The Fast Fashion of the ’73 Ford Mustang Mach 1

Gen 1 Mustang Gets Fancy

Writing about cars every day can make you jaded. The bar for piquing interest steadily rises as the years go by. Air-cooled 911s, R34 Skylines, and 70-Series Land Cruisers fail to excite in the way they once did. And yet, every once in a while, you run into a car that instantly dispels these doldrums. For instance, this perfectly restored 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in gorgeous Metallic Brown, is just such a car.

Of course, being released at the tail end of the first generation, this Mach 1 isn’t representing the early Mustang at its fastest. But what this car lacks in go it more than makes up for in show with its stunning exterior, including all the Mach 1 embellishments and a jaw-dropping paint job, and a classy time capsule interior. Before we dive into what makes this particular example so compelling, let’s take a step back to contextualize the first-gen Mustang Mach 1.

Mach 1 Evolutions

The Ford Mustang was already well established by the late 1960s as the premier pony car of the era with variants like the Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT500 succeeded in making the car as fast as it looked parked in your driveway. The 1969 model year was a watershed for Mustang fans as it saw the introduction of not one but three legendary variants, the Boss 302, Boss 429, and the Mach 1. The former two were homologated for Trans Am and NASCAR racing, respectively. The latter, the Mach 1, had a different mission.

The Mustang Mach 1 was Ford’s attempt to marry street cred with style. A semi-luxury interior featured teak wood accenting and highbacked bucket seats. The Mach 1 cut a mean figure with its distinctive striping and badging, rear window louvers, and pop-open gas cap. The Mach 1’s low-gloss hood with faux intake scoops was fastened with cables and pin tie-downs to let passersby know there was something serious lurking underneath.

And indeed there was, the Mach 1 was offered with an assortment of V8 options including a 351 Winsor V8 which was replaced by a Clevland 351 V8 a year later (240-285 horsepower), a 390 FE V8 (320 horsepower), and topping things off, a pair of 428 Cobra Jet V8s, with or without a Ram Air option and good for 335 horsepower.

1971 saw the most significant changes to date for the Mach 1. The car was given a number of visual updates and changes, including to the grille and rear end. The car was also longer, with a shorter rear deck, and the hood sported new NACA-style ducts. A 302 V8 (220 horsepower) was added to the engine line up while the 390 V8 was dropped. More importantly, the 429 Cobra Jet replaced the 428s as the highest output motor available with up to 375 horsepower.

By 1973, the writing was on the wall for muscle cars, rising insurance rates and new emissions and fuel economy standards had nerf horsepower to a pittance of what they’d been only a few short years earlier. That year the engine line up for the Mach 1 was simplified to just the 302 V8 and a pair of Cleveland 351s, a two-barrel version with 177 horsepower or a four-barrel version with up to 266 horsepower. Despite the lack of raw power, the Mach 1 did a respectable job compensating with greater styling and new creature comforts, a trend that was to continue with the introduction of the Mustang II for 1974.

This Cool Car, 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1

The first thing you notice about this 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is the color: Medium Brown Metallic Ginger with black accenting. The period color scheme perfectly complements the car’s styling, the matte-black hood and roof, the rear window louvers, the chin and rear spoilers are all perfectly married together. The car has been given a full restoration, including its 351 Cleveland V8 recently rebuilt with just 200 new miles since completion, equipped with a Holley four-barrel carb, Offenhauser aluminum intake, and dual exhaust. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a C6 automatic transmission and the car rides on 10-spoke 17-inch wheels.

This superbly restored 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is as good an example as you’ll find, and it’s listed for just $55,950.

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