The Ford Mustang is one of the best known and easily recognized vehicles on the
road today. Who doesn't recognize the sporty chrome pony emblazoned on the shiny
paint of a Ford Mustang?
But I bet many of you don't know the history of the Mustang. Well jump in
your time capsule and join me for a ride back to the year 1964. To be more
specific, March 9, 1964.
That was the day that the first Ford Mustang rolled off the assembly line – it
was a white convertible with a red interior. It created a sensation all across
the nation. As a matter of fact, within 18 months, Ford sold over 1 million
Mustangs!
Just months after its introduction, Ford began introducing changes for the '65
Mustang, including a bigger engine, reverse lights, and an AC alternator.
In the first two years of its existence, the Mustang broke sales records, wowed
the public, and left competitors in the dust.
The next job for the Mustang was to take down the Chevrolet Corvette in the
world of racing. That job was tackled by Carroll Shelby, the famous race car
driver and designer. The result was the famous GT / Cobra series of cars.
In 1967, Ford introduced a newly redesigned Mustang, with a 335 HP engine, and
other improvements, allowing it to continue it's massive popularity.
Ford continued to make improvements and adjustments to the Mustang, and it
remained highly popular, even when rising gas prices, rising insurance costs,
emissions standards, etc caused muscle cars some hard times in the early 70's.
Several of the Mustangs competitors, such as the Barracuda, went out of
production, but the Ford Mustang continued to sell.
The Ford Mustang almost died in the late 80's, though, due to slumping sales.
But Mustang fans started writing Ford letters, and Ford decided to give the
Mustang a redesign and another try. Sales went back up, and the Mustang
continues to be a popular car to this day.
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