The Ford Mustang spearheaded the pony car segment and was a leader through 1973, when it became a victim of market forces. Through that time, while competing with the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, Plymouth Barracuda, and Dodge Challenger, Ford never produced a high-performance Mustang convertible model.
Look at the Camaro: You could have a Super Sport convertible with engines as powerful as 396/375. Pontiac offered a Firebird 400, which was available as a ragtop with up to 345 horsepower from the Ram Air IV. Both the ‘Cuda and Challenger R/T convertibles were available with engines starting with the 383 and culminated with the 426 Hemi. All those are performance models available as convertibles.
But the Mustang (and sister car Cougar) didn’t enjoy that sort of marketing. Starting with the first big-block Mustang in 1967, there was no performance convertible model. GT, you say? It was available with a lowly 289 standard, as the GT package was mainly for handling and appearance. As such, most high-performance Mustang convertibles may not have looked the part, unlike their competitors.
The redesigned 1971 Mustang was the first to use the 429 Cobra Jet, introduced the year before for the Fairlane series. Per Marti Auto Works, only 42 were installed in Mustang convertibles, which were divided into C-codes (without ram air) and J-codes (with ram air). Ford produced 32 J-code convertibles, with 23 featuring an automatic transmission like our feature car owned by Mike Berardi. It lacks most go-fast items that distinguished the Mach 1 SportsRoof from other Mustangs, though the J-code engine included the sporty hood paint. That’s simply how Ford decided to roll at the time.
Join Muscle Car Campy as he gives us a ride in this very rare 1971 Ford Mustang convertible powered by the 429 Cobra Jet with ram air.
