History of the Mustang

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1964.5 Ford Mustang Convertible: This mustang featured a 289cid engine.

1967 Ford Mustang GT Fastback: This year Mustang saw its first major redesign and featured a 320 hp V8 engine.

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302: This model, with a look created by designer Larry Shinoda and a high-output 302 cu. in. V-8, became one of the most iconic fords

1972 Ford Mustang Sprint edition fastback: Ford honored the 1972 U.S. Olympic team with the Sprint and its red, white, and blue color scheme.

1976 Ford Mustang II Cobra II: A 302 cu. in. V-8 was added to the Mustang II lineup in 1975 and the cobra II was added for 1976 with body stripes, hood scoops, and front and rear spoilers restored some performance image.

1982 Ford Mustang GT: Performance made a comeback with the return of the Mustang GT with a 5.0 liter, 160 hp, V-8

1993 Ford Mustang Cobra: The New Ford SVT (Special Vehicle Team) debuted its first model in 1993. with the 235 hp. SVT Cobra with upgraded brakes and suspension.

1994 Ford Mustang Coupe: The new Fourth-generation mustang was redesigned in 1994 with classic 1960's model styling cues such as the scoops, tri-bar tail lamps and a pony emblem in the grille.

2003 Mustang Mach 1: The model returned in 2003 with a 305-hp. V-8 engine and the signature ram-air "Shaker" hood scoop.

2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible: The fifth-generation Mustang debuted for 2005 with an all-new platform that provided better handling and retro styling inspired by the late 1960's mustangs

2012 Mustang Boss 302: For 2012, the Boss 302 returned to the lineup for the first time since 1970.  It has a 444-hp 5.0 liter V8 and a special track-tuned suspension.

2015 Ford Mustang GT: Ford redesigned the Mustang for the sixth-Generation and featured a 435 Hp V8 engine.  

2018 Ford Mustang GT: with a lowered hood and redesigned lights this mustang has a 460 hp V8 engine.

             The Ford Mustang is officially unveiled by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, on April 17, 1964. That same day, the new car also debuted in Ford showrooms across America and almost 22,000 Mustangs were immediately snapped up by buyers. Named for a World War II fighter plane, the Mustang was the first of a type of vehicle that came to be known as a “pony car.” Ford sold more than 400,000 Mustangs within its first year of production, far exceeding sales expectations.

             The Mustang was conceived as a “working man’s Thunderbird,” according to Ford. The first models featured a long hood and short rear deck and carried a starting price tag of around $2,300. Ford general manager Lee Iacocca, who became president of the company in October 1964 (and later headed up Chrysler, which he was credited with reviving in the 1980s) was involved in the Mustang’s development and marketing. The car’s launch generated great interest. It was featured on the covers of Newsweek and Time magazines and the night before it went on sale, the Mustang was featured in commercials that ran simultaneously on all three major television networks. The same year it debuted, the Mustang appeared on the silver screen in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger.” A green 1968 Mustang 390 GT was famously featured in the 1968 Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt,” in a car chase through the streets of San Francisco. Since then, Mustangs have appeared in hundreds of movies.

           Within three years of its debut, some 500 Mustang fan clubs had cropped up. In March 1966, the 1 millionth Mustang rolled off the assembly line. In honor of the Mustang’s 35th anniversary in 1999, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating the original model. In 2004, Ford built its 300 millionth car, a 2004 Mustang GT convertible 40th anniversary model. The 2004 Mustangs were the final vehicles made at the company’s Dearborn production facility, which had been building Mustangs since their debut. (Assembly then moved to a plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.)

            Over the decades, the Mustang underwent numerous evolution, and it remains in production today, with more than 10 million sold.  With Ford focusing on trucks and crossovers, Mustang will be the only American made car by ford in the United States in the next few years