BF Auction: 1979 Ford Mustang Cobra
- Seller: James A
- Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Mileage: 111,440 Shown
- Chassis #: 9F03F270170
- Title Status: Clean
Ford released its Third Generation Mustang in 1979, and its styling broke new ground. While many viewed the Mustang II as almost a caricature of the original, the Fox-Body drew no design cues from its predecessors. This would generally be considered the kiss of death for an iconic badge, but these are some of the best-performing vehicles in the current classic market. Our feature car is a 1979 Mustang Cobra. It is a project that stalled many years ago, but it is complete, and the owner feels it needs a new home with a buyer willing to recapture its lost youth. Therefore, he has listed the Cobra with us at Barn Finds Auctions.
The Fox-Body Mustang created a stir when unveiled because its styling had a distinctive “European” appearance. It was unlike anything that came before, and the buying public rewarded Ford by handing over the cash to drive home behind the wheel of 369,937 of these classics. That total represented the fourth most successful year since the badge’s launch in 1964 and was the highest figure since 1967. This Mustang Cobra rolled off the line during the first year of Fox-Body production and is a project that stalled many years ago. The car is partially dismantled, but any removed parts are included. Examining the supplied photos reveals the original Code 1G Silver paint is far beyond its best, and stripping the panels to bare metal would be the best approach for those seeking a high-end result. There is surface corrosion and some panel damage from where the car was sideswiped, but there is no evidence of penetrating rust. The panel damage is repairable, and the owner says he will generously include a few additional small bumps and bruises accumulated while the car was in storage! The Mustang features a sliding sunroof, and like the remaining glass, it is in good order. The exterior plastic has survived surprisingly well, and some spare alloy wheels are among the collection of new and used parts located in the cargo area.
Ford was gradually rediscovering its performance mojo by 1979, although the process was slow. Buyers could purchase a new Mustang with several four or six-cylinder powerplants, but they could strike gold by ordering cars like this Mustang Cobra. It features a 302ci V8 that sends 140hp and 250 ft/lbs of torque to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. The ¼-mile ET of 16.5 seconds may not sound startling, but it made it the fastest V8-equipped Mustang since the 1973 Mach 1. This Cobra hasn’t seen active service since 1999, but the news isn’t bad. The car starts, runs, and drives. It will probably need a thorough inspection and some remedial work, but returning it to a mechanically roadworthy state could be a realistic short-term goal. Plenty of options are available for those wishing to squeeze more performance from that V8, but with values climbing for mechanically unmolested cars, preservation could prove the best option.
The original owner ordered this Cobra with an interior trimmed in red cloth and vinyl. There is a hole where the radio should be, but I think it might be amongst the items stored in the rear cargo area. There are no visible aftermarket additions, and the overall condition shows promise. Thoroughly cleaning everything would be the starting point, and the winning bidder faces spending $240 on a replacement pad in the correct color. However, with the plastic trim looking good and no signs of upholstery tears in the supplied photos, whipping this interior into shape should be an affordable undertaking.
Fox-Body Mustangs have consistently performed in the classic market for a while, although many potential buyers once focused on the later SVT Cobra variants. However, cars like this 1979 Mustang Cobra have gained traction, with values rising by over 6% in the past year. Spotless examples often sell for over $30,000, and $40,000 is not out of the question for the right car. This Mustang needs work to achieve that standard, but it is a realistic goal for the winning bidder. Those climbing values are putting these cars beyond the reach of many, but becoming the successful bidder on this one and taking a hands-on approach could be the best way to park a spotless example in your garage without breaking the bank. It has to be worth considering.
