There are many stories about the long-awaited and
much ballyhooed arrival of the Ford Mustang. Major
U.S. daily newspapers, news magazines and several overseas
journals carried "exclusive" features
detailing the newest entry in the Detroit sweepstakes.
Its been estimated that nearly 30 million television
viewers witnessed the unveiling on April 16 and, on
the day of the launch at the New York World's Fair,
over 2,500 newspapers ran advertisements.
Between March
9th
1964, when the first Mustang emerged from the Dearborn
factory and early April, the company produced 8,160
units so that each Ford dealer across the United States
had at least one Mustang in the showroom.
Four Million Curious Visitors
On Friday,
April 17th 1964, the official launch day, the crowds
flocked to dealers and the media blitz leading up to
the debut resulted in numerous apocryphal accounts.
Four million curious visitors visited their local Ford showrooms that first weekend. Dealers couldn't get them fast enough, booking over 22,000 orders during the opening hours. The demand far exceeded expectations with 100,000 selling in the first four months. To meet the public's demand, Ford's San Jose, California plant was converted to the production of the Mustang.
One year later, On April 16th,
1965, the 418,812th Mustang was sold in California. Close to half a million units in the car's first year sold was a new record. By the end of the first full model run, April 1964 through August 1965, a total of 680,989 were purchased, and by March 1966, the 1,000,000th Mustang rolled off the assembly lines.
The Mustang Gets The 1964 Indianopolis 500 Pace Car Gig
One compelling manifestation of the Mustang's immediate impact and acceptance was its selection as the 1964 Indianapolis 500 pace car, only six weeks after its April 17th 1964 introduction. For the record, 92,705 hardtop and 28,833 convertible "early" Mustangs were manufactured. Based on the reception of the sporty new models, a fastback, also referred to as the "2+2," was introduced in September, 1964.
"Late" production statistics reveal 372,123 standard, 22,232 luxury and 14,905 (with bench seats) hardtops, 65,663 standard, 5,338 luxury and 2,111 bench seat-equipped convertibles, 71,303 standard and 5,776 luxury fastbacks were released. Base sticker prices were US$2,321.00 for a hardtop, US$2,558.00 for a convertible and US$2,533 for the 2+2 fastback.
For purposes of clarity, it is useful to note that
Ford never referred to Mustangs as "'64" or "'64
1/2" models.
These designations are the work of collectors who seek
to differentiate an early '65 from a late '65. That
said, Ford made midstream changes throughout the model
year. The 289 cid V8 replaced the 260, the driver's
seat became adjustable, an alternator replaced the
direct-current generator, spare tire brackets are revised
and more.
If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It
Showered with superlatives during its first
year of existence, what could management do to help
the 1966 Mustang further assert its birthright? Precious
little! Using "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality,
the
1966 Mustang underwent mostly cosmetic makeovers.
The stamped sheetmetal body remained essentially the
same, however, in keeping with the concept of offering
customers the ability to customize their own Mustang,
the options list went from 50 variations in 1965 to
70 variations in 1966.
The roof line remained unchanged on the hard top and
fastback. The convertible's five-ply vinyl laminated
canvas tops were structurally reinforced and came in
only two colors, black and white, a tan option being
eliminated later. A dealer furnished alternative for
convertible owners was a removable roof that converted
the rag top into a snug hardtop. An optional convertible
power top, priced at US$52.95, replaced manual roof
raising and lowering.
The honeycomb grille gave way
to a blacked-out, extruded egg crate design with the
horizontal strips chromed. The chrome bars positioning
the galloping steed emblem were removed, leaving it
suspended in its corral at the grille's center, (except
in the GT Equipment Group option where the horizontal
strips remained black). A bright metal lip was added
to the front of the hood with FORD spelled across the
hood's leading edge in large, widely-spaced bright
letters.
A More Powerful Evolution
To offset competition that was sure to follow Mustang's
early reception, the next edition of the ponycar would
address some of the refinements and engineering considerations
overlooked in rushing the original Mustangs to market.
The new model would have to handle and perform better,
give greater comfort and efficiency and run quieter
and smoother, while still being rich in options. But
how do you change a winner while not changing it...assuring
that it will be readily identifiable with the more
than one million Mustangs already on the road? Key
to the evolution was a bigger engine, 390 cubic inches
worth.
And, to accommodate that muscle and the additional
130 pounds, the basic platform was slightly enlarged.
To improve weight distribution, the wheelbase remained
108 inches but the front end moved forward an additional
two inches, width grew from 68.2 to 70.9 inches and
half-an-inch was added overhead. Serendipitously, the
increased dimensions also allowed for a bit more leg
room for those sitting in the rear seat.
