The story of the great Ford Mustang

 

As far as the consumer is concerned, the story of the great Ford Mustang began when it was shown to the public at the New York World's Fair. The prototypes had been around since 1962, when the Mustang 1 (T-5) was first introduced to the motorsport world at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix, where Stirling Moss and Dan Gurney drove it a couple of laps each as a demo.

In the early 1960s, Ford desperately needed a new car to compete with the sporty Chevrolet Corsair Monza, and its first attempt, the Ford Mustang, could not compete. A brand new car was needed and the idea for the Mustang was born. It was sporty and fast and a four-seater. It appealed to young people and the prototype was well received as it was shown on the motorsport circuits.

It went into production in 1964 and became an instant hit. Its launch on April 17, 1964 was the beginning of what was to be the most popular car ever in American history, and it sold half a million in its first year. Its customers included all ages and it was equally popular with men and women.

Many of its parts were taken from the failed Falcon, and its immediate success had as much to do with the near-perfect advertising campaign as it had to do with appearance and speed. The advertising power of the three major television networks was widely used, and with its distinctive mane and tail galloping over the red, white, and blue of America, the 'Pony Car' phenomenon of its age, representing the taste of the 1960s, was more perfect. than its designers could ever have dreamed of possible.

It was a car of its time that arrived with perfect timing. Later to be called the 1964 1/2, the original Mustang was available as a convertible and as a coupe, both with chrome wrap-around fenders, the distinctive chrome grille with running pony and an extended hood. Although it claimed to have four seats, the rear seat was a bit small and it also had three tail lamps on each side. It has sold a million in 1966, although before and the GT model had been introduced.

The car continued to evolve, and by the late 60s it had grown four inches longer and much heavier than the original, much of this in response to the development of the Chevrolet's Firebird and Pontiac. However, it was the Corvette that brought the Mustang into the racetrack. The Mustang was so popular, especially among the young, that Ford was desperate to drive against the Corvette. However, only two-seater production was allowed to run, and to enable them to do so, at least 100 two-seater seats had been produced in January 1965.

This was achieved with the help of Mustang fan and racer Carol Shelby, who modified 100 of the 2 + 2 models to GT 350 models, in the process of re-equipping them to make them more suitable for racing. Suspension, wheels and brakes were all modified and the cars were to become the basis for many future models that are still in high demand.

In the early 1970s, the Mustang lost a little and became a little too big and unwieldy. The original grace and impetus that then attracted early admirers was lost, and it remained

just another car. Part of this was due to emissions regulations, but sales fell so much that Ford had to consider its design strategy with the Mustang.

The Mustang II was introduced in 1974, and although it was small and heavily underpowered, it occupies its place in the car's history because it stopped the decline in sales. It sold because of fuel economy and the OPEC fuel embargo of 1973. People were afraid that a gas extinguisher would damage their pockets, so they temporarily went for the smaller car. This did not last long, however, and in 1975 brought the V8 engine back to the Mustang. But even though it had a 5 liter engine, the carburetor was too small and the catalyst combined with it to render it lifeless.