Developed under the watch of Semon
Knudsen, the 1971 Mustang evolved from speed and power to the
growing consumer demand for bigger and heavier luxury type designs.
The results were the styling misadventures of 1971–73 ... The
Mustang grew fat and lazy, Ford was out of the go-fast business
almost entirely by 1971. This was the last major restyling of the
first-generation Mustang. The cars grew in every dimension except
height, and they gained about 800 pounds (363 kg). The restyling
also sought to create the illusion that the cars were even larger.
The 1971 Mustang was nearly 3 inches (76 mm) wider than the 1970,
its front and rear track was also widened by 3 inches (76 mm), and
its size was most evident in the SportsRoof models with its nearly
flat rear roofline and cramped interior with poor visibility for the
driver. Performance decreased with sales continuing to decrease as
consumers switched to the smaller Pintos and Mavericks. A displeased
Iacocca summed up later: The Mustang market never left us, we left
it.
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