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Bid On This Auction
Ed1111 bid $2,750.00 2023-10-05 18:48:42
ab4306 bid $2,550.00 2023-10-01 05:22:05
Oldskool55f100 bid $2,350.00 2023-09-30 19:57:39- Ed1111 bid $2,250.00 2023-09-30 17:15:56
- ab4306 bid $2,100.00 2023-09-30 11:10:14
Jeremy bid $1,800.00 2023-09-30 10:37:45
Louie bid $1,600.00 2023-09-29 15:33:40
RoadTripRevivals bid $1,500.00 2023-09-29 13:34:49
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Comments
The 1978 Mustang II 302 V8 also had 140hp and a four speed and people whined about the lack of performance. But the Fox Body comes out with the same V8 specs, the same 4 and 6 cylinder motors, both <100hp and it's the savior.
Fox Mustangs were lighter than Mustang Ils. That’s an advantage. Plus by 82, the 302 was uograded
The Fox Mustang saved us from the lumpy, humpy, frumpy styling of the Mustang II in 1979. Performance came later, but the early Fox Mustangs benefit from the later cars’ performance image, despite their tepid performance.
The “Boss is Back” 1982 Mustang GT is generally thought of as the renewal of performance Mustangs, courtesy of the increase in 5.0 horsepower and the general coming out of the malaise era. But the 1979 Mustang Cobra can be considered a flicker of what was to come. The new Fox platform with all of its improvements and advancements brought a strong dose of interest and enthusiasm.
At Mustang shows, about the only early-year Foxes to be seen are 1979 Pace Cars. It would be great to see this Cobra brought back to respectability. Though these are not easy restorations; parts availability is spotty, and this example looks fairly crusty underneath.
You can see several on some fox body pages on Facebook .
I hate to burst your bubble here, but the 1982 5.0 only put out 157 horsepower. The Boss is Back thing was nothing more than sales hype. Look it up. Those cars were dogs, unless you modified them.
It wasn’t till 1987 with a new/better set of factory heads that the mustang 5.0 finally hit 225 HP.
I also recall that around my neck of the woods, it was the 5.0 LX that you wanted in 1987. Had the same engine as the GT but was a lighter car making it faster.
I hate to burst “your” bubble, but the 82 5.0 GT was tested at 0-60 in 5 seconds. They weren’t dogs.
I don’t know where you are getting your info. Google the 0-60 time once. It’s 7.5 and 0-100 was 25 seconds.
I got my info back in the day, don’t believe everything Google says. Google wasn’t there
So Car and Driver magazine wasn’t there either because their 0-60 on a 1982 GT was even slower at 8.1 seconds. Man there wasn’t a stock mustang break into the 5’s in 0-60 till the 1999 cobra which was 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. I owned a fox body, I know as well as anyone that you can make them fast, but from the factory, woof woof.
Motor Trend in their famous “The Boss is Back” article claimed a 0-60 time of 6.9 but admitted in the article that the car they tested wasn’t a production GT but was a prototype that Ford said would be “similar” to the production performance and they mentioned concerns that the real production cars would have less power than the one tested.
I remember them, with their famous understated “Cobra” decal on the forward part of the front door. I thought that was cool, especially in light of how obnoxious the ’78 King Cobra was. There was a crazy Cobra hood decal you could get as an option, undoubtedly to compete with the screaming chicken hood decal available on the Trans Am of that era. Thankfully, this one doesn’t have it.
Fortunately this is Fox body and tons of parts are available to restore it and upgrade the performance.
I just restored a silver ’79 Cobra last year. Had it shipped up from LA, to MN. Sure wish I would have seen this one. I live close by Minneapolis. How to I contact the seller to go check it out? Jake
Aww the fox body mustang I believe these are the best looking mustangs aside from the 60s models. Yes there is so much you can do to these to make them burn up the drag strip. What a great car to who ever buys it make it yours and enjoy driving it. These cars were meant to be driven fast and hard and enjoyed imho. GLWTA
I like this year. I have a 89 lx 5.o fox inhave done a lot of work to it
The first year of the Mustang II, 1974 outsold the 1979 model. So 1979 was not the best seller since 1967.
Darn it… I missed the end of the auction… If it falls through I’d gladly pay 3k. Auctions should end in the evening not mid day..