1965 Ford Mustang
On April 17 1964 is when the Ford Mustang first made its public debut, that is over 55 years ago. After years of hinting at such a vehicle with concept cars like the Allegro and Mustang II, and weeks of public teasing before the official reveal, Ford unwrapped the Mustang at its stand at World’s Fair in New York City on April 17, 1964. That was roughly a month after the first Mustang rolled off the assembly line, but it was the very same day cars arrived at Ford dealers.
Based on the 1964 Falcon platform, the first generation Mustang would become an American icon and define the term “pony car”, a special breed of cars. The name was taken from the WWII American fighter plane, the P-51 Mustang. Later, the car would prove inspiration for the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri. The Mustang was a big hit right from the start, selling more than one million cars in just 18 months.
Ford went out of its way to promote the Mustang, staging massive print ad buys, primetime TV spots, and placing the Mustang front and center at its World’s Fair pavilion. If that wasn’t enough, it also placed Mustang convertibles on its Magic Skyway attraction, a ride that allowed visitors to “drive” in an elevated glass tunnel overlooking the fairgrounds.
To say that the Ford Mustang was welcomed by the public is an understatement. After six weeks on the market, the Ford Mustang was the best-selling compact car in America. By April 17, 1965, Ford had sold just shy of 419,000 Mustangs – four times Iacocca’s original sales volume target.
Engines
FORD Mustang 2.8L 3MT (100 HP)
