’86 Mustang Features
Brakes were the same setup introduced
on ’82 V-8 Mustangs — front disc/rear
drums with power-assisted 10.06-inch rotors
and 9.0x1.73-inch drums. A vacuum booster
“4 Eye” Headlights
became standard on ’86 V-8 cars. All 5.0-liter
Standard 1979-1986
cars — GT and LX — wore unidirectional
P225/60VR15 Goodyear Eagle “Gatorback”
tires mounted on 15x7-inch, 10-hole
aluminum wheels. Steering was the same
power-assisted rack-and-pinion with a 15:1
SEFI Fuel Injection
ratio that debuted on the ’85. The V-8
Standard on GT/LX 5.0 H.O. V-8
Mustang’s suspension comprised four links
with Quadra-Shock damping and progressiverate coil springs with gas-pressurized struts
and shocks.
Inside, the ’86 Mustang interior received
“Halo” Headrest
only minor changes. Buyers ordering the $176
Standard 1979-1986
cruise control received a new two-spoke steering wheel; others got the three-spoke design.
The most prominent gauges were a 7000-rpm
tachometer and a speedometer that stopped
Fog Lamp Switch
short at 85 mph. (With the 3.08:1 rear axle, a
Standard on GT
5.0-liter Mustang could top 130.)
Not only was the ’86 GT a cosmetic twin to
the ’85 GT, it also did little to distinguish itself
visually from the cheaper LX. The Mustang’s
sloping center front end panel held a Ford oval
Marchal Fog Lamps
at the top, and a wide, single opening below.
Standard on GT
The final-year quad rectangular headlamps
were deeply recessed. Parking lamps stood far
down on the front end. Side marker lenses
were angled to match the front fender tips.
Taillamps were distinctly split into upper and
Graphic Warning Module
lower sections by a full width divider bar.
Standard, all Mustangs
“Mustang” lettering sat above the left taillamp,
with a Ford oval above the right. All ’86
Mustangs rode on a 100.5-inch wheelbase.
An LX with the 5.0-liter package cost $8,631
(as a notchback), $9,185 (hatchback), or
Electronic AM/FM Stereo w/Cassette
$13,860 (convertible). A GT stickered for
Optional, $310
$11,102 (hatchback) or $14,945 (convertible).
The extra GT money brought a few more
pieces of equipment such as the wide hood
stripe (that could be deleted by request), modelspecific body side molding, Marchal driving
10-Hole Aluminum Wheels
lamps, articulated cloth sport seats, padded tilt
Standard on GT/LX 5.0 HO V8
steering wheel, and tinted glass.
As Ford’s enthusiasm for the Mustang
increased, so did the public’s. Sales for 1986
included 83,774 notchbacks, 22,946 convertibles, and 117,690 hatchbacks, for a total of
Center High-Mount Stop Lamp (CHMSL)
224,410 — nearly a quarter of a million cars,
Standard, all Mustangs, new for 1986
and a 67,896-unit increase from 1985, giving
the Mustang a 2.84 percent share of the
American market. Of that batch, 43,016 cars
(or 19 percent) were GT hatchbacks, and
Speed Control
57,1 b