The mid to late ’70s were a weird time for the automobile industry. During that time, there was an embargo placed on petroleum imported into the United States. Performance vehicles were a rare site during this time.
The Monroe Handler first made its appearance in 1977 on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine. The original car was made using steel exterior body panels by Dan Kent at Creative Car Craft. 6 other Monroe Handler Mustangs were produced using fiberglass panels. The Mustang you see in this article is one of those six Mustangs. It is owned by Mike Haug and has less than 900 original miles!
These were used and the national show circuit and marketing campaigns for roughly a year and then given away. Many well-known names were involved with the production of these Mustangs. Jack Roush, David Kent (Creative Car Craft), Trevor Harris (Harris Dynamics), Motorola, Centerline Wheels, Revell and BF Goodrich to name a few.
Who Built The Monroe Handler Mustang ii?
The Monroe Handler Mustang ii was built by Hot Rod magazine and Monroe Shocks. At the time, Monroe Shocks had introduced their new line of “Handler” shocks, so what better way to bring attention to their shocks than by building a Mustang with the shocks at the heart of the suspension. While Monroe and Hot Rod could have easily thrown these shocks on any car, they took the time to build one of the most unique Mustangs to ever be built outside of Ford’s factory.
How Much Power Did The 1978 Monroe Handler Mustang Make?
While Monroe is a suspension company, they couldn’t let a build like this go without some serious power. After all, they wanted to showcase the performance of these new shocks. In true Mustang enthusiasts fashion, a 363ci Roush Engine was stuffed into the engine bay, putting down a very impressive 400 horsepower. This type of power required some serious suspension and Monroe’s Handler shocks were there to answer the call.
How Many Monroe Handler Mustangs Were Made?
Although many would think that a promotional Mustang such as this one would only have been made as a one-off type of build, Monroe built one original and 6 fiberglass replicas. Although the whereabouts of all 6 are unknown at this time, there are a couple that pop up on Youtube or on social media every blue moon. It is this type of exclusivity and rareness that makes the Monroe Handler so attractive to not only Mustang II owners, but Mustang fans alike.
What Is A Monroe Handler Body Kit?
While only 6 Mustang IIs don the official Monroe Handler name, those who loved the look of this car could get the Monroe body kit for the price of $1,250. The Monroe Handler body kit is an 8-piece fiberglass body kit that was manufactured by a company called Creative Car Craft. This kit includes a rear body panel, front and rear fenders, a front air dam, and rear spoiler. About 30 kits were ever made, which makes finding one very difficult, but from what we have seen, they can be found in Mustang II Facebook groups and forums.
Finding A Monroe Handler Mustang For Sale
If you are in the market for a Monroe Handler or this article has intrigued you to find one for sale, all we can say is good luck. With only 6 replicas ever made, the chances of finding one actively for sale is going to be pretty tough. A car like this will usually end up on Barrett Jackson for a pretty penny, even more if it is in pristine, original condition.
My wife saw four of these at the MOCSEM car show at the Ford World HQ. I was there showing my car and didn’t over to see them. But my wife said that she saw what looked like my signature on the poster for one of the cars. Does anyone know who owns these cars and especially that one that has the signature from “Rick Tanner”? I would be very interesting to see if this is my signature and why it would be there. If not, whose it is. Thanks.
Hey Rick! I saw them this year as well. I don’t have any images of the poster unfortunately. Did you have any involvement with these cars back in the day?