Ford Motor Company

 

This is one of those legendary cars that have a huge history and pedigree behind it. Even less car-savvy people have mostly heard of the legendary pony car, and for many of them, this all-American powerhouse is at the top of the wish list. Let’s start the history lesson with the 1st generation of Ford Mustang. 

On April 17, 1964, Ford presented the Mustang of the first generation on the technical basis of the Ford Falcon as a coupe and as a cabriolet, thus creating the class of pony cars that was named after itself. Ford created a monument with Mustang.

 

Early Success

Ford Motor Company

 

The Mustang was a great success right from the start. It was intended to appeal to the young, sporty poplulation and could be purchased for 2,368 US dollars. According to today's purchasing power and adjusted for inflation, this corresponds to around 18,000 US dollars. 

On the evening of the official start of sales, April 17, 1964, around 22,000 vehicles had already been sold. By the end of the first (however long) model year, 680,992 units had been sold. This was a record in the USA. 

The Mustang obviously filled a gap in the market of unimaginable magnitude. Ford optimistically expected 240,000 copies to be sold. Neither the Chevrolet Corvair Monza, which was similar in concept and built from 1960 nor the Plymouth Barracuda, which appeared shortly before the Mustang, were anywhere near as successful.

The success of the Mustang was based not only on an elaborate and cleverly designed advertising campaign before and during the market launch but also on an extensive list of individual extras and equipment packages. 

Every customer was able to design their Mustang model according to their individual taste, whether as a sparsely equipped six-cylinder model, as a small luxury coupe, or as a sporty machine with a powerful V8 engine.

 

1964 Model Year

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Officially, the early Mustang models produced before September 1964 were also sold as the 1965 model year. They featured a slightly smaller grille and the 4.3-liter (260 cu in) V8 engine from the Ford Falcon, instead of the 4.7-liter (289 cu in) V8 engine used on the rest of the range from September onwards. To distinguish these first vehicles from those built until September, they are unofficially usually referred to as "the model year 1964.5".

The first Ford Mustangs were white convertibles with red interiors that rolled off the assembly line in Dearborn on March 9, 1964. They were introduced to the North American public through an extensive publicity campaign. Even before the official presentation, television commercials had been running under the motto “The Unexpected”. 

On April 17, 1964, the Mustang was shown to the public for the first time as part of the New York World's Fair. From April 19, all three national television channels ran new television spots in which the car, unlike the previous spots, could also be seen. From 1964 to 1979 the Ford Mustang was offered as the Ford T5 in Europe.

 

1965 Model Year

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As a hatchback coupe, the Fastback was introduced and disc brakes on the front axle became optional. The GT package, with decorative side stripes on the sills, was also new to the range. The 4.7-liter V8 engine was now also available in slower, more sensible versions with 200 hp or 225 hp.

 

1966 Model Year

Ford Motor Company

 

The 1966 model was externally recognizable by the Mustang emblem on the radiator grille, which was no longer carried just by vertical chrome bars; also on the three chrome inserts on the dummy air scoops in front of the rear wheel arches. 

The safety equipment was supplemented with front and rear seat belts, a padded dashboard, and hazard warning lights. The horizontal scale speedometer used in the first model year was replaced by round gauges. 1.1 million units of the original Mustang were built in two and a half years, including 864,000 hardtops, 105,000 fastbacks, and 145,000 convertibles.

 

Shelby Mustang

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The tuning company Shelby American, founded among others by Carroll Shelby, an ex-racing driver who already had contacts with Ford through the development of the Shelby Cobra, built tuning vehicles based on the Ford Mustang from 1965 onwards, some of which were intended for racing, and some for private customers. 

In 1965, 562 examples of the Shelby GT-350, a high-performance version of the Mustang Fastback with a 306 hp, 4.7-liter V8 engine, were built in Venice (Los Angeles), including 36 GT-350Rs, which were exclusively used for racing were designed. 

In 1966, Shelby produced 1,438 GT-350 fastback coupes and six GT-350 convertibles using the same technology. There were also 936 copies of the GT-350H, a predominantly black version with gold-colored trim, non-purchasable special series for the car rental company Hertz. 

The fastback versions differed from the previous year's models externally by Plexiglas inserts in the C-pillars. In 2006/2007, a new edition of the Hertz version was created based on the current Mustang, which again was sold exclusively to the car rental company.

Unlike products from other tuners, Shelby Mustangs were also sold directly through the Ford dealer network.

 

Protecting 1st Generation Mustang

 

The Ford Mustang was a classic even when it was new and it was alost the ideal classic for everyone. It is a robust and durable car with problem-free technology, so what’s not to like? Well, the body of course.

The last of the first gen Mustangs rolled out of the assembly line in 1966. Therefore it is now over 50 years old. A lot of things have changed in the auto industry and automotive technology in our time so this car is from a different era.

Therefore, like almost all classics, it is a high maintenance vehicle so you should know and use various protection equipment if you own one. And if you neglect it, your car will turn into junk really quickly. 

However, don’t worry at all! As a company, Ford cares about your Mustang just as much as you do. They want you to be able to find the right protective equipment easily. That’s why they partnered up with the established protective equipment manufacturer, the Coverking. 

If you own a first series Mustang, Coverking offers a huge custom selection for you. Check out the StormProof Car Cover to get the best cover possible for your vehicle. And if you are lucky enough to have an indoor garage, you can take a look at the Satin Stretch Car Cover.

When it comes to interior, you need to be even more protective and use everything you can. We recommend getting a Molded Carpet Dash Cover and a set of RhinoRide Custom Seat Covers. You should also think about getting a Custom Fit Sunshield if you are going to park your car under the sun for a while.

 

Resources

 

Coverking Links

 

Tankut Basar

Tankut Basar is an ARA (American Rally Assoc.) Racing Driver and an FIA Bronze Category License Holder. His passion for driving began with karting like most racers. He started racing internationally at the age of 22. Tankut loves everything car-related and will keep enjoying the drive until the end.

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