1967 Mustang To 1968 Mustang Pictures

In 1967 the pony car wars were just starting to heat up. Chevrolet introduced the 1967 Camaro SS equipped with the 396ci V8 engine. In response, Ford increased the length and width of the 1967 Mustang about two inches and stuffed a big block 390ci V8 under the hood. While offering considerable power improvements over the base 289ci V8, the 390 V8 was no match for Chevy's 396ci big block. Carrol Shelby however offered the 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang with the 428 V8 engine which had no problem outperforming the compitition.

In 1968 Ford followed suite and introduced the 428ci V8 into the Mustang line-up and the the 289 V8 was stroked out to a 302ci V8. While the 428 engine produced an estimated 400 horspower, Ford gave it a very conservative rating of 335 which in turn, helped keep insurance rates to a minimum. While the big block delivered lots of torque and horsepower, it was also heavier than 289ci small block V8. As a result, big block equipped Mustangs tended to be nose heavy and not handle as well as the lighter 289 small block Mustangs. For a short time before introducing the 428 engine, Ford did offer a race bred 427 engine but it proved to be too expensive to build and maintain.

In late 1968 the GT500KR (King of the Road) came out with the Cobra Jet version of the 428. The 428CJ was mostly the work of Tasca Ford, a dealer in Providence, RI. These 428CJ equipped Mustangs proved themselves to be every bit "King of the Road", especially at race tracks around the country.