a brief overview of the 1996 Mustang

The 4.6L 281cid SOHC V8 in all its glory

1996 only honeycomb grille insert

New for 1996 was the vertical taillights

What's so special about the 1996 Mustang GT you ask?....

For the 1996 Mustang GT, Ford replaced the 5.0L 302cid V8 with a new "Modular" 4.6L 281cid SOHC V8. Although the 4.6L displaced 31 fewer cubic inches, it still produced 215hp and matched the the 1995 5.0L V8's 285 ft-lbs of torque. Gone was the distributor, which was replaced with two coil packs. The T-5 was also replaced in favor for the Borg Warner T-45. To make room for the larger heads/block of the 4.6L, Ford saved roomed and upped braking performance with a hydraulic boost setup.

Exterior changes were few, but different none the less. The biggest change was the rear taillights. From 1994-1995, the three element design was orientated in a horizontal position. For 1996, Ford changed the position to a vertical orientation with larger lenses that were more visible. The fender emblems on the 94-95 mustang GT's read "GTmustang". Starting in '96 the design changed to "GT 4.6L", to advertise the new mod motor. The most unnoticeable exterior change was the grille. A honeycomb insert, barely seen behind the chrome pony emblem was a 1996 only piece.

Interior mods were few, but the door panels lost the perforated inserts for a smooth grain finish like the rest of the interior.

The 17x8" tri-spoke wheels were replaced with split-5 spoke 17x8 wheels with a slight inward dish. The standard 16x8" wheels were carried over for '96.

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