Johnny Lightning Ford Mustang II Cobra

The mid-1970s was a rather uninspiring time for the auto industry.  Gas crises in the Middle East forced a shift towards more economical cars and ended the race to build furiously powerful muscle cars.  One of the resulting cars was the Ford Mustang II.  Introduced in 1974, it didn't even offer a V-8 engine as an option.  However, it was a car for the times and the Ford Mustang II was a great seller for Ford.

By 1975, a 5.0-liter V-8 was introduced as an optional powerplant.  In 1976, an option package called the Cobra II brought a high performance look to the V-8 powered Mustang IIs.  According to Wikipedia, the Ford Mustang Cobra II could managed 0-to-60 in 10.5 seconds with a top speed of 106 miles per hour.

While the Ford Mustang II doesn't get much respect today, it did keep the Mustang alive so that it could return to glory.