The 1970 Mustang - Fastback, Coupe or Convertible

First, let me say I'm a bit biased. The 1970 Mustang is probably my favorite Ford Mustang model year.

Something about the two headlights and the shark gills on the outside where the headlights used to be. And the choices, Mach 1, Grande, Sportsroof, Boss, Twister, I don't know....

They all had something special. And this was the last year of the first generation Mustang.

Although the original concept called for a car that had four seats,a floor mounted shifter and a maximum weight of 2,500 lbs, the little pony car had grown to between 2,980 and 3,910 lbs.

From the outside, particularly with the 1970 coupe, it didn't look that much heavier, but federally mandated bumper laws, power sapping emission controls and the necessity of beefing up the car and its unibody frame to accept bigger motors and nicer interiors all took their toll.

Still, the 70 Mustang was a great looking car and boasted some pretty big performance numbers.

Engine Choices

The engine choices for 1970 remained virtually unchanged. Two six cylinder engines sporting 120 horsepower and 155 horsepower respectively were the base engines.

The 302 v8 came as a 2 barrel with 210 hp and the 4 barrel had 290 horsepower.



There was also the 351 2 barrel and the 351 with a four barrel carburetor,offering 250 and 300 hp respectively.

The 428 Cobra Jet was outfitted to produce an understated 375 horsepower.

The only engine changes were the elimination of the venerable 390 cubic inch V8 engine.

Exterior Styling Changes

The reworked nose, gills and the removal of the side scoops behind the doors gave the 1970 Mustang a cleaner look. Decals and stripes continued to be popular additions to these cars;so much so, that when the retro styled Mustangs of 2005 first appeared, the hottest non stock option at the dealers was stripes, hailing back to those cool looking 60's and 70's cars.

At the rear, the triple tail lights were now recessed into the bodywork.

Special Editions

Body style packages included, the sports roof with either a standard or luxury trim, the coupe or hard top with a standard or luxury trim.

1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1

The 1970 Mach 1, was a great looking a very popular package, that combined a special interior, with an exterior styling package and a wide array of engine options.

Mustang Grande

Ford's luxury edition and answer to it's cousin, the Mercury Cougar was the Mustang Grande (pictured above).

And for fresh air enthusiasts, it just didn't get much better than the convertible, which was also available in either the standard or luxury trim.

1970 Boss 302

And of course, there was the amazing, updated 1970 Boss 302 Mustang , a legendary limited edition factory race car that you could drive on the street! With a very conservatively rated 290 horsepower 302 cubic inch V8, it lives on as one of the most desired Mustangs ever.

So popular in fact, that Ford has brought back the limited edition car as a limited edition race-ready homage, in the form of the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 . And it's every bit as special as the original Boss in it's own way. Just ask Parnelli Jones !

Grabber Orange
Grabber Orange as seen in the awesome 1970 Boss 302 Mustang at the top of the page, was one of those iconic 1969 and 1970 colors, that we associate with muscle cars.

I've been asked several times for the paint color codes, not only to redo a classic to its former glory, but also bringing some of that retro look to newer Mustangs as well.

So, with no further wait... The original Grabber Orange for 1970 is a Code U on the data plate and a Ford Code of M6166.

The Ditzler PPG number is 2232 and the Dupont number is 5208AM.

1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429

Much more than simply a trim package, the 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 was a 1970 Mustang NASCAR race car posing as a street automobile. Click on the link above for the full story and specifications.

Return to Classic Mustang from 1970 Mustang

Next: 1971 Ford Mustang

Return from 1970 Mustang to Ford Mustang home