Car Model History

Third generation · Fox-body · 1979–1993

1979Ford Mustang

The long-running Fox-body, built on Ford’s Fox platform from 1979 to 1993.

Third generation · Fox-body

1979 Ford Mustang hatchback — front three-quarter view

Photo: “1979 Ford Mustang (16336862345).jpg” by GPS 56 from New Zealand / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.

Quick facts

Engines
4offered2.3 I4 → 302 "5.0" V8 (2-bbl)
Top output
140hp302 "5.0" V8 (2-bbl)
Production
369,937unitsincl. 10,478 Indy Pace Car replicas
Base price
$4,4944-cylinder coupe
Today
≈$19,400inflation-adjusted MSRP, not market value

Body stylesCoupe (notchback) · Hatchback (3-door)

Start here

What do you need to know?

This page covers the whole 1979 Ford Mustang model year. Choose your task first; exact trims and engines are separated where the factory offered different versions.

Documented lineup

Find your exact 1979 Mustang

Start with a family, body style, or engine. Every card opens the facts and maintenance information for that factory version.

1factory configurations
Exact factory pairings documentedHow this lineup was verified

These source-backed records identify published body, engine, and transmission combinations. Exact pairings do not by themselves assert that every factory option or special edition is represented.

1versions shown
Two-door hatchback

Ford Mustang Base Two-door hatchback Manual

Body
Two-door hatchback
Engine
2.3-liter inline-four
Gearbox
4-speed manual
Built
Regular production
Open exact version

The 1979 model year

Overview

An all-new car on Ford's lighter Fox platform, replacing the Mustang II. Crisp, angular, and several hundred pounds lighter, it offered everything from a thrifty four to a 302 V8, plus a new turbocharged 2.3 four. The Mustang paced the 1979 Indianapolis 500, and Ford sold a commemorative Indy Pace Car replica. (Horsepower figures are SAE net.)

Specifications

Engines
  • 2.3 I488 hp
  • 2.3 Turbo I4 (carbureted draw-through, no intercooler)131 hp
  • 2.8 V6 (Cologne)109 hp
  • 302 "5.0" V8 (2-bbl)140 hp
Transmissions
4-speed manual, 3-speed automatic
Body styles
Coupe (notchback), Hatchback (3-door)
Base price
$4,494 (4-cylinder coupe)See what that's worth today →
Production
369,937 (incl. 10,478 Indy Pace Car replicas)

Year over year

What changed

  • All-new Fox platform — lighter and roomier than the 1974–78 Mustang II it replaced.
  • First turbocharged Mustang four: a carbureted 2.3 Turbo (no intercooler).
  • The 302 V8 returned, badged '5.0'.
  • Two body styles only: notchback coupe and three-door hatchback (no convertible yet).
  • Mid-year Indy Pace Car edition commemorated the Mustang pacing the 1979 Indianapolis 500.

Worth knowing

Notable

  • First-year Fox-body cachet.
  • The 1979 Indy Pace Car replica (two-tone pewter/black, pace-car graphics) is the collectible edition of the year.

Living with it

Reliability & ownership notes

  • The early carbureted draw-through 2.3 Turbo was trouble-prone (heat soak, no intercooler) and was dropped after 1980 — verify a survivor runs correctly.
  • Fox-body rust shows in the floor pans, torque boxes, strut towers, and quarters.

What it costs now

Price today

Original MSRP$4,494 (4-cylinder coupe)1979
Inflation-adjusted≈$19,400what that MSRP is worth in today's dollars

Current market value

We don't publish a market estimate for the 1979 model year yet. A valuation ships here only when it can be sourced and dated — we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Original MSRP adjusted for inflation (CPI, 2024); not the car's current market/collector value. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U (U.S. city average, all items), annual average.

Maintenance & service parts

Keep your 1979 Mustang on the road

Start with the service interval, then match the engine or exact version you own. Order links appear only when a catalog-backed part number is available, and every listing still needs a fitment check.

Service desk

What this car needs & when

Use this as a service-planning checklist for 1979 Ford Mustang. Start with the interval, confirm which engine or configuration you have, then use an exact ordering reference when one is verified.

Service topics
7
Factory intervals
6
Fitment-scoped
7
Exact references
1

Before orderingIdentify your engine, options and build date.Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.

  • Engine oil and filter

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1979 · US · Year-level published schedule; no engine-specific interval exceptions are stated in this recovered table

    Published interval: 7,500 mi / 6 months · whichever comes first

    Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked

  • Engine oil filter

    Exact reference available

    Manufacturer application-catalog fitment only; this does not establish an oil-change interval.

    Applies to: 1979 · US

    2.3-liter inline-four

    Baldwin B2

    Applies to: 1979 · 2.3-liter inline-four · US

    Source: Baldwin Filters — Automotive Applications catalog (2017) · Pre-1980 Applications section — Ford 1979, Mustang 2.3-liter inline-four row · checked

    Verified ordering references

    • Service replacementBaldwin B2

      Qty. 1 · Engine oil filter · catalog-listed

      Baldwin's manufacturer application table lists this filter for the stated model year and engine. Confirm the VIN and installed engine before ordering.

      Catalog: Baldwin Filters — Automotive Applications catalog (2017) · Pre-1980 Applications section — Ford 1979, Mustang 2.3-liter inline-four row · checked

      Search this part on Amazon

  • Spark plugs

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1979 · US · Year-level published schedule; no engine-specific interval exceptions are stated in this recovered table

    Published interval: 30,000 mi

    Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked

  • PCV valve

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1979 · US · Year-level published schedule; no engine-specific interval exceptions are stated in this recovered table

    Published interval: 15,000 mi

    Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked

    Crankcase emission filter

    Applies to: 1979 · US · Year-level published schedule; no engine-specific interval exceptions are stated in this recovered table

    Published interval: 30,000 mi

    Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked

  • Engine coolant

    Sourced interval available

    The recovered transcription's time wording is ambiguous, so only its unambiguous 30,000-mile table mark is encoded.

    Applies to: 1979 · US · Year-level published schedule; no engine-specific interval exceptions are stated in this recovered table

    Published interval: 30,000 mi

    Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked

  • Engine air-cleaner filter

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1979 · US · Year-level published schedule; no engine-specific interval exceptions are stated in this recovered table

    Published interval: 30,000 mi

    Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked

  • Accessory drive belts — inspect

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1979 · US · Year-level published schedule; no engine-specific interval exceptions are stated in this recovered table

    Published interval: 30,000 mi · inspection

    Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked

Collect

Bring this model year home

Find a scale model using the exact year, make, and model—not a generic generation search.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — "Ford Mustang (third generation)"
  2. CJ Pony Parts
  3. Curbside Classic
  4. Hagerty
  5. MustangSpecs — per-year base MSRP

Other Third generation years

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