1985, 210 BHP, YEAH!

Now is when things really get interesting. The interior was enhanced with articulated front seats and a steering wheel borrowed from the SVO. Changes to the exterior included a new front fascia with styling Q's from the SVO and new body-side moldings. The top speed of the GT was around 135 MPH. The quadra-shock rear suspension along with a beefed up rear stabilizer bar and Goodyear 225/60 R15 Eagles mounted on 10-hole cast aluminum rims were standard with the 5.0L V-8 option package. The front sway bar on the Handling or H.D. suspension grew to 1.30" from the previous year's 1.125". The L model was dropped and the LX became the new base model while the turbo GT was dropped. This left the powerhouse 5.0L as the new BMC, big man on campus. The 5.0L block was redesigned to accept hydraulic roller tappets and new roller camshaft. Other changes to the 5.0L included forged aluminum pistons, new water pump for increased flow, and the first-ever Mustang stainless steel tube headers installed by the factory. The accessory belt-drive system was redesigned with new A/C, power steering and alternator pulleys which helped "free-up" some horsepower. The T-5 manual transmission received new close ratio gears for quicker response. As in 1984, the 4-speed automatic transmission came with the 5.0L CFI and 3.27:1 rear axle and the 4-Bbl Holley received the T-5 with a 2.73:1 rear. Sometime during 1985, the 5.0L CFI received a lower-restriction air cleaner and exhaust system with dual mufflers which boosted power output to 180 BHP @ 4200 RPM while torque figures rose to 260 Ft-Lb @ 2600 RPM.

In a comparison test conducted by Road and Track magazine, December 1984, the Mustang beat the 5.0L Camaro IROC-Z in 0-60 and quarter mile times. The 85 GT sprinted to 60 MPH in 7.2 seconds, almost a full second faster than the IROC-Z. Also, the GT hammered down the quarter mile in 15.9 seconds at 91 MPH, beating the Camaro by 0.6 seconds and 1 MPH. Also one should note that the Camaro had a 3.73:1 axle while the GT was optioned with the 3.08:1 gears. In another test by Car and Driver magazine, January 1985, one tester summed up the 85 GT by saying, "Even with all the improvements Ford has made, ..., the Mustang still behaves with a kind of careless brio that makes me love it a lot more than a bunch of other cars that are all numbers and not much fun." (Mustang 2, Camaro 0)

 
Horsepower : 210 BHP   @ 4400 RPM 
             165 BHP   @ 3800 RPM (CFI) 
Torque     : 270 Ft-Lb @ 3200 RPM 
             245 Ft-Lb @ 2000 RPM (CFI) 
Base Price : $8,009  (2-door LX coupe) 
Total Cars Produced : 156,514 
5.0L Cars (non GT)  :   6,326 
     GT Cars        :  42,428

1985 Happenings:
The Titanic is found by American and French Explorers.

1986, STUTTER STEP!

The Mustang visually remained unchanged except for some trim and color changes while the 5.0L V-8 continued with its evolution. The 4Bbl and CFI setups of previous years were replaced with EFI (electronic fuel injection). This new computer-controlled intake system featured a two piece cast aluminum manifold with tuned runners and Speed-Density air metering. Also new for the 5.0L were redesigned "high swirl" cylinder heads and a true dual exhaust with 2.25" outlets. The new heads with their 62.9-65.9 cc combustion chambers and pistons without valve reliefs combined to increase the CR from 8.4 of the previous year to 9.2:1. Although the new cylinder heads proved to be very restrictive and horsepower suffered, torque increased which, in turn, improved part-throttle response. The rear axle was increased to the sturdy 8.8" and the T-5 clutch grew from 10.0" to 10.5". The rear stabilizer bar grew to 0.83" for 5.0L equipped cars. This was the last year for the SVO and optional 3.8L V-6.

Horsepower : 200 BHP   @ 4000 RPM
Torque     : 285 BHP   @ 3000 RPM
Base Price : $8,631  (2-door coupe)
Total Cars Produced : 224,210
5.0L Cars (non GT)  :   6,674
     GT Cars        :  50,465

1986 Happenings:
Ford introduces the highly successful Taurus and Mercury Sable.
Challenger mission ends in disaster; the space shuttle explodes 74 seconds after take-off.
Legendary film stars James Cagney and Cary Grant pass away.
Chernobyl is engulfed by radiation leaked from a nearby Soviet Nuclear reactor.