The First Fox Mustang GT!

The 1982 Ford Mustang GT

Donald Petersen was shaking things up at Ford, and the Mustang line was no exception. The first benefit of the changes at Ford headquarters, in particular the new focus on performance, appeared with the 1982 Ford Mustang GT. The revised car packed the most potent small-block V-8 in recent Ford history.

"The Boss is Back!" ads declared. And it was. At its heart was a new H.O. (High-Output) 302-cubic-inch V-8 with 157 horsepower, up a solid 18 horses from the last 302 of 1979. Contributing to this gain was a more aggressive camshaft adapted from a marine version of the long-running V-8, plus a larger two-barrel carburetor, a bigger and smoother exhaust system, a more durable double-row timing chain, and low restriction twin-snorkel air cleaner.

Teamed exclusively with four-speed overdrive manual transmission, it made for the fastest Mustang in years. Claimed 0-60-mph acceleration was below eight seconds, but most magazines clocked closer to seven, and Jim McCraw reported 6.9 seconds in tests at Ford's Dearborn Proving Grounds for the September 1981 Motor Trend.

This brochure for the 1982 Ford Mustang GT shows the mature, sophisticated
GT styling, aimed at more "adult" Mustang enthusiasts.

1982 Ford Mustang GT Styling

The reborn GT was not a package but a distinct hatchback model with a top-of-the-line $8308 base price. Effectively, it replaced the Cobra package as a more "adult" enthusiasts' Mustang but retained much of its styling.

"Existing body add-ons are used," noted AutoWeek's George D. Levy, "but with greater discretion than in the past. The spoilers and [hood] scoop are there, for good reason, but the stomach-grabber colors and yahoo graphics are gone, replaced by a few small GT emblems. Exterior colors are limited to [dark red], black, and silver."

Whatever the hue, most exterior chrome went noir, while the grille, headlamp frames, and bumpers were tastefully left in body color. The interior was resolutely black except for cloth seat inserts with jazzy op-art white striping. Bucket seats flanked a standard shift console (still housing a pull-up handbrake as well) but were more heavily bolstered than in lesser models.

A new powerhouse was under the hood for '82 Mustang models.

1982 Ford Mustang H.O. V-8 Engine

Reflecting separate but parallel development tracks, the Mustang's new H.O. engine was not tied to the GT model, being available in other '82 Mustangs for $402 with the TRX suspension or $452 without. Those prices seemed steep, but the engine came with its own bundle of good stuff.

Beside the four-speed tranny, Ford threw in a 3.08:1 Traction-Lok differential, power steering, power brakes with enlarged front discs, and the baseline "handling" suspension, which was also a stand-alone option tagged at just $50. The TRX suspension cost $533-$583 this year except on the GT, where it added a mere $105 -- another reason to choose the top horse, as most V-8 buyers did. Incidentally, the tame 4.2-liter (255-cubic-inch) V-8 was available for the GT as a $57 credit option, though few buyers were likely penny-wise and performance-foolish this way.

The '82 Mustang's optional H.O. V-8 engine didn't come cheap, but it did come
with a host of goodies, such as power steering and power brakes.

McCraw noted that the GT got "the nod from the highest echelon of management and [was first slated] as a 1982 1/2 addition. But the swell of enthusiasm at the marketing and engineering levels, and the speed with which engineering problems were solved, have pushed the program up to an October 1 startup, only a couple of weeks after introduction of the 1982 Ford line."

The 1982 GT hatchback was the
quickest Mustang in years. At $8308
to start, it also was top of the line.

The GT was a showroom symbol of Ford's renewed commitment to competition, chiefly road racing, begun in 1981. Both were part of what McCraw termed a "new marketing strategy. Public reaction to this return to big-league racing has been overwhelmingly positive; a whirlwind of mail has told the company to start building something that's quick, fast and fun to drive…."

Ford happily lavished much attention and money on its newest H.O. V-8. For example, the intake manifold was switched from steel to lightweight aluminum, and the exhaust system was redesigned for quicker warm-up -- so the catalytic converter would start burning off nasty pollutants that much faster -- and for less performance-sapping back pressure.

