1987-1993 Ford Mustang LX 5.0: America’s Greatest Performance Car Value?
One of the great performances bargains of the ‘90s was the Ford Mustang LX 5.0. The concept of a stripped down lightweight FOX bodied Mustang first appeared in 1982 as a police package in California. Interestingly, Ford beat out Chevy’s heavier Camaro as a testbed for a lightweight pursuit car. By 1983 Ford was offering the Mustang (mostly notchback coupe) with a Special Service Package (SSP) to law enforcement agencies in the US and Canada.
The LX stealth concept began to spread, as law enforcement discovered the benefits of a lightweight rear wheel drive car with a powerful engine. The Mustang LX 5.0 became a common highway patrol car, as few things on the road could match it’s low 6 second 0 to 60 acceleration time. GM also recognized the benefit of a lighter weight pony car with a big engine, although too late to make any impact. Pontiac’s Firebird Formula did not have quite the power to weight ratio and was bigger, but operated on a similar principle.
When Ford decided to make the GT’s 5.0 V8 a more prominent option for the otherwise sedate 88hp LX in 1987, a whole new chapter of Mustang performance was created. Built around the stealthy qualities a plain looking convertible, coupe or hatchback, a 5.0 liter 225 hp V8 offered the best overall performance in a Mustang (that was not a Cobra or tuner car). If ordered as a notchback coupe, there was 200lbs. advantage over the GT hatchback with it’s showy body cladding and aero bits.
Some thought the GT was borderline excessive in it’s appearance and screamed ticket magnet to law enforcement. Arguably, those who valued looks went for the GT and those who wanted performance preferred the V8 LX. The 4 and later 6 cylinder versions of the Mustang LX that were offered during this period were just embarrassing as performance cars and were not really lookers unless they were tarted up with better wheels.
The LX 5.0 was rather old school, even for the late ’80s, but offered more raw performance than cars like the more expensive Honda Prelude or Toyota Supra. Yet many buyers saw these cars in non V8 form as competitors to lesser machines like the six cylinder Chevy Cavalier. Some of that stigma rubbed off on the LX 5.0 to those that did not know any better or care about performance. Truth was the LX 5.0 was in a niche all of it’s own. Too basic to run with the Japanese sport coupes and too brute to be ignored, the LX 5.0’s nearest competitor was the GT.
The 5.0 LX was available in all the Mustang’s body configurations but the notchback – called a 2 door coupe due to it’s formal roofline was the most popular for die hard performance fans (although the hatchback was the better seller for the LX model in general). The notchback coupe was also the most ridged of all the Mustang configurations. You could even order your LX with GT style 15’ wheels (16’ after 1990) and high-performance tires. Often body adornments were limited to rear spoilers, but many owners opted for aftermarket items like hood scoops (losing the stealth element in the process). Thought the single most important visual embellishment was the chrome 5.0 badge which was standard.
Throughout the final chapter of the FOX body Mustang, there were a series of special editions like the most rare emerald green 7Up cars of 1991, Summer Specials in Vibrant Red for 1992 and Chrome Yellow convertibles in 1993. These cars had white interiors and GT turbine styled wheels. Over the course of the V8 equipped Mustang’s lifecycle, there were very few major exterior changes. Early cars had Thunderbird styled wheels that eventually became GT like 5 spokes. The black beltline cladding that neatly emphasized the car’s length became body colored in 1992.
While it was underneath the hood that made the LX a performance bargain, the interiors were not forgotten. The clean exterior body lines were complimented by a modest dash with a hint of European influence. The interior featured sporty looking low back reclining cloth seats. Later cars would offer higher end options like leather seating, but the LX could be ordered with a wide range of luxuries just like the GT. Ford was ahead of GM on ergonomics during this time and it showed when the revised interiors of 1987 leapfrogged the Camaro/Trans-Am’s horizontal kitchen counter design.
Some early car interiors might have suggested compromise, but mechanically the LX 5.0 was the GT’s cheaper twin. The LX 5.0 had the same Borg Warner 5 -speed manual transmission or the more common 4 speed auto along with a performance Traction-Lok limited-slip differential as the GT.
In keeping with it’s status as 2nd to the GT, the LX was more likely to have power discs up front and drum brakes in back (despite being a performance car with a V8!). Although standard Mustangs from this era did not feature a fully independent rear suspension, its crude live axle system made it a capable highway cruising car assuming the highway was smooth. Like it’s Camaro competitor, it hugged corners only to lose composure on the bumpiest roads and was susceptible to wheel hop under extreme conditions. Despite these setbacks, the LX’s reputation as a fast straight line performer and more nimble road hugger began to take hold by the start of the ’90s.
Technically, Ford no longer offers a stripped down lighter weight Mustang GT alternative. In many ways the Ecoboost versions of today’s Mustang come closest to the sprit of the LX 5.0 with GT-like performance for less money. They can be strikingly similar in appearance to the GT if optioned properly.
Free from overbearing safety tech, infotainment and other restraints, the era of the simplistic pony car is long gone. This reality has pushed up values for unmolested LX 5.0 cars. They were very popular when new, so there’s no shortage of parts or specialty tuners standing at the ready. For that reason, you are just as likely to come across 5.0 fakes, as V8 swaps were a common occurrence. Ginuwine LX 5.0 are just one of many legendary Mustangs that have made it America’s favorite and longest running ponycar. It might be the only American car left that people outside of America really want.
Autopolis 