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Car History: Car History Year 1994
Posted on Monday, September 27 @ 14:47:08 CDT by Cars |
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After 15 years and 2.5 million cars, Ford decided to introduce a brand-new Mustang and dealers nationwide were inundated with people wanting to see it on the official launch date of December 9, 1993. Although the styling changes were immediately apparent, the designers had cleverly combined the modern aero look with the traditional "running horse" identification features in a great package. However, just as important as the bodywork were the changes that had been engineered in the running gear to update the Mustang's performance.
Based on a much revised version of the well-proven "Fox" platform that had served the previous decade and a half of Mustangs so well, the Fox-4 featured a slightly longer wheelbase (by three-quarters of an inch) and a wider track (increased by 3.7 inches on the standard model and 5.6 inches on the GT), together with improved steering and suspension geometry. The aim was to iron out the shortcomings of the earlier model -primarily in the high-speed handling and tire wear - and 85 of the '94 Mustang platform was either modified or new. The addition of a rear sway bar as standard also helped to eliminate the "tail happy" tendency experienced with the third-generation 'Stang, and the overall effect was to create superior handling as well as improved ride quality.
The 79 Mustang had quickly established a reputation for itself as an affordable high performance car and throughout its life was regarded as excellent value for money. Ford weren't about to change this philosophy of providing "the best bang for a buck," but they did make some alterations to its range of engines. It may be hard to believe that any enthusiast regretted the passing of the 2.3-liter four banger, especially as it was replaced with the 145 horse, 3.8-liter V6 as used in the Thunderbird Super Coupe. However, the news that production of the 5.0-liter HO V8 was to cease because of rationalization at the Cleveland engine building plant was disappointing.
In its place came the Thunderbird version of the V8 (designated the MN-12) with a new low-profile fuel injection system that produced a maximum of 215 horsepower at 4,200rpm. So equipped, a Mustang GT could gallop from zero to 60mph in 6.7 seconds and reach 140mph in the stretch. For those more interested in quarter horses, on the drag strip a "94 Mustang could traverse the 440 yards in 14.8 seconds and reach 93mph at the finishing line. Once again, the numbers were impressive and once again the Mustang was chosen as the Pace Car for the Indy 500 - it was 1979 all over again.
The actual car used to lead the pack around the famous Indianapolis oval was a Cobra convertible, harking back to the ragtop Mustang used for the 1964 race. A thousand Cobra Pace Car Replica convertibles were built by Ford, as well as 5,000 Cobra coupes, but the Indy 500 decals only came on the soft top models.
The 2-door coupe and convertible models were available from the outset (the 3-door fastback now eliminated from the range), but later in the year a convertible/hardtop version also appeared. Similar in concept to the detachable hardtop offered on the original 1955 Thunderbird, the Mustang version weighed in at only 84 pounds and was rollover certified. The ragtop also came with a dome light and a special rear window defogger, as well as its very own storage dolly.
Car and truck sales increased across the industry in '94, with a total of 15 million vehicles streaming off the assembly lines. Over 137,000 of these were new Mustangs. But the automotive event that grabbed the most media attention of the year was the high-speed police pursuit of former football star O.J. Simpson along the highways of California, which was shown live on TV. whether this affected Ford Bronco sales either way has never been revealed.
Specification
1994 FORD MUSTANG
Engine
V6 - Cast iron block & head
Displacement
232 cu. ins
Bore and stroke
3.80 x 3.40 ins.
Horsepower
145
Body styles
Coupe; Convertible coupe
No. of seats
4
Weight (lbs)
3,065 Ibs - 3,245 Ibs
Price
$13,365-$20,160
Produced
33,525
Specification
1994 OLDSMOBILE AURORA
Engine
V8 - All Aluminum
Displacement
244 cu. ins
Bore and stroke
3.42x3.31 ins.
Horsepower
250
Body styles
4 Door sedan
No. of seats
5
Weight (lbs)
4,000 Ibs
Price
$31,370
Produced
47,831
Specification
1994 PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM GT
Engine
V8 - Cast iron block & head
Displacement
350cu. ins
Bore and stroke
4.00 x 3.48 ins.
Horsepower
275
Body styles
Coupe, convertible coupe
No. of seats
2
Weight (lbs)
3,494 Ibs-3,610 Ibs
Price
$21,509-$26,479
Produced
-
Specification
1994 DODGE VIPER
Engine
V10 - All aluminum
Displacement
488 cu. ins
Bore and stroke
4.00 x 3.88 ins.
Horsepower
400
Body styles
Roadster
No. of seats
2
Weight (lbs)
3,476 Ibs
Price
$54,500
Produced
2,890
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