[Auto] Ford Mustang History and First generation (1965–1973)

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The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selling Ford car nameplate. The namesake of the "pony car" automobile segment, the Mustang was developed as a highly styled line of sporty coupes and convertibles derived from existing model lines, initially distinguished by "long hood, short deck" proportions.[3]

Originally predicted to sell 100,000 vehicles yearly, the 1965 Mustang became the most successful vehicle launch since the 1927 Model A.[4] Introduced on April 17, 1964[5] (16 days after the Plymouth Barracuda), over 400,000 units in its first year; the one-millionth Mustang was sold within two years of its launch.[6] In August 2018, Ford produced the 10-millionth Mustang; matching the first 1965 Mustang, the vehicle was a 2019 Wimbledon White convertible with a V8 engine.[7]

The success of the Mustang launch led to multiple competitors from other American manufacturers, including the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird[8] (1967), AMC Javelin (1968), and Dodge Challenger[9](1970). The Mustang also had an effect on designs of coupés worldwide, leading to the marketing of the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri in the United States (the latter, by Lincoln-Mercury). The Mercury Cougar was launched in 1967 as a unique-bodied higher-trim alternative to the Mustang; during the 1970s, it was repackaged as a personal luxury car.

For 1965 to 2004, the Mustang shared chassis commonality with other Ford model lines, staying rear-wheel-drive throughout its production. From 1965 to 1973, the Mustang was derived from the 1960 Ford Falcon compact. From 1974 to 1978, the Mustang (denoted Mustang II) was a longer-wheelbase version of the Ford Pinto. From 1979 to 2004, the Mustang shared its Fox platform chassis with 14 other Ford vehicles (becoming the final one to use the Fox architecture). Since 2005, Ford has produced two generations of the Mustang, each using a distinct platform unique to the model line.

Through its production, multiple nameplates have been associated with the Ford Mustang series, including GT, Mach 1, Boss 302/429, Cobra (separate from Shelby Cobra), and Bullitt, along with "5.0" fender badging (denoting 4.9 L OHV or 5.0 L DOHC V8 engines).

Contents

1History

2First generation (1965–1973)

2.1Non-traditional (1964½) introduction

2.2Price and record-breaking sales

2.3Upgrades

2.4Models

2.5Sales fluctuation

3Second generation (1974–1978)

4Third generation (1979–1993)

5Fourth generation (1994–2004)

6Fifth generation (2005–2014)

7Sixth generation (2015–present)

8Ford Mustang Mach-E (2020–present)

9Racing

9.1Drag racing

9.2Circuit racing

9.3Stock car racing

9.4Drifting

9.5Europe

9.6Australia

10Awards

11Sales

12Mustang Owner's Museum

13In po[CENSORED]r culture

14See also

15References

15.1Citations

15.2Cited sources

16Further reading

17External links

History

Executive stylist John Najjar, who was a fan of the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter plane, is credited by Ford with suggesting the name.[10][11] Najjar co-designed the first prototype of the Ford Mustang known as the "Ford Mustang I" in 1961, working jointly with fellow Ford stylist Philip T. Clark.[12] The Mustang I made its formal debut at the United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York, on October 7, 1962, where test driver and contemporary Formula One race driver Dan Gurney lapped the track in a demonstration using the second "race" prototype. His lap times were only slightly off the pace of the F1 race cars.[citation needed]

An alternative view was that Robert J. Eggert, Ford Division market research manager, first suggested the Mustang name. Eggert, a breeder of quarterhorses, received a birthday present from his wife of the book, The Mustangs by J. Frank Dobie in 1960. Later, the book's title gave him the idea of adding the "Mustang" name for Ford's new concept car. The designer preferred Cougar (early styling bucks can be seen wearing a Cougar grille emblem) or Torino (an advertising campaign using the Torino name was actually prepared), while Henry Ford II wanted T-bird II.[13] As the person responsible for Ford's research on potential names, Eggert added "Mustang" to the list to be tested by focus groups; "Mustang", by a wide margin, came out on top under the heading: "Suitability as Name for the Special Car".[14][15] The name could not be used in Germany,[13] however, because it was owned by Krupp, which had manufactured trucks between 1951 and 1964 with the name "Mustang". Ford refused to buy the name for about US$10,000 from Krupp at the time. Kreidler, a manufacturer of mopeds, also used the name, so Mustangs were sold in Germany as "T-5s" until December 1978.

 

 

 

 

First generation (1965–1973)

"1964½" Mustang convertible serial No. 1, sold to Stanley Tucker who was given the one millionth Mustang in exchange for his historic car[16]

Main article: Ford Mustang (first generation)

Lee Iacocca's assistant general manager and chief engineer, Donald N. Frey was the head engineer for the T-5 project—supervising the overall development of the car in a record 18 months[17]—while Iacocca himself championed the project as Ford Division general manager.[18] The T-5 prototype was a two-seat, mid-mounted engine roadster. This vehicle employed the German Ford Taunus V4 engine.

The original 1962 Ford Mustang I two-seater concept car had evolved into the 1963 Mustang II four-seater concept car which Ford used to pretest how the public would take interest in the first production Mustang. The 1963 Mustang II concept car was designed with a variation of the production model's front and rear ends with a roof that was 2.7 in (69 mm) lower.[19] It was originally based on the platform of the second-generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car.[20]

Non-traditional (1964½) introduction

1965 "fastback", introduced in September 1964 for the 1965 model year

The Ford Mustang began production five months before the normal start of the 1965 production year. The early production versions are often referred to as "1964½ models" but all Mustangs were advertised, VIN coded and titled by Ford as 1965 models, though minor design updates in August 1964 at the formal start of the 1965 production year contribute to tracking 1964½ production data separately from 1965 data (see data below).[21] with production beginning in Dearborn, Michigan, on March 9, 1964;[22] the new car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964,[23] at the New York World's Fair.[24] Body styles available included a two-door hardtop and convertible, with a "2+2" fastback added to the line in September 1964. A white convertible with red interior was used as product placement when the James Bond movie Goldfinger was released September 17, 1964, at its London premiere, where Bond girl Tilly Masterson was in a spirited chase with James driving an Aston Martin DB5 in the Swiss Alps. A turquoise coupe was again used in the next film Thunderball at its Tokyo premiere 9 December 1965 with Bond girl Fiona Volpe as she drives James to meet the villain Emilio Largo at his compound at a very high speed across The Bahamas.

Favorable publicity articles appeared in 2,600 newspapers the next morning, the day the car was "officially" revealed.[25][26] A four-seat car with full space for the front bucket seats and a rear bench seat was standard. A "fastback 2+2", first manufactured on August 17, 1964, enclosed the trunk space under a sweeping exterior line similar to the second series Corvette Sting Ray and European sports cars such as the Jaguar E-Type coupe.

Price and record-breaking sales

1967 hardtop

To achieve an advertised list price of US$2,368, the Mustang was based heavily on familiar yet simple components, many of which were already in production for other Ford models.[27] Many (if not most) of the interior, chassis, suspension, and drivetrain components were derived from those used on Ford's Falcon and Fairlane. This use of common components also shortened the learning curve for assembly and repair workers, while at the same time allowing dealers to pick up the Mustang without also having to invest in additional spare parts inventory to support the new car line. Original sales forecasts projected less than 100,000 units for the first year.[28] This mark was surpassed in three months from rollout.[5] Another 318,000 would be sold during the model year (a record),[5] and in its first eighteen months, more than one million Mustangs were built.[28]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang