what went out two years later.”
Rear-quarter air scoops began appearing in Mustang redesign sketches during the summer of 1966 and carried over, in non-functional form, into production for the 1969 SportsRoof. New as well were C-pillar medallions, which superseded the fully functioning interior vents found on 1968 fastback sail panels. These scoops and medallions were deleted on Boss 302s.
Quad headlights led the Mustang’s way for one year only in 1969. A standard Mach 1 feature, the blackout hood and cowl treatment also was available at extra cost on non-Mach models. All Machs featured two-place color codes on their door tags (or warranty plates, patent plates, data plates, etc.) thanks to this hood, with the first denoting the exterior paint, the second (a “5”) signifying the black hood. For example, this Candyapple Red rendition wears a “T5” code. The code on a non-Mach Mustang, in red all over, would be simply “T.” For a full list of this nomenclature, see the Appendix.
Even with two more headlights, the 1969’s updated nose (right) still reminded witnesses of the 1968’s (left). Additional updates included a molded-plastic grille in place of the 1968 metal mesh.
Another proposal, photographed in January 1966, was noticeably longer, lower, and devoid of the trademark bodyside sculpturing already well recognized by original pony lovers. But this super-clean stunner represented far too much of a departure from the original ideal, as did those hideaway headlights, which appeared off and on during the development process before burning out for good by the time production-ready realities began to coalesce early in 1967. Exposed lamps up front remained in the end, although the number this time was doubled. Quad lights, a Mustang first, debuted in concept form in June that year.
Flat-faced taillights set the 1969 rear (right) apart from the 1968’s (left). Also note the chromed split-exhaust tips. All Mach 1s fitted with 4-barrel V-8s featured dual exhausts ending in these bright tips; a mundane single exhaust pipe (typically turned down behind a standard valance sans those two indents) was present in the base 351-2V.
Height for the 1969 SportsRoof was 50.3 inches, compared to 51.6 for the 1968 fastback. Length increased from 183.6 inches to 187.4, with all 3.8 extra clicks coming via a more pronounced overhang ahead of the front wheels. One of 16 available Mach 1 colors listed by Ford, Candyapple Red was, as you might expect, by far the most popular exterior finish in 1969. Special-order paint jobs were also available.
Receiving the final okay was a design that engineer Howard Freers called “a polishing, a honing, of the 1968 car, a facelift rather than a major redo.” Traditional triple-element taillights, mounted in a concave cove panel, were repeated in back but now were starkly flat-faced, as opposed to form-fitted as on 1967–1968 units. Meanwhile, those four headlights at the other end didn’t disrupt the legacy as much as you might expect due to their locations in a still-familiar fascia that followed closely with previous facades. The outer two lights appeared almost identical to the 1967–1968 style; the inner pair was effectively stashed away inside a slightly enlarged matte-black grille that also reminded horse lovers of what came before.
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