1971 was the beginning of the end of the high-performance Pony Car. Rising insurance rates, new government safety and emission regulations, and ultimately the 1973 oil crisis drove buyers to smaller and more efficient automobiles. In 1974 the Mustang II joined the sub-compact class based on the Ford Pinto. By the end of that year, Chrysler Corporation cancelled the Barracuda and the Challenger, and AMC dropped the Javelin. Here are the 1971 Pony Cars I have in my collection:
DM 1971 Mustang Boss 351 Pewter
DM 1971 Mustang Mach I Bright Blue
Testor Kit 1971 Mustang Mach I Raven Black
DM 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertible Sno White
FM 1971 Challenger Pace Car Hemi Orange
M2 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T color unknown
Some terrific later-stage pony muscle shown here. Nice !
the Testor kit model is striking Pete, based on your photo presentations to me its the best of the 3. Pleased I have a couple of those the DM 1971 Mustang Boss 351 Pewter and DM 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertible Sno White. Also a couple of M2 Challengers in different colours.
Great pictures and writeup Pete. I have all but the M2.
I need to thank you for this post!! I definitely loved it and also bookmarked to check out new things you post.
I was very sad to see the design change Ford did to the Mustang in 1971 (and for many years after to be honest) but I must say that the '71 Mach I still looked great. The colors offered and the decal and other trim made a huge difference; the other versions didn't really appeal to me.
Thank you Bob! My old iPhone 7 died so I replaced it with an iPhone 13 Pro Max. The picture quality is so much better.
Thank you for your kind words, and welcome to the Diecast Forum!
I know what you mean about the redesign of the Mustang. It gained a few pounds is roughly 8 inches longer and six inches wider than the original. Some love and others, not so much. I've got a 1:1 '72 Grande with a 351 Clevland and it's a pig for gas. While I prefer the earlier Mustangs, I like this one because it's a car you don't see very often. Here's some pics