1978 Ford Mustang Ii Cobra Ii in Blue With White Stripes
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How many of you watched Farah Fawcett driving a Mustang II Cobra on the 1970s TV show Charlie's Angles? Say, "Ford Cobra" to any knowledgeable car enthusiast and we guarantee a 1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra is the last car they will think of. While "Cobra" is synonymous with Carroll Shelby's Ford-powered two-seat AC-Bristol sports car that dominated U.S. road racing circuits in the 1960s, by the late 1970s all Ford could do with the name is use it as a decal package on a 130 horsepower, 302 cubic inch (5.oL) Mustang II in a lame attempt to steal sales from the very popular Pontiac Trans Am of the day.
This red-over-red 1978 Ford Mustang II Cobra currently listed here on Craigslist shows well 42 years and 80.2K miles later. The seller points out their King Cobra is one of only 4,313 made during the second-generation Mustang's fifth and final year of production. Additionally, this example features a brand new Holley carburetor as well as a fresh set of tires.
Currently offered for an eye-watering $29,950, Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms that while the seller's ask is over double the one-year rolling average of this guide's $13,363 twelve-month rolling summary for all Mustang II's produced between 1974 and 1978, we note there are a number of similar King Cobras that sold in excess of $30K. By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the King Cobra featured here:
As a second data point, the Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller's ask falls nearly three thousand dollars above this guide's #1 "Excellent" appraisal of $27,000.
Ford introduced the downsized Mustang II in the Fall of 1973 as a 1974 model available as a four-passenger, front-engine rear-drive compact. Nearly five hundred pounds lighter and almost 19 inches shorter than the 1973 Mustang, the second generation was derived from Ford's subcompact Pinto platform using a unique unibody with an isolated front suspension and engine mount subframe while sharing a limited number of chassis and driveline components. The steering was improved from the previous generation by using a rack-and-pinion design. Body styles included a two-door coupe and a three-door hatchback that replaced the prior model's fastback roofline. Ford never produced a Mustang II convertible; the closest version that came to it was a glass T-Top option for 1977.
When the Mustang II launched in 1974, Ford marketers continued to offer a Mach I version. Ironically, even though Mach I's first came fitted with a 105 horsepower 2.8 Liter V6, it outsold the Mach 1 models of the previous four years. Ford appeased the Mustang faithful one year later when it stuffed a 140 horsepower, 240 foot-pounds of torque, 302 cubic inch "Windsor" small block V8 into the car, giving the Pinto platform a notable performance boost.
In 1978, the "King Cobra" became available. This was a limited edition version with 4,313 units produced. It featured a deep air dam, stripes, and a cobra snake decal on the hood designed as Ford's alternative to the "Screaming Chicken" found on Pontiac Trans Ams of the day. The King Cobra was available only with the 130 horsepower V8 to help bolster the car's performance image.
Following a marketing change initiated the previous model year, Mustang II sales literature continued to emphasize sportiness over the luxury that had been emphasized for most of the Mustang II's existence, again placing a racy-looking 2+2 hatchback model, equipped with a T-top roof and roof wrap over band, on the cover of the car's dealership brochure.
Consumer Guide tested a Mustang II Cobra II that year and found that its power just exceeded that of its closest competitors in the Sporty class, the Chevrolet Monza and its General Motors siblings, but that it ranked very low in handling and ride, with a marked tendency to lean despite its performance suspension.
The recently launched Ford Heritage Vault allowed us to download this 1978 Mustang II brochure that covers the King Cobra in great detail on pages 10-11:
The Lou Costabile YouTube Channel features a detailed video of a 1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra where the owner gives a good overview of what these cars are like and details to look for:
While the exterior and interior pictures detail what appears to be a very clean example of a 1978 Mustang II King Cobra, you'll need to ask the seller for pictures of the engine bay and undercarriage.
If you are serious about buying this King Cobra, you can start the conversation by calling the seller at (618) 795-3060. When you connect, please remember to mention you saw their Mustang II featured here on GuysWithRides.com. Good luck with the purchase!
Here's the seller's description:
Show or go: What would you do with this 1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra? Please comment below and let us know!
Source: https://www.guyswithrides.com/2022/06/27/78-ford-mustang-king-cobra/
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