Impressively, there was no muffler, yet the car was fully street-legal noise-wise. A new accessory drive reduced power losses by declutching the air-conditioning compressor and radiator fan at full throttle. The result, as McCraw relayed from engine engineer Jim Clarke, was more power to the rear wheels than most cars managed.

1982 Ford Mustang GT Performance
Most every '82 Mustang GT delivered for magazine road tests had the TRX suspension -- a sensible PR ploy, even if the tires didn't like dragstrip work. "The Michelins provide superb cornering grip," said AutoWeek's Levy, "but they're poorly matched against the Mustang's torque. Delightful. Full-throttle acceleration is a rush job, quick and satisfying…. Braking is just as sure. A fine match. Try a turn. Brake, commit, now steer with the throttle. That's right, steer with the throttle. It works. The TRX suspension guys have been vindicated.

"Unlike the testy 2.3 turbo or weak-kneed 4.2 V-8," Levy continued, "the 302 has more than enough guts to take full advantage of the suspension, and the suspension responds in kind, sticking to its Twilight Zone limits, then breaking away smoothly and progressively."

The '82 GT hatchback announced Ford's sudden but welcome return to hot
street cars.
Buttoned-Up, Suddenly Young

McCraw reported that a GT piloted by vehicle development engineer Dan Rivard set a new course record at Ford's Dearborn track despite a still nose-heavy weight distribution of 58/42 percent front/rear.

McCraw himself then took to a tight, twisty low-speed section replicating the world's worst pavement. "We simply gave up after four bone-jarring laps; [the car] didn't generate enough thump and shudder to complain about. After three years of experience with the Mustang, the engineers have managed to dial out all but a few noises and harshness sources. This GT is one buttoned-up automobile."

Both reviewers came away raving about the '82 GT. McCraw termed it "the best-balanced, most capable Mustang ever done." Said Levy: "It's as if the car's entire personality is derived from the pulse underhood. The engine makes everything all right. Suddenly the Mustang is young again."

This good-looking L notchback was the most affordable '82 Mustang,
starting at $6345 as a four-cylinder, $7062 as a six.
1982 Mustang GT versus Chevy Camaro Z28

Several months later, Road & Track drove a GT against a pair of redesigned 1983 Chevy Camaro Z28s -- and was reminded of 1970: "For today we once again have a super-stylish new Camaro, featuring a newly refined chassis…pitted against a now somewhat dated Mustang with a chassis that's hard-put to handle its engine's generous torque. A Camaro that offers…moderate power with a manual transmission and somewhat better power only with an automatic. A Mustang that specializes in good old-fashioned straight-line performance against a Camaro that revels in curves."

Though these editors ultimately picked the new over the familiar by a small margin, they admitted others might disagree. "Chevrolet has not revolutionized the Camaro, but merely updated it," R&T concluded. "If brute performance is a top priority, then the Mustang GT 5.0 gets the nod."

Lusty H.O. aside, there was little excitement in Mustang '82. Model nomenclature was revised, with L, GL, and GLX hatchbacks and notchbacks arrayed below the GT in ascending order of price and luxury. Prices ascended greatly, ranging from the L coupe at $6345 to the GLX hatchback at $7101. And that was with four-cylinder power. The 200-cubic-inch six added $213; the 4.2-liter V-8 cost $263.

Mustang offered a slightly broader '82 lineup with new L, GL, and GLX titles
for notchbacks and hatchbacks, plus hatchback-only V-8 GT. GLX trim and
features basically duplicated those of the former Ghias.
At least the extra dough included a few new standard items: a larger gas tank (up from 12.5 to 15.4 gallons), wider wheels (now 14-inchers), steel-belt radial tires, and remote-control driver's door mirror. After compiling a poor reliability record, the turbo-four was withdrawn, though it would soon return. Remaining powerteams were reruns except for the 4.2-liter V-8, where the "mandatory option" automatic transmission got a fuel-saving lockup torque converter effective in all three forward gears, a device we'd see more of in the future.