The 1982 Mustang

The 1982 Mustang finally brought some life back to the pony car stable.

As a result of reliability problems (meaning warranty claims) Ford dropped the high performance 2.3 liter inline 4 cylinder.

Ford replaced the turbocharged 4 cylinder engine and the underwhelming 4.2 liter V8 engine (at least as the performance alternative), with what was to become the staple of the new Mustang era, a brand new 5.0 liter high output V8 with a 2 barrel carburetor and 157 horsepower!













While these numbers don't sound too impressive by today's standards, they were much higher than anything available from Ford for the Mustang in the preceding 5 years and an easy leap for the performance minded owner to generate much more!

The brand new Ford Mustang GT was born, featuring the 5.0 Liter H.O. (high output ) engine.

Gone from the lineup was the Ghia, having been replaced by a new luxury GLX package and unlike the Ghia, was made available in both a coupe and a hatchback configuration.

Engine and Drivetrain

Engines:

As mentioned above, the big news for the 1982 Mustang was the new 5.0 liter V8 with 157 horsepower. And as history has shown, this change not only became almost iconic but marked the beginning of the new muscle car in America and around the world.

Note: If you're looking for a used 1982 Ford Mustang GT for the 5.0 liter engine, its important to note that these cars were not the only Mustangs built with the 5.0 motor. Almost 25,000 GT's and just under 5,000 regular cars came equipped with the 5 liter motor.

The other engines for the year were carryover motors from 1981, including the base 2.3 liter non turbo four cylinder, the 3.3 liter straight 6 cylinder and the 4.2 liter V8 with no improvements in power.

Drivetrain:

A 3 speed automatic and the 4 speed manual SROD (single rail overdrive) were available, except for the new 5.0 Liter HO option, which only came with the 4 speed transmission, a 3.08:1 rear axle with traction lock and Ford's upgraded suspension.

The addition of a 5 speed manual transmission was a sign of things to come and not only served to increase the choices, but served to improve not only performance but fuel economy.

In all, there were now a total of six different engine/transmission choices available in the fox body Mustang lineup.

Exterior Styling and Options

Two tone paint combos continued to be popular on both, the GT cars as well as the standard coupes and hatchback cars.

The egg crate grille continued on the standard cars, while the egg crate with two horizontal bars motif continued on the front of the GT cars.

For those still yearning for the open air experience, the T-top roof option was available, allowing the driver to remove either one side or both removable roof panels.

Interior Styling and Changes

New options and styling became available, particularly with the elimination of the Ghia models and the introduction of the new luxury package called the GLX. Like the Ghia, the GLX came standard with fully reclining low back bucket seats.

And the new Mustang GT gave the performance enthusiast their own GT instrumentation cluster and deep grained vinyl low back seats with adjustable head rests or optional supportive Recaro seats.

Fuel Economy

With the standard 2.3 liter 4 cylinder engine, the 1982 Mustang produced a very respectable 22 mpg city and 32 miles per gallon highway.

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