1983 Ford Mustang

  1983 Ford Mustang

  A new grille with Ford's Blue Oval logo at its center came along with the 1983 Mustang. But the grille was the least of the changes that year, as the Mustang convertible returned in the form of a conversion performed by ASC, Inc. on coupe bodies. The convertible was offered in GLX and GT trim and featured a real glass rear window, power operation and rear-quarter windows that rolled down. The convertible was instantly popular.

The drivetrain lineup was also revised for '83 with the straight six and 4.2-liter V8 being eliminated and quickly forgotten. A revised version of the turbocharged 2.3-liter SOHC four returned to the lineup, this time with electronic fuel injection that did a wonderful job of tempering turbo lag and increasing engine longevity. But its 142-horsepower output didn't seem all that impressive, especially since the 5.0-liter HO V8 now sported a four-barrel carburetor and was rated at 175 horsepower. And the V8 was now available with the excellent Borg-Warner T5 five-speed manual transmission.

 The normally aspirated 2.3-liter SOHC four was still around for buyers too timid for anything else, but the six-cylinder option was the new "Essex" 3.8-liter V6 making 112 horsepower.

Despite all the improvements, the '83 Mustang was hardly a barn burner in the sales race. A total of 120,873 Mustangs were sold that model year, including 23,438 convertibles.

  

PRODUCTION NUMBERS Hardtop - 33,201 Hatchback - 64,234 Convertible - 23,438	VIN NUMBERS  -  1FABP26M6DF000001 1FA - Ford Motor Company B - Active Belts P - Passenger car 26 - Body Code (26=Hardtop, 27=Convertible, 28=Hatchback, M - Engine Code 6 - Variable digits D - 1983 ("C" stands for 1983) F - Assembly Plant (F=Dearborn) 000001 - Consecutive unit number
BASE PRICES Hardtop - $6,727 Hatchback - $7,439 Convertible - $12,467	ENGINES/ENGINE CODES A - 2.3L 2V 4-cyl. with 88hp T - 2.3L 4-cyl. with 145hp (with Turbo GT model) 3 - 3.8L 2V V-6 with 112hp F - 5.0L 2V V-8 with 175hp
FACTORY OPTIONS - Power front disc brakes - AM/FM Radio (optional 8-track or cassette player) - Tinted Glass - Rear Window Defroster - "T" Roof - Leather wrapped steering wheel - Power Windows	INTERIOR COLORS/INTERIOR TRIM CODE Black - A Cadet Blue - B Red - D Walnut - E Opal/Red - N Opal/Blue - Q Opal/Black - W Opal/Walnut - Z
EXTERIOR COLORS/COLOR CODE Black - 1C Metallic Medium Charcoal - 1B Metallic Silver - 1G Bright Bittersweet - 2G Metallic Dark Academy Blue - 3D Metallic Midnight Blue - 3L Metallic Dark Walnut - 5U Light Desert Tan - 8Q Polar White - 9D Desert Tan Glow - 9N Red - 24 Bright Red - 27 Light Academy Blue Glow - 38 Medium Yellow - 61