Nineteen ninety-nine was a very good year for Ford Motor Company. Profits hit a record $7.2 billion as the stock market and new-vehicle demand kept going strong in an unprecedented boom economy.

Ford Division remained America's number-one-selling nameplate, owning five of the country's top-10 favorites including the full-size F-Series pickup.


1999 Ford Mustang V-8 GT convertible, V-6 coupe
Mustang adopted Ford's "New Edge Design" theme for 1999. Note the
standard foglights and larger wheels on the V-8 GT ragtop versus the V-6
base coupe behind it.
See more pictures of the 1999, 2000, 2001 2002, & the 2003 Ford Mustang.


More on the Mustang
The Mustang saga involves scores of specifications, pivotal personalities, and key events. Here are the best:
  • Words and pictures tell only part of the Mustang story. For vehicle dimensions, engine data, annual sales figures, prices and other information, check out 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 Ford Mustang specifications.
  • Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT), headed by John Plant, took over the task of coming up with hot limited-edition street cars, previously entrusted to Special Vehicle Operations (SVO). Read all about it in Ford SVT: Special Vehicle Team.
  • Ford muscle cars were among the top performers of the muscle car era. Check out profiles, photos, and specifications of some tough Ford muscle cars.

But suddenly, it all turned sour. First, the economy started to unravel as overvalued "tech stocks" tanked, taking Wall Street down with them. Then, in 2000, Ford's cash-cow Explorer SUV and its original-equipment Firestone tires were implicated in rollover crashes that ultimately claimed almost 300 lives and caused scores of injuries.

Months of damning publicity battered Ford's claim to industry-leading quality, and its stock price. So did a string of glitches and recalls involving various Ford vehicles. New models like the European-inspired Lincoln LS and its Jaguar S-Type sister did not sell as expected. Mazda, Dearborn's longtime Japanese affiliate, was having sales trouble, too, a further drain on corporate coffers.

And there was worse. After burning through more than $15 billion since 1999, Ford lost a staggering $5.45 billion in 2001, which only accelerated declines in market share and stock price. In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Ford was forced to match General Motors' zero-percent financing and other costly market-priming moves, which contributed to a loss of almost a billion bucks in 2002. Equally ominous, the near-term product pipeline looked almost dry.

We mention all this because it helps understand Mustang's path into the 21st Century. And for all the corporate turmoil, Mustang fared quite well, starting with the major makeover of its SN95/Fox-4 platform, which traced its origins to the 1979 model. The makeover was just in time for Mustang's 35th anniversary in 1999.

The 1999 Mustang benefited from "New Edge Design," a geometric approach with crisp lines and deliberately jarring graphic elements set against rounded forms. Keep reading to learn all about the '99 Mustangs, both inside and out.

Want to find out even more about the Mustang legacy? Follow these links to learn all about the original pony car:
  • Saddle up for the complete story of America's best-loved sporty car. How the Ford Mustang Works chronicles the legend from its inception in the early 1960s to today's all-new Mustang.
  • It's hard to imagine Ford actually considered putting the Mustang out to pasture instead of producing a 1994 model. Learn how Mustang came back from the brink in 1994-1998 Ford Mustang.
  • The 2005 Mustang's shape was ordained by a superstar stylist with a European pedigree. Learn how the original pony car was reborn in 2005 Ford Mustang.
  • For a full report on the 2007 Ford Mustang, check out Consumer Guide New Car Reviews. Here you'll find road test results, photos, specifications, and prices for hundreds of cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs.