On March 9, 1964, at Ford's Dearborn Assembly Plant, nothing short of an unimaginable phenomenon first rolled off the assembly line.  Mustang. No other automobile can come close to its instant name recognition. Millions of people have owned and driven Mustangs since its introduction at the New York World's Fair  in April 1964. It's been woven through the fabric of Americana in songs, movies and folklore for over 45 years. Mustang is credited for creating a whole new generation of cars called "pony cars." known for their long hood/short trunk lid design.  Since the history of this American icon would take more space than could be written in one setting, I will make this a multipart series, starting with the early Mustangs.  As cars evolved from the late 50's to the early 60's, they got longer, sleeker...and bigger.

Marketing research revealed that the motoring public was ready for a smaller, fun to drive car that was inexpensive to own. So Ford went to work. Designers used most of the mechanical components from Ford's unassuming Falcon, and offered coupe, fastback or convertible models. Six cylinder or V-8 engines with manual or automatic transmissions were available and a vast selection of trim levels and options guaranteed everyone could get something they wanted. And it seemed everyone wanted one. Ford simultaneously sponsored commercials on all three major TV networks on the evening of April 16, and on the next day over 22,000 Mustangs were ordered in jammed dealership showrooms. Mustangs were being sold even before they could be unloaded off transport trucks. At first, overwhelmed dealerships were not equipped to handle the sea of people wanting Mustangs, so Ford stepped up production, and by March 1966, over 2 million Mustangs were sold. 1965 and 1966 models were virtually identical, but changes were coming for the 1967 models.  Stay tuned for the next chapter of this American original.