The 1989 Mustang

The 1989 Mustang entered the market with little new to show enthusiasts. Fortunately, the word had gotten around about the new found performance of the 5.0 liter V8 and they were getting snapped up by a still eager public.













Some of the race crowd, picking up on the fact that the LX came equipped with the same performance as the GT but actually weighed some 200 lbs less. Power to weight ratio is always a key to performance and the sales reflected the fact.

Interior Changes:

The interior again remained the same, save for one change. Gone was the old federally mandated 85 mph speedometer, which was a joke, considering the 1989 Mustang's performance pedigree. It was replaced with a fitting 140 mph speedo, from the GT.

Exterior Changes:

The exterior remained virtually unchanged for the 89 Mustang, with Ford being content to sell what was a still very popular package. Enthusiasts were left to make their own changes to the body, and body kits to transform the stock body shape appeared, from simple bolt on's designed to mimic the GT, to Saleen and Roush look-alike packages.

Ford discontinued the T-top option.

Engine and Powertrain Changes:

Although the engine choices remained unchanged for 1989, Ford opted to replace the incoming air metering duties with a Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF). Although a very slight decrease in horsepower was the result, several other benefits were apparent to both mechanics and tuners.

The mass airflow system didn't suffer from changes in altitude, which could cause issues on a long drive with elevation changes. It also allowed hot rodders and engine tuners to have more control of engine management systems and allow more performance enhancing tweaks.

Cool Facts:

The real changes came from tuners like Saleen, who introduced the Saleen SSC, on the exact day that the original Mustang entered the scene 25 years earlier.

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