Yahoo Autos Junkyard Gem: 1987 Ford Mustang LX Hatchback
With the introduction of the new Fox-platform Mustang for the 1979 model year, the Pinto-derived Mustang II was shown the door and a new era of Mustang performance began. Mustangs with ever-more-powerful V8s and turbocharged four-bangers hit the streets, rappers sang their praises and hot-rodded Ford ponies took over the drag strips. The thing is, we often forget that the Mustang also remained faithful to its origins as a sporty-looking yet economical commuter car during the Fox era, which means that plenty were sold with gas-sipping base engines and penny-pinching price tags. Here's one of those cars, found in a North Carolina self-service knacker's yard recently.
In 1987, the Mustang was available as a notchback two-door sedan, as a convertible and as a three-door hatchback. Except for 1979 and 1980, the hatchback always outsold the notchback during the 1979-1993 Fox era (in which more than 2.5 million Mustangs were sold).
The base engine in the 1987 Mustang LX was the 2.3-liter "Pinto" four-cylinder, rated at 90 horsepower and 130 pound-feet, and that's what we have here.
The 1987 Mustang GT came with a 5.0-liter V8 making 225 horses and 300 pound-feet. Those wishing to get a lightweight sleeper Mustang that year could buy the LX notchback and order it with the V8 and affiliated components, which added $1,885 ($5,294 in 2024 dollars) to the car's $8,043 sticker price ($22,591 after inflation).
The LX hatchback cost a bit more than the trunk-equipped '87 Mustang, with an MSRP of $8,474 ($23,801 in today's money). But this car has some costly options that pushed the price quite a bit higher, as we'll see.
