The car-auction website Bring a Trailer has a collection of a half-dozen ’80s Mustangs for sale in an auction that ends on December 28.
Among the highlights: a 1984 turbo SVO model, a 1988 ASC McLaren convertible version, and even an ex–Florida Highway Patrol police Mustang from 1989.
The cars are being auctioned individually, but what a collection they’d make if you got the whole set.
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The Fox-body Mustang enjoyed an uncommonly long run, from disco to grunge. Along the way, Ford had plenty of time to evolve the car and roll out distinct variants. There were carbureted cars and fuel-injected ones, four-eye headlights and flush, convertibles and coupes (both notchback and hatchback), and even a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder SVO model. And all of that, plus a Saleen, are represented in a Pennsylvania collection now up for auction on Bring a Trailer. The auction ends on Monday, December 28.
1984 Mustang SVO.
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The oldest car in the lot is a 1984 Mustang SVO, the least meatheadish of all Fox-bodies. Powered by a turbo four, it made a beefy-for-the-era 175 horsepower and featured four-wheel disc brakes, a five-speed manual, and a 3:45 limited-slip rear end. Most important, though, the SVO brought a hood scoop and a factory biplane rear spoiler that tells the world, “Yeah, I admire the Merkur XR4ti, but I prefer to buy American.” This one has 64,000 miles and tires that are from, uh, 2005. Melba Toast here might need a new set of shoes.
1985 Mustang GT 5.0.
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Next up is a 1985 GT with 72,ooo miles. This is one of the four-eyed cars, the last stalwart of the early-’80s carbureted era. These cars have their following, but they’re generally not worshipped the way that some of the later 5.0 models are. That’s why this one might be the bargain of the bunch. And its four-barrel 4.9-liter V-8 (yes, all the Mustang 5.0s of this era were actually 4.9s, and if that’s news to you we’re terribly sorry to shatter the foundations of your entire Mustang worldview) made 210 horsepower, which wasn’t too shabby. Sure, that’s less than the subsequent fuel-injected GT’s 225 horsepower, but Ford tended to futz with horsepower ratings in those days, and “around 200-something horsepower” is probably appropriate for most 5.0 models. In 1993 Ford de-rated it to 205 horsepower for no apparent technical reason. But anyway, if you want to roll like Troy from The Goonies, this is the one to get.
1988 Mustang ASC McLaren.
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This auction features a pair of weirdo 1988 Mustangs, so let’s look at the obscurest first: the ASC McLaren convertible. The main benefit—and also the main drawback—of this car is that 98 percent of the populace will think it has a lot to do with McLaren, and the 2 percent who know otherwise will explain the difference in tedious detail. The first part of the name is most germane, since American Sunroof Company cut the tops off Mustang coupes to create this two-seat, manual-top Fox-body. McLaren was supposedly involved in tuning, but a proto-F1 this is not. It does appear to be a perfectly good and sort of strange Mustang, but Ford’s own convertible Mustangs famously had back seats and power ragtops so your hair could blow, so this is one for the real Stang heads.
1988 Saleen Mustang.
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The 1988 Saleen, on the other hand, is a known entity, in that it predates decades of subsequent Saleen tuner cars. Despite showing 123,000 miles, it’s already commanding big money, which is understandable because it’s awesome. Look at those graphics. Look at that Pioneer graphic equalizer. The cigarette burns on the driver’s seat? Those are factory. Imagine the Aqua Net in your coif meeting the black netting of the headrests. This is easily the most Cobra Kai car in the collection, and we’re sure the price will reflect that.
1989 Mustang SSP.
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But Ford made Mustangs for narcs, too, as exemplified by the 1989 SSP. This baby started life as a Florida Highway Patrol car before retiring to the Fort Walton Beach PD in the early ’90s. Considering the use case for a Florida cop car, it’s amazing this Mustang still exists in this condition—or any condition, aside from “chewed in half by perp on krokodil.” The Fox-body SSP police cars were some of the meanest-looking po-po transport ever, and surely the most fun. They were basically the Mustang track-/drag-car setup (notchback, 5.0, five-speed) adapted for police use. If you saw this in your rearview mirror, you weren’t getting away. Unless maybe you had a Saleen.
1989 Mustang GT 5.0.
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Finally, we have a 1989 Mustang GT that’s unusual mainly for its mintiness. It’s an automatic, but that can suit the more luxe-oriented GTs, which this one is. And it’s in that sweet spot for mileage—23,000 miles—where it still looks like a new car but you can actually drive it without instantly depreciating it by 50 percent.
They’re all for sale individually, so you don’t have to buy six Mustangs at once. But it would be real cool if you did.
Ford Mustang: A Brief History in Zero to 60 MPH
Ford Mustang Through the Years: A Retrospective
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