thepower plan that broughtmuscle back to the Mustang lineup.By 1988 the success ofthe higher power motorled to more than 200,000Mustangs being sold annually.One of the top Americansports cars of the time.Just look at the moviesthat featured a Fox body.Caine's convertible GT sitting on 10 inchgold Dayton's in Menace to Society.Arnold Sshwarzenegger drove one in Twins.Tim the freaking Tool ManTaylor bought his son Brada GT as his first car.The Fox bodies were wildlypopular from grandmasrocking them to church to 16 year oldsripping Bernie's in church parking lots.Towns were filled with boxy 'Stangs.But by 1990 the Fox body itselfwas getting a little long in the tooth.Ford continued to make special editionMustangs over the next few years.You got the summer timeedition, and the triple white,but maybe the best Fox body of allcame with a three letterbadge next to it, SVT.(thunder rumbles)SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team,and they made some of Ford's sickestperformance cars throughout the years.Like freaking Lightning, and the Focus,but SVT started it allwith the Fox body Cobra.The 1993 Ford MustangSVT Cobra was launchedduring the 1992 Chicago AutoShow as a way to show offFord's new performance division.The Cobra got an upgraded motor,with 235 horsepowers, and280 pound feet of twerks.It could go from zero to 60 in 5.9 secondsand run the quarter in 14.5,this was a full five out of five hisser,with an upgraded transmission,rear disk brakes,and the best looking wheelsever to come on a Fox body.(car engine revving)The Cobra was a freaking beaut.The only other Mustangthat could best the Cobrawas the Cobra R, why?Because R stands for racing.(car engine revving)The R was the swan songfor the Fox body Mustang,and it showed the world that the SVT crewknew how to build performance cars.It was a full on race car with no radio,no speakers, no freaking air conditioning,no sound deadening material, or rear seat.Only 107 R's were built,specifically for IMSAand SCCA class B racing.Although the majority of them arein the hands of collectors,so they're just sittingin some old guy's garage.The Fox body came to an end in 1993but to this day it's still one of the bestand beloved Mustangs of all time.It turned the Mustang backinto the muscle machineit once was and if you havea Calypso green notch backfive liter with a manual, hitme up in the comments below.Hold on a second, you're a Donut fan,but you don't even have any Donut merch?How will the other d-holes know thatyou've got more power, baby?Head on over to donutmedia.comand show everyonewhat a big d-hole you are.Donutmedia.com, also ifyou wanna work for us,that's where you do it,there's a join the team blink.This could be you.I love you.