• 2.4L EFI Inline 4 = 88 hp @ 3800 RPM & 130 lb-ft @ 2800 RPM
• 5.0L EFI V-8 = 225 hp @ 4200 RPM & 300 lb-ft @ 3200 RPM

• Black
• Smoke Poly
• Smoke
• Scarlet Red
• Cabernet Red
• Bright Red
• Medium Shadow Blue
• Almond
• Mimosa Yellow
• Dark Shadow Blue
• Bright Regatta Blue
• Dark Gray Metallic
• Oxford White

• Standard Coupe $8,835
• Convertible $13,702
• Hatchback $9,341

• A 2.3L EFI Inline 4 88hp
• E 5.0L EFI V-8 225hp
• 40 2dr
• 42 2dr GT
• 44 2dr Convertible
• 45 GT Convertible
• 6 Check Digit (varies)
• H Year (H - 1987)
• F Plant (F - Dearborn)
• 000001 Consecutive Unit Number
• 1FA Ford Motor Co.
• B Restraint System (B: active belts)
• P Passenger Car

Not much changed for the Mustang between the 1987 and 1988 model years, with the only thing warranting a note is the discontinuation of the T-Top coupe halfway through the year. Ford continued with the Fox Body platform and the up-gunned GT model stilled rolled out of Ford's factories with the 302cid Windsor V8 while the lowly LX came standard with a 2.3L inline four-cylinder. The long line of Fox Body Mustangs maintains a huge cult following even today and a wide range of aftermarket performance parts still exists with both engine compartment and exterior components capable of giving the '88s an even longer lifespan.

Ford's Windsor V8 is extremely easy to modify and only requires a few bolt-on performance upgrades in order to see excellent horsepower and torque gains at a fairly low price. Nearly all of our customers begin their engine enhancements with a Cold Air Intake system for 5.0L Mustangs. Though there are several brands and a couple of small differences between their designs, each cold air intake's sole function is to provide the engine with large amounts of cooler charge air than the stock air box can provide. A new CAI can add up to ten horsepower and a small amount of torque onto the V8 in an extremely easy installation. Another common upgrade to the intake system is a throttle body with an EGR spacer that makes airflow into the Mustang's intake manifold more efficient creating an even more powerful air charge that gives the V8 up to another ten horsepower with ease. A set of underdrive pulleys round out the engine bay and give the Windsor V8 another ten or more horsepower. Underdrive pulleys are only for naturally-aspirated or turbocharged Mustangs and give the engine back some of its horsepower by slowing down the speeds of belt-driven accessories like the alternator and water pump.

With the engine taken care of, it's now time for the exhaust system. Both sound and power gains can easily be achieved by replacing the bland stock exhaust components with premium Mustang performance exhaust parts and accessories. The Fox Body Mustangs were designed with a mid-muffler system that placed the mufflers deep under the car near the mid-pipe and each car requires a full cat-back system to gain any sound or power. There are a few different configurations for cat-back systems, including the use of straight-through mufflers or complete muffler deletes that give the 5.0L V8 a massive increase in sound. Even more power gains can be brought to bear by replacing the restrictive stock mid-pipe with a performance x-pipe or h-pipe. These mid-pipes resemble their respective letters of the alphabet and create more efficient exhaust outflow that causes the engine to work less to expel engine gasses. These pipes either have new, high-flow catalytic converters or completely delete the cats for even greater performance gains. To further improve the exhaust system, we move into the engine bay once again to replace the inefficient factory exhaust manifold with a set of short tube or long tube headers. Short tube headers are installed onto the engine's exhaust manifolds and attach to the stock mid-pipe or other long mid-pipe while offering mild performance and sound gains. Long tube headers require a matching shorty mid-pipe from the same brand and feature exhaust tubing that runs from the engine to underneath the Mustang and create an exhaust outlet with little to no back pressure and can help the 302cid V8 gain up to 30 horsepower. While extra power is all well and good, not all of these components are street legal (namely most of our mid-pipes and long tube headers) unless you carry classic or collector's car insurance or have some sort of other smog exemption.

Without doubt, at least some of the 1988 Mustang's exterior accessories have seen better days by now. The car components most exposed to the elements tend to wear quickly and having a Foxy that looks great is just as important as its outright performance. Both the taillights and headlights of the Fox Bodies tend to become discolored, cloudy or just start to malfunction as time drags on. We carry a full complement of Fox Body lights that range from a completely OE look to headlights decked out with LEDs and CCFL halos that give the third generation Mustangs a more modernized appearance. Putting tons of miles on a car does no kindnesses to its wheels or tires. Stage 3 has a huge selection of 1988 Mustang wheels that use the older-style 4-108mm lug pattern of the third generation wheel hubs. Both OE Wheels and Wheel Replicas provide '88 owners ways of upgrading their wheels with something that's close to stock or an original, aggressive wheel set that makes the Mustang look like a star performer. Stage 3 Motorsport's preferred tire vendor is Nitto whose NT555 series of ultra-high performance tires give the Mustang excellent traction and handling abilities without causing excess noise or vibration to ruin the daily run. Tire prices change daily, so contact us to find the set that's perfect for your application.