Art, obsession, and identity
The Ford Mustang made its first appearance in 1964 and became an instant classic. Indeed, it's one of the most iconic vehicles ever built. Associated with speed and power, the Mustang appealed to a youthful and fashionable audience, its street cred strengthened by celebrities such as Steve McQueen, who drove one in the 1968 movie 'Bullitt.'
Despite a dip in sales in the 1970s, the Mustang galloped forward and today is one of the most recognized automobiles in the world. So, what makes the sporty-looking Mustang so special? Buckle up, get into gear, and take a road trip through the history of the Ford Mustang in this gallery. Simply click on!
Ford executive stylist John Najjar codesigned the first prototype of the Ford Mustang, known as the "Ford Mustang I," in 1961, working jointly with fellow stylist Philip T. Clark.
An open two-seater automobile with aluminum body work, the Ford Mustang I featured European styling notes and shared few design elements with the final production vehicle, though it did lend its name to the line.
John Najjar is credited by Ford with suggesting the Mustang name. He was an admirer of the Second World War-era P-51 Mustang fighter plane, and the association with its aerodynamic styling and speed and power appealed to the manufacturer's sensibilities.
The original 1962 Ford Mustang I two-seater concept car evolved into the 1963 Mustang II four-seater concept car, to then become the first generation 1964 Ford Mustang. This first series of the popular pony car is generally referred to as "1964½ Mustangs," because they were not rolled out in October 1963 with the rest of the new 1964 Ford cars.
The 1964½ Mustang was introduced to the public on April 14, 1964, at the New York World's Fair. It was described as a "non-traditional vehicle launch." Henry Ford II (pictured) and other company executives gathered at the Ford Motor Car pavilion for the unveiling.
"Mustang Mania" was instantaneous as customers flooded dealerships across the United States to see and drive the new car.
Ford planned for 100,000 in first-year sales, but dealers sold 22,000 on the first day. The Mustang launched a whole new genre of automobiles, known as "pony cars"—a line of small, sporty cars with sleek lines and an affordable price tag.
A 1964 Mustang convertible appeared in the James Bond movie 'Goldfinger' as the vehicle chasing 007's Aston Martin DB5 in the Swiss Alps. Bond actor Sean Connery was photographed with a Mustang at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1965.
Total sales for the 1965 model (including "1964½" cars) was 681,000—nearly seven times Ford's projections. And it was in 1965 that Mustang won the Tiffany Gold Medal for excellence in American design, the first automobile ever to do so.
The Mustang galloped into 1966 with only minor engineering changes. On March 1 of that year, Ford built the millionth Mustang. The convertible model, of which only 72,119 were built, made it a relatively rare variant compared to the coupé or fastback models.
The first major changes to the Mustang took place in 1967. The car grew in length, width, and weight. The facelift allowed a big block engine to be offered for the first time, a 6.4-liter V-8 monster producing 335 hp.
Mustang's success in the 1960s lay in its youthful appeal. The median age of purchasers was 31, with more than 28% of the buyers younger than 25 years old.
The car was fashionable, too. More than 80% of buyers indicated that the car's appearance was the single most important factor in their decision to purchase.
Interestingly, 35% of Mustang buyers were single compared to 9% of typical Ford buyers, and 42% were female against 31% of Ford owners.
In 1968, American actor Steve McQueen provided Mustang with celebrity kudos by driving a 390 GT 2+2 Fastback in the crime thriller movie 'Bullitt.'
The film's epic car chase sequence is regarded as one of the most influential in cinema history, with McQueen doing much of his own driving throughout.
The mid-1960s had seen Mustang make inroads on the track with the Shelby Mustang 1965 GT350, designed specifically to race. Built by Shelby American from 1965 to 1967 and by the Ford Motor Company from 1968 to 1970, the car was a powerful high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang.
In 1969, the Mustang got bigger still, and even more powerful. A variety of performance appearance packages were introduced that included the Mach 1, the Boss 302, and the Boss 429.
