Paying Tribute To 50 Years Of The Mighty Mustang

April 17, 2014
Story By
Evan Griffey

Ford really nailed it. Consider it was a full half-century before social media, flash mobs, or Groupons and Ford’s exquisite coordination of the Mustang’s introduction becomes all the more astounding, even miraculous. As the drapery was swept away from the Mustang’s sleek body at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, a chain reaction of epic proportions was set in motion. Ford had sealed the deal by advertising the car on all the Big Three television networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) simultaneously at 9:30 PM the night before the official April 17^th launch, capping off a marketing campaign that would make the ad execs of AMC’s TV show “Mad Men” bow in reverence. The public was whipped to fever pitch.

1964 World's Fair Ford Mustang Introduction

To say the Mustang was a hit right off the bat is a vast under statement, the ponycar broke from the gate like a thoroughbred with its tail on fire. An incredible 22,000 Mustangs were sold during its first day on the showroom floor. Six weeks later a Mustang paced the Indy 500, and soon after the ponycar appeared on the covers of Newsweek and Time magazines, not to mention a high-speed cameo in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger.”

1964 World's Fair Ford Exhibit 1965 Mustang

Don Frey, Product Planning Manager for the original Ford Mustang, says he knew the car was going to be strong months earlier when the design team gave Ford employees a sneak peek at one of the prototypes. “We built the first prototype in an experimental garage, and employees flooded the place to see it. Their reaction was spectacular, and it was very revealing to us. We knew the car was going to be roaring success from the start.”

A year later, sales were 417,000 - by March 1966 Ford had sold an eye-popping 1 Million ‘Stangs. At $2,368, the base model made it easy to get in the driver’s seat of the four-wheeled phenomenon. Ford offered the car in a wide variety of trims and price points; initially as a hardtop and convertible but in ’65 as a fastback as well. Numerous combinations of six- and eight-cylinder engines and standard and automatic transmissions could be configured. “Mustang was designed to be designed by you,” an original print ad declared. And it was true. Heck, toy companies even cashed in as a whopping 93,000 Mustang-themed pedal cars were hastily wrapped and stashed under the tree for hopeful future enthusiasts to open Christmas Day, 1964.

1964 World's Fair Exhibit 1965 Shelby GT350

Carroll Shelby knew a hot commodity when he saw one and his rendition of the Mustang, the Shelby GT350, was on a turnstile at the World’s Fair too. Shelby started with a Wimbledon White ’65 fastback outfitted with K-Code, 289-inch V8 rated at 271 horsepower. The Shelby American crew dropped a high-rise intake, topped with a specially jetted four-barrel carb, fabricated a set of tubular exhaust manifolds, and added a finned aluminum, high-capacity oil pan. Output jumped to 306 horsepower and with Shelby’s suspension, brakes, and driveline enhancements, a legend was born. Cost of a GT350 in 1965?... $4,547. Today, according to Hagerty’s Classic Car Guide, a first-year GT350 is valued at $224,000. Shelby also created the GT350-R for racing and the Blue Oval stomped on the terra, winning the SCCA B-Production Championship in 1965, ’66, ’67, and the Trans Am Championship in 1966 and ’67.

April 1964 Ford Mustang Introduction Road Rally

Yep, the Mustang looks pretty good for a 50-year-old. Other significant Golden Anniversaries this year include Beatlemania, the GI Joe action figure, Pop Tart pastries, Buffalo Wings, and the Sports Illustrated swim suit issue… Happy birthday to you Mustang, and many more.

Paying Tribute To 50 Years Of The Mighty Mustang

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