![]() ![]() ![]() The 396 was known in Bow Tie circles as the Mark IV and was further known as the "mystery motor" because it was developed in secret for the '64 Daytona 500. ![]() It was available in the new Camaro in 325-, 350-, and 375hp forms (a 425hp version had been available in the Corvette for '65). The 396 was a durable and slightly detuned racing engine that ran very hard. When the Camaro hit the streets with a 396ci engine borrowed from the Chevelle parts bin, Ford knew it had competition. It was a good-looking car featuring wide availability in its engine selection. The Mustang now had company in the ponycar market, and the new Camaro was no slouch. The company was aware of the new Camaro project brewing over at Chevrolet. In fact, Ford had seen the writing on the wall. For Ford, this meant the venerable FE-series big-blocks, which had seen successful service in the Thunderbird as well as other car lines.Īll this was none too soon. The new Mustang was beautiful, and it had a large enough engine bay to take the big mill. This was remedied by the introduction of the all-new '67 Mustang.Īlthough the '67 Mustang looked a lot like the original, it was, in fact, a completely new car with no interchangeable sheetmetal. However, the original Mustang platform, as popular as it was, could not accept the larger engines Ford already had in its product lineup, because the engine compartment was simply too small. Sales success of the Mustang had been phenomenal in its first two years, and Ford wanted more. Success at the track meant success at the dealership, and Ford knew this. Competition was tough in the late '60s, with both GM and Chrysler offering up serious big-block performance. The birth of the Cobra Jet engine package from Ford was in response to external pressures. ![]()
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