CAR OF 1964 FORD MUSTANG
Ford sold a million Mustangs in less than two years, at the time a record.
Never before or since has a new car caused such a sensation or really created its own market.
The Ford Mustang was based on the platform of the second generation Falcon model and Ford used as many existing bits and pieces as possible (to quote The Dave Clark Five’s massive 1964 hit).
The car looked great and was a symbol of its times, carving out the ‘pony car’ market of affordable but sporty looking machinery with long bonnets and short boots, but with comfortable seating inside for four.
The original six-cylinder hard-top and convertible were later joined by a huge range of fastback and V8 models.
Ford had hoped to sell 100,000 Mustangs in its first year of production. In actual fact, it managed that figure within three months, and a million within a further 15. No wonder the manufacturer was, to quote Mr Clark’s 1964 hit library again, ‘glad all over’!
The Mustang hit a lowpoint with the Mustang II’s standard 2.3-litre fourpot, but it survives today with the option of a 5.0-litre V8.