Ford Mustang II History Part 5: King Cobra

1978 offered the King
Cobra, featuring a vastly different body look than the Cobra II. The
front chin spoiler was replaced with a lower front fascia that ran
along the bottom of the front bumper, wrapping around the front end,
smoothing into the wheel wells. There was also a trim piece added to
the front of the rear wheel wells, giving the front and rear wheel
wells the same smooth, molded look.  The loud Cobra II striping and
badging was removed for a more subtle “king cobra” logo on the rear of
the doors — the Cobra logo remained in the middle of the grille. 
Replacing the Cobra II stripes were a wild tribal looking graphic on
the hood and pin stripes galore, tracing just about every line of the
vehicle.  Also on the hood, there was the addition of a rear facing
hood scoop brazened with a “5.0” logo, similar to the logos found on
the rear facing scoops of the Firebirds of similar years. The Kind
Cobra could be ordered as both a hard top and a T-top, but only as a
hatchback. Perhaps due to the King Cobra, or the addition of the
fashion accessory package, or perhaps people knew that this would be
the last year for the Mustang II and the last chance to own one, sales
numbers were up in 1978 with over 192,000 units sold, second only to
the first year of the Mustang II.

The Ford Mustang II, while not a great seller, got the Mustang through
some possibly very tough times in automotive history, when some models
(especially pony and muscle cars) died.  The Mustang II is typically
considered among the least desirable of the Mustang generations, yet
for those who owned one, or still own one, they are very popular with
an almost cult-like following.  While not exactly an ideal pony car,
the Mustang II is still a Mustang, and has made for a popular car to
drop a bigger engine into for drag racing purposes thanks to their
small, light stature.

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