Overall, the effect would give the
1967 Mustang a slightly heavier, more solid look. It is interesting to note that Ford, in addition to the popular Gran Turismo and Shelby specials, also offered a limited edition Indy Pacesetter Special in conjunction with the 1967 Indianapolis 500 race, even though Mustang was not the official pace car.
Its increased dimensions notwithstanding, the 1968 embodied little if any new sheetmetal, the long hood and short rear deck remained. Slight cosmetic restyling, ever-increasing safety features in response to government regulations, a broadening of available special editions and more complex option packages, and a change in the line-up of motors were the thrust of Ford's
1968 marketing strategy.
The roof design for all three models remained the same as the previous year with the hardtop and 2+2 using chrome drip moldings above side windows. The convertible's top boot was color-coded to the interior and used new hidden fasteners at the front corners and a stiffened tongue to hold the boot securely in a groove across the top of the back seat. A power convertible top option was available as was the folding glass window.
Growing In Size
With an eye toward pleasing the performance and luxury-oriented segments of the market, the substantially redesigned 1969 Mustangs were unveiled on August 28th 1968. Longer by almost four inches, (187.4 inches overall), it was the longest Mustang to that time. The metal grill was replaced by a dark gray rectangular plastic mesh, the running pony its chrome corral and reverted to the pony with tri-color bars logo, now placed off-center on the driver's side of the grille.
The sides were smoother with the sculpted cove replaced by a body line that ran from the upper edge of the headlight housing sloping gently downward to a point just above and forward of the rear wheel wells. Quad headlights were introduced, two inside and two outside the grill. The front had a gentle V-shape, accented by a wider windsplit down the length of the hood. A revised MUSTANG script exterior identification was used, scoops decorated the rear quarter panel on all models except the Boss, a larger windshield with more slope provided greater visibility and the rear deck lid on all models became flush with the rear panel.
The
1970 Mustang, now approaching thoroughbred status, was basically a repeat of the
1969, with few styling changes to set it apart. Two seven-inch headlights, (instead of four), were placed inside an enlarged grill cavity and simulated scoops replaced the outboard head lamps in the front fender extensions. New red, white and blue striped bars with galloping pony emblem occupied the grill centre. The engine lineup was little changed with the exception of the all new 351ci, four-barrel V-8.
Canted valves and larger ports resembled the 429ci V-8. The Mach 1 received grooved aluminum rocker moldings along with prominent die-cast "Mach 1" marking. 40,970 were built. On-board air conditioning became the rage, causing convertible sales to shrink by nearly half from 14,746 units to 7,673.
The "Big" Mustang
The "Big Mustang" entered the market in
1971. The basic platform was lower, longer, heavier
and wider with a one-inch longer wheelbase, approximating
the mid-size Torino rather than the original ponycar.
Prospective buyers faced a dilemma in their search
for raw power. Rising insurance premiums, continuing
federal insistence on safety and an impending oil crisis
were prominent distractions. Outwardly, the 1971's
features remained pure Mustang.
The pony and corral
with horizontal bar returned to the center of the grill
cavity that now stretched the entire width of the front
end. The grill mesh was hexagonal molded plastic. Large
headlights were mounted at the extreme outboard end
of the grill opening. All three models offered a sloping
front end and "hop up" in the rear. To comply
with emissions standards, an air injection system was
fitted to all except the Boss 351 and SCJ429's.
Mustang found itself in the midst of a dilemma. It
had been in a race to pack more power and performance
into each model, but tighter emissions controls contradicted
those efforts. Consequently, marketing strategy would
play down or ignore horsepower in favor of compliance
with clean air standards and more emphasis would be
put on styling and luxury.
Inside and out, the
1972's were virtually the same as the 1971's. One example
of the direct carryover is the fact that, for the first
time in its history, the Mustang's front grill remained
unchanged. Woodgrain trim, vinyl finished seats and
one-touch convertible roof controls become prime selling
points and the standard hardtop was the year's best
selling model. At mid-year, a "Sprint" decor
option became available for hardtop and SportsRoof
models.
In most respects the
1973's were unchanged from their
1972 counterparts, but there were some differences
to distinguish them. The front grill size and shape
remained the same but the plastic egg-crate mesh was
larger and mounted further forward. The pony and corral
lost the horizontal bars but the shorter vertical ones,
similar to the 1966, returned. 1973 would mark the
end of the "true," albeit overweight, first
generation of the ponycar.
Since its inception, the
Mustang had gained 575 pounds and was over a foot longer.
Mustang was destined to undergo an extensive change
in design for the
1974 model year. 1973 also marked
the last year for convertibles until their re-introduction
in
1983. Announcement of the cancellation jump-started
convertible sales by 5,700 units.
Also see:
Mustang Engines,
Mustang Highlights,
Mustang Prototype,
Racebred Mustangs,
Mustang Identification