LAST OF THE MOHICANS

Steve Seuss’ 1971 Mustang Mach 1 429 Cobra Jet

- NELSON CARDADEIRO

The pursuit of performance in America, which has been going on since the automobile was invented, was just about coming to an end when the 1971 Mustangs were introduced in the fall of 1970. By the time these newly redesigned Mustangs hit the showrooms, high insurance premiums and increasing government emissions and safety regulations were quickly bringing the horsepower race to a halt—the start of a new Dark Age for the American automobile.

But when the first designs for the ’71 Mustangs were being carved into clay in the spring of 1967, Design Chief Gene Bordinat knew nothing about what the federal government had in store for the automakers. What his design team did know was that the Mustang would have to get bigger, fatter, and heavier to accommodate the ever-growing engines and horsepower figures needed to keep pace with the competition in the muscle car wars.

The wheelbase for the ’71 Mustang was stretched an inch to 109 inches. The front and rear track grew another 2 inches up front and 1½ inches at the rear. Those extra inches up front in track were necessary to be able to fit the 429 Cobra Jet big-block since its canted-valve heads made it a much wider engine than the previous 428 Cobra Jet. The 429, a destroked version of the 460 that powered Lincolns, made its first appearance in the 1968 Thunderbird. This was Ford’s answer to the big-block Chevrolet, and while similar in design compared to the Chevy, it featured a refined cylinder head port configuration. When the 385-series engine family was designed, Ford was looking at a future that never materialized. In fact, there were plans for a 501ci version for use in the big luxury cars.