The Ford Mustang was first introduced in 1964, at the World’s Fair in New York, and Americans immediately fell in love with the car. Everyone flocked to Ford showrooms, fighting to be the first to own a Mustang. Over 22,000 Mustangs were sold on the first day! Sales reached 418,000 in the first year.
The first Mustang was known as the 1964½ and was available in two models, the coupe and the convertible. Features of both models included an elongated hood and shorter rear deck, chrome wrap-around bumpers, chrome grille with a running horse, full wheel covers, and a sporty interior. The cost of a standard Mustang was around $2,400. The GT and fastback model were introduced in 1965.
The Shelby GT350 was also introduced in 1965. Its design was a collaboration between Ford and performance car legend Carroll Shelby. His goal was to create competition for the Chevy Corvette.
The Shelby GT500 Mustang was first released in 1967. It was powered by a 428 V8 engine and sported numerous luxury options. It was produced until 1970. In 2006 a new version of the Shelby GT500 will be launched, considered the most powerful factory-built Ford Mustang in history. The Shelby Cobra GT500’s supercharged 5.4-liter DOHC V-8 engine produces more than 450 horsepower.
The 1967 Mustang sported simulated air intakes and a larger grille, was longer, and looked more aggressive. For 1969, the Mustang became larger and heavier. The new Mustangs were nearly four inches longer.
New models introduced in the 1969-1970 model year were the Grande, Mach 1, Boss 302, and Boss 429. The Boss 351 model was introduced in 1971.
In 1974, the Mustang II was released. It was smaller and more fuel efficient than previous models. This was also the first year a convertible was not sold and the only year a V8 engine was not available.
In 1976, the Cobra II package became available, which added a large rear spoiler, fake hood scoop, and blue stripes over white paint to a V8-powered fastback. It wasn’t faster than similarly powered Mustang IIs, but it sure looked cool. The King Cobra, which was very similar to the Cobra II, debuted in 1978. Also in 1978, Ford stopped production of the Mustang II.
In 1982, the Mustang lineup included the GT hatchback, as well as the more luxurious L, GL, and GLX series. Evolving from its humble beginnings in 1982 to the street performer of 1993, the third generation Ford Mustang GT has earned respect as one of the most versatile and popular Mustangs of all time. More than 450,000 of these cars were produced between 1982 and 1993.
The fourth generation Mustang was introduced in December 1993 and was much more streamlined than its predecessors, but retained the same personality and style. The SVT Cobra special edition made its appearance in 1993; and in 2001, the special edition “Bullitt” Mustang GT coupe was launched.
For the 2005 model year, Ford redesigned the Mustang for the first time since 1994. Ford gave its iconic car a throwback look with round headlights, chrome interior accents, and a throaty growl when accelerating, all recalling its mid-1990s roots. the ’60s. Fans have been wowed. It’s 1964 all over again! Except for the price, that is, the price of a new Ford Mustang starts at around $20,000. Check out all the Mustang images at carposters.us.