1978 Ford Mustang

Coupe

302 (5.0L)

Ford C4 Automatic 3 speed

8F03F150700

Salvage

Gasoline

A real piece of Ford Mustang history. This 1978 King Cobra was one of 4,313 ever made. I have owned this car for the last 27 years. It has been sitting for several years, prior to which it ran well. It is currently on jack stands to take load of off the wheels. Engine and all parts are in place and included. 302 (5.0L) V8 with Ford C4 three speed transmission. 1978 was the first year that Ford offered T-tops. The interior was re-upholstered in the early 1990's. Original factory wheels are included, however this car currently has Creger chrome dish wheels on it. Many Mustang II's don't survive the test of time and are not often found. Of those that are, they are either in very poor body condition or don't have engines. This engine hasn't been started for many years, but it's there. The current block is a Ford remanufactured block which was installed in 1988 at 73,000 miles, and only has approximately 25,000 miles on it. This King Cobra would have originally sported the white body with orange and gold decals, hood snake and lettering. Chrome Cobra snake is still proudly mounted on the grill and all body effects are still in place. This car is listed as 'salvage' title. It was stolen from the previous owner, but was recovered rather quickly. The thief removed the original VIN from the dash and door frame. The state would not rebuild the title, and had to classify as salvage title. However, if you are not looking to show it, this makes it a perfect project car as it could easily take on modifications and changes. Original decals, hood snake and other parts are easily found on eBay for this car. It's just a fun car that will growl at any stop light, and lay sideways with the stomp of the pedal! It is a perfect project car.......Stroke the engine and really watch it scream!! AutoTrader.com ranked this car as the Number 9 of collector cars for your garage: 9. 1978 Ford Mustang II King CobraPrice new: $5,638 (1978)Value now: $3,000 - $12,000Plus: Mustang II to the Max.Minus: An acquired taste, try finding a good one.By 1978, American automotive performance was becoming a distant memory. What passed for it seemed to consist of tape-on racing stripes, wheel flares and scoops, while under the hood lived economically tuned V-6s and V-8s, emasculated by emissions controls and single exhaust systems that could barely turn an axle. However there was one exception to all this: Pontiac’s Firebird Trans Am. More than any other car of the era, it thumbed its nose at the federally overregulated ’70s, symbolizing its defiance with a hearty 400 cubic V-8 engine, loud styling and performance still strong enough to squeal the tires for a city block. But it was the car’s consistently strong sales during this performance-deprived period that got everybody talking. By 1978, it was selling more than 93,000 units annually and demand would only get stronger. Although Ford’s pint sized Mustang II lacked the charisma and presence of GM’s F-car, even in base form, the boys in Dearborn decided to give it their best shot at rivaling the T/A. Since 1976 Ford, in conjunction with Jim Wangers’ Motortown Corporation, had been offering a tape and go performance package on the Mustang II dubbed Cobra II and two years later decided to crank things up a notch, by unveiling the King Cobra. Paying homage to Pontiac’s hot selling Trans Am, it sported a massive front air dam, fender spats, rear deck spoiler and a scooped hood emblazoned with a large snake decal (a nod to the T/A’s “Screaming Chicken”). It was also offered with T-tops and aluminum wheels with raised white letter tires. The only engine was Ford’s hottest in the Mustang at the time – a 302 V-8 dubbed the 5.0 and rated at 139 horsepower. Teamed with a four-speed manual gearbox, a 1978 King Cobra equipped with this engine could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 9 seconds and run the quarter-mile in around 16.3 –not earth shattering, but decent for its day.Ford built 4,971 King Cobras for 1978 and while it didn’t come close to 10 percent of the Trans Am’s production run that year, it still proved that although performance might have been down in the late ’70s it most certainly wasn’t out. Today Mustang IIs still lag behind their predecessors in terms of collectability, but there’s no question they helped keep the spirit of the original pony car alive during that difficult decade, something that many of us tend to forget. Therefore, as a historically significant car and a decent performance in its day at that, the 1978 Mustang II King Cobra is one ’70s era Ford that deserves a spot in the enthusiast’s garage.