In fact, from 1969 to 1970, Ford aimed to create in-house Mustang racecars with the Boss 302 and Boss 429, developed to compete in Trans-Am racing and other motorsport events. Pictured is a Ford Mustang car club prerace parade at the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside International Raceway in California.
The end of the 1960s saw Mustang sales declining. Sales dipped to fewer than 300,000 in 1969, and sank past 200,000 in 1970. The vehicle had lost its allure. Here, a man smiles from the inside of his Ford Mustang, which has been tagged with various peace and antiwar messages, in Bethel, New York, on his way to the Woodstock music festival.
In the early 1970s, Mustang evolved from speed and power to the growing consumer demand for bigger and heavier luxury type designs. Americans were moving away from muscle cars.
With bigger no longer better and the global oil crisis beginning to hurt, Ford went on a diet. In 1974, it introduced the Mustang II, a subcompact vehicle whose reduced size allowed it to compete against successful imported sports coupés such as the Japanese Datsun 240Z, Toyota Celica, and the European Ford Capri. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, and sales rocketed.
In 1978, the Ford Motor Company celebrated the 150-millionth vehicle to be built on the company's worldwide car, truck, and tractor assembly line since its founding in 1903. The car, a 1979 model year Mustang, rolled off the assembly line for a brief ceremony.
The year 1979 marked the arrival of the third generation of Mustang automobiles. Body styles built throughout the 1980s included a coupé (or notchback), hatchback, and convertible. Pictured is the flashy 1987 5.0 liter GT convertible.
The Mustang received a major restyling for 1987, including the interior, which carried it through the end of the 1993 model year.
In November 1993 by way of launching its fourth generation series, Mustang debuted its first major redesign in 15 years.
In many ways Mustang was returning to its roots, with several first generation styling nods apparent throughout fourth generation models and plenty of galloping pony emblems emblazoned on the chassis and interior.
Ford introduced a redesigned 2005 model year Mustang at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, which also paid homage to first-gen design. Such was the acclaim afforded Mustang that rival General Motors embarked on its own program to bring back the Camaro, while Chrysler resurrected the Dodge Challenger.
Sixth generation Mustangs began rolling off the production line in 2013. The 2015 model celebrated the Mustang's 50th anniversary. In the summer of 2018, Ford built the 10 millionth Mustang. For the 2019 model year, Ford revised many components on the 2019 Shelby GT350.
Mustang announced its seventh-generation models at the 2022 Detroit Auto Show. Representative of this latest line is the 5-liter V8 Mustang GT.
The real buzz, however, surrounded the unveiling of the Dark Horse series. A high-performance vehicle, the Mustang Dark Horse is capable of achieving a zero-60 mileage range ( 96 km/h) in 3.7 seconds.
The new Mach-E GT electric crossover was presented at the 2025 Canadian International AutoShow. First introduced in 2019 and unrelated to any of the pony car Mustang versions, the Mach-E GT was met with generally favorable reviews. "If you take the punchy acceleration and sporty styling from the Mustang and combine it with EV efficiency and SUV practicality, you get the Mustang Mach-E," was the verdict offered by Car and Driver.
Sources: (Ford) (Motor Trend) (Car and Driver) (Muscular Mustangs)
See also: What was the best-selling car the year you were born?
The history and horsepower of the Ford Mustang
April 17 is National Ford Mustang Day
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The Ford Mustang made its first appearance in 1964 and became an instant classic. Indeed, it's one of the most iconic vehicles ever built. Associated with speed and power, the Mustang appealed to a youthful and fashionable audience, its street cred strengthened by celebrities such as Steve McQueen, who drove one in the 1968 movie 'Bullitt.'
Despite a dip in sales in the 1970s, the Mustang galloped forward and today is one of the most recognized automobiles in the world. So, what makes the sporty-looking Mustang so special? Buckle up, get into gear, and take a road trip through the history of the Ford Mustang in this gallery. Simply click on!