DCzapla

Having graduated high school in 1995, i was well immersed in the fox 5.0 hysteria. But it wasnt until later i realised that the 82 GT was the vehicle that really sparked the interest. Even for me as a young kid at 6 years old a neighbor bought a new 1982 Mustang GT in silver metallic...how i remember that i dont know. I remember it didnt sound like any other car i was aware of. With its good looks it was then ( little did i know at the time) i fell in love with Mustangs. Yet even today I wonder why you dont really hear anyone mention the humble 82 GT seems its forgotten everyone loves the 87-93 fox body ponies. Its a shame i think the 82 GT is a very significant milestone in the 50 yr history of the Mustang. Tell me what you think

Csrt4to5.0gt

Wasn't that when the V8 was available with either a 4.2L or upgraded 5.0? And the 6 was a 2.8L? I know that's right when ford "started" to bring the performance back into the mustang. I wouldn't mind having one.

DCzapla

The 4.2 was an experiment in 81. For 82 they returned the 302, or 5.0 not that itvwas absntvfor long but even in the mustang 2 it was a weak offering at best. Whats significant about 82 is the fact that it was the first Mustang in about a decade that had delivered on performance. It really got the public excited about Mustangs and American performance in general.

Csrt4to5.0gt

I was close on the year of the 4.2 but I knew that was the beginning of bringing the performance back to the stang. If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend getting the hardcover book, Mustang: Fifty Years. It's the newest publishing celebrating 50 years of the mustang right up to, and including, the 2014's.

DCzapla

Already got the book. Its a great book to sit down with on a long snowy winter day.

DCzapla

Ya know i wonded how an 82 GT with its 157 hp 302 would compare to a 65 GT with a K code 65 GT, as far as performance

tinman

Just mho but the new horsepower race started among the big 3 automakers about 1982.
There was a lot of pent up demand in this country for some sort of a new muscle then.
Just the old supply/demand deal working itself out.
fortunately for most of the people on this board the horsepower race hasn't stopped since........

wydopnthrtl

I'm a gen Xer and remember the 82 coming out. It was a healthy dose of performance that ford was lacking in those days. But it also wasn't really a hot car. Z28s had a completely different / new look and is what most H.S. guys wanted. I was different than most in that I liked the mustangs. I like GM cars.. but a V8 mustang w/T-tops and a stick just made me drool back then.

87-93s ruled the stop lights and was obtainable for most young guys. GNs & Vettes were just not a teen or 20s car because of their costs, Z28s/TAs were around but most young guys couldn't afford the 350 or 305TPI versions until they were used or handed down. (ins cost was a big part of it)

If I could go to a ford dealership today and buy a..... 82 exterior w/T-Tops, 85 interior, w/2014 drivetrain? I would sell everything except my children and wife.

DCzapla

Like I said to start this thread, the 82 GT really caught my attention when i was a young kid and i have loved mustangs ever since. In my early teens a new family moved in across the street. Their teenage son had a 78 king cobra which he modified with an aftermarket cast aluminium intake and a 4 bbl carb ....Damn did that car sound sweet i can still hear him banging the gears down the back roads.

tinman

I was in high school during the time that the early generation of muscle cars were on the streets/strips everywhere.
The early Mustang did NOT have a great reputation in those days as most any GTO or BB Chevelle would out run it.......