We sure are blessed at the moment in 2023, with a huge array of cool TV shows to choose from, that all cater to our love of all things car-related. Whether you prefer classic shows, such as Top Gear and Rust Valley Restorers (who finally have a new season on the way!), or you prefer catching up with regular gearhead content on YouTube; the car community really is spoiled for choice.

Wind the clock back 50 years, and cool car content was a little harder to come across on your TV screen. Fortunately enough though, for car enthusiasts, a show called Charlie’s Angels aired in 1975 – and then continued for five more action-packed seasons. The show proved hugely successful, and while it only ran for those five seasons, it continued airing on TV for many years to follow.

One of the stars of the show is also our protagonist today – the Ford Mustang II Cobra. A funky coupe adorned with bold, blue stripes, and a very of-the-time body kit made sure gearheads were captivated. By placing American actress Farrah Fawcett behind the wheel too, the show’s directors transformed this quirky Ford into a world-famous poster car.

Like so many pop culture icons from decades ago, this striking Mustang II disappeared into obscurity. This leaves many fans of both the show and of the baby muscle car wondering, where does it reside today?

3How Did This Mustang II Rise To Fame?

The 1970s was a tough decade for most American car manufacturers, as huge displacement engines that had been heavily produced and invested in during the 1960s, were no longer the flavor of the moment. Strict emissions regulations and ever-increasing gas prices meant consumers were looking for cheaper cars to run, and the government was forcing companies to make them.

This change in behavior then is perhaps the most obvious reason why the directors of the show chose the Ford Mustang II Cobra, over a more typical all-American, big-power muscle car. What’s more, the styling was very modern for the time, being much more angular and jagged than the models that preceded it.

Furthermore, the iconic white and blue really helped the coupe to stand out against a sea of regular cars, plus it really popped under that LA sunshine. Once the angels had clambered inside, the image was complete.

For whatever reason they decided upon this Ford Mustang II Cobra for the series, we cannot be 100% sure, but it was certainly a great decision. This particular model of Mustang has endured a hard life, often ridiculed by car enthusiasts, but still, everybody loves the Charlie’s Angels car as an exception!

Ford’s Mustang II Cobra Was A Baby Muscle Car

0 to 60 MPH Acceleration Time: 10.5 Seconds

As we have already touched on, the 1970s were the beginning of the end of America’s golden age of car manufacturing. For that very reason, the Mustang II was thought of and created, to replace the gas-guzzling Mustang muscle car of the 1960s.

The mass majority of examples produced featured miserable 4 or 6-cylinder lumps up-front, some outputting less than 100 horsepower. The Angels were kitted out with all the cylinders though, with a range-topping 302ci V8 under the hood. Still, not anything to get excited about, as the figures below will demonstrate.

Performance

Taking longer than 10 seconds to hit 60 mph and topping out barely above 100 mph, is pretty poor performance, and somewhat of a disgrace to the Mustang name. For that reason, we’ve chosen to designate the Ford Mustang II Cobra as a ‘baby’ muscle car, although, even that is overly flattering.

Regardless, the car had a striking exterior and tough exhaust note, which was more than enough for it to look cool as a cucumber on 1970s TV screens. It may have even been cool enough to convince people to go out and buy one, as a few thousand were manufactured and sold each year.

Is Ford going in a similar direction today, with the all-electric Mustang Mach-E, and recently revealed Mustang GTD? Only time will tell how these cars are looked upon in the future.

Where Does The Mustang Reside Today?

It’s widely accepted that the show actually used two of these Fords, and one was actually equipped with a lower specification interior, in addition to a 6-cylinder engine. It is thought that this later car, used only in season 5, was painted blue and then crashed in another show, on a later date. Fans can safely assume that this car was owned by the Studio directly then, and there’s no evidence to show it was ever sold at a later date.

Even though our striking white-and-blue V8 example was looking a little worn out in the later seasons, it does appear that the car went to live on. Reportedly, a mechanic took the car on and continued to use it in the California area.

For all we know, it could’ve been painted, heavily modified, or simply parked up to deteriorate over the years. However, whispers have since circulated in the community that it was sold on, and plans to restore the car were set out into action.

Ford fans and those who watched the show in the period would surely love to see the car restored once more, and displayed for all to admire; much like the Smokey And The Bandit Trans Am. This seems like a much more fitting end for the striking Mustang II Cobra, rather than languishing somewhere, hidden from those who would love another glimpse of this super-cool slice of the ’70s.