“I’m 71, ready to get into a nice late-model Mustang.” Well…while we can’t say that we don’t understand the desire and we can assure the seller that the late-model Mustang is indeed an awesome car to wheel around in, seeing what is being given up kind of stings a little. This 1977 Ford Mustang II is a neat little piece, one that anyone should be proud to own. And those words don’t come out that often, because the second-gen Mustang is easily the most derided, ill-received of the nameplate. Rodney Dangerfield got more respect that the tiny little Deuce ever got. Following up the first-gen Mustang was always going to be a nightmare…in that first stretch, you have the original that smashed sales records, the timeless 1968 shape, Shelby, Boss 302, 351 and 429, Mach 1, and on, and on, and on. What did you have for the Mustang II? Farrah Fawcett and the Ghia notchback, with it’s padded diaper roof. Not good.

This, however, is good. A stone-stock M2 might not do much for anyone, but put some fat tires out back and a killer engine under the hood and the desirability factor ramps up exponentially. The 331 stroker mill sits plumb in the middle of the bay, it’s Hampton blower standing tall and proud. A C4 and 4.11 gears in the rear aren’t going to be that great for trips, but for cruising around town, they’ll work. The seller claims the car hasn’t seen the better end of 4,000 RPM and “hasn’t been abused”. The paint backs up that claim, and we are not advocating any abuse here. There are plenty of V8, four-speed Mustang IIs available for much lower prices if you want to build yourself a tire-killer to romp on with no mercy whatsoever. What this Deuce needs is a GearVendors unit and a trimmed-up hood…this quarter-horse needs to get some miles on the clock!

eBay Link: 1977 Ford Mustang II