Ford Mustang

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Ford Mustang
Salon de l'auto de Genve 2014 - 20140305 - Ford 21.jpg
2015 Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang 2005 logo.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer
Ford
Production
March 1964 present
Model years
1965 present
Designer
John Najjar
Philip T. Clark
Joe Oros
Body and chassis
Class Pony car
Body style
2-door 2+2 seat coupe
2-door hatchback
2-door fastback
2-door convertible
Layout FR layout
The Ford Mustang is an American automobile manufactured by Ford. It was original
ly based on the platform of the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a
compact car.[1] The original 1962 Ford Mustang I two-seater concept car had evol
ved into the 1963 Mustang II four-seater concept car which Ford used to pretest
how the public would take interest in the first production Mustang. The 1963 Mus
tang II concept car was designed with a variation of the production model's fron
t and rear ends with a roof that was 2.7 inches shorter.[2] Introduced early on
April 17, 1964,[3] and thus dubbed as a "1964" by Mustang fans, the 1965 Mustang
was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A.[4] The Mustang has
undergone several transformations to its current sixth generation.
The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobiles, affordable spo
rty coupes with long hoods and short rear decks[5] and gave rise to competitors
such as the Chevrolet Camaro,[6] Pontiac Firebird, AMC Javelin,[7] Chrysler's re
vamped Plymouth Barracuda, and the first generation Dodge Challenger.[8] The Mus
tang is also credited for inspiring the designs of coups such as the Toyota Celic
a and Ford Capri, which were imported to the United States.
Contents [hide]
1
Background
2
First generation (1965 1973)
2.1
Price and sales
2.2
Upgrades
2.3
Models
2.4
Downfall
3
Second generation (1974 1978)
4
Third generation (1979 1993)
5
Fourth generation (1994 2004)
6
Fifth generation (2005 2014)
7
Sixth generation (2015 present)
8
Racing
8.1
Drag racing
8.2
Sports car racing
8.3
Stock car racing
8.4
Drifting
8.5
Europe
9
Awards
10
Sales
11
National Mustang Museum
12
In popular culture and film
13
See also

14
References
15
Cited sources
16
Further reading
17
External links
Background[edit]
The Ford Mustang was brought out five months before the normal start of the 1965
production year. The early production versions are often referred to as "1964 mo
dels" but all Mustangs were advertised, VIN coded and titled by Ford as 1965 mod
els, though minor design updates for fall 1965 contribute to tracking 1964 produc
tion data separately from 1965 data (see data below).[9] with production beginni
ng in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964;[10] the new car was introduced to the
public on April 17, 1964[11] at the New York World's Fair.[12]
Executive stylist John Najjar, who was a fan of the World War II P-51 Mustang fi
ghter plane, is credited by Ford to have suggested the name.[13][14] Najjar co-d
esigned the first prototype of the Ford Mustang known as Ford Mustang I in 1961,
working jointly with fellow Ford stylist Philip T. Clark.[15] The Mustang I mad
e its formal debut at the United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York on
October 7, 1962, where test driver and contemporary Formula One race driver Dan
Gurney lapped the track in a demonstration using the second "race" prototype. Hi
s lap times were only slightly off the pace of the F1 race cars.
An alternative view was that Robert J. Eggert, Ford Division market research man
ager, first suggested the Mustang name. Eggert, a breeder of quarterhorses, rece
ived a birthday present from his wife of the book, The Mustangs by J. Frank Dobi
e in 1960. Later, the book's title gave him the idea of adding the "Mustang" nam
e for Ford's new concept car. The designer preferred Cougar (early styling bucks
can be seen wearing a Cougar grille emblem) or Torino (an advertising campaign
using the Torino name was actually prepared), while Henry Ford II wanted T-bird
II.[16] As the person responsible for Ford's research on potential names, Eggert
added "Mustang" to the list to be tested by focus groups; "Mustang," by a wide
margin, came out on top under the heading: "Suitability as Name for the Special
Car."[17][18] The name could not be used in Germany,[16] however, because it was
owned by Krupp, which had manufactured trucks between 1951 and 1964 with the na
me Mustang. Ford refused to buy the name for about US$10,000 from Krupp at the t
ime. Kreidler, a manufacturer of mopeds, also used the name, so Mustang was sold
in Germany as the "T-5" until December 1978.
Mustangs grew larger and heavier with each model year until, in response to the
1971 1973 models, Ford returned the car to its original size and concept for 1974.
It has since seen several platform generations and designs. Although some other
pony cars have seen a revival, the Mustang is the only original model to remain
in uninterrupted production over five decades of development and revision.[19]
First generation (1965 1973)[edit]
"1964" Mustang convertible Serial #1, sold to a pilot in Newfoundland who was giv
en the one millionth Mustang in exchange for his historic car[20]
Main article: Ford Mustang (first generation)
Lee Iacocca's assistant general manager and chief engineer, Donald N. Frey was t
he head engineer for the T-5 project supervising the overall development of the ca
r in a record 18 months[21] while Iacocca himself championed the project as Ford D
ivision general manager. The T-5 prototype was a two-seat, mid-mounted engine ro
adster. This vehicle employed the German Ford Taunus V4 engine.
It was claimed that the decision to abandon the two-seat design was in part due
to the increase in sales the Thunderbird had seen when enlarged from a two-seate
r to a 2+2 in 1958.[citation needed] Thus, a four-seat car with full space for t
he front bucket seats, as originally planned, and a rear bench seat with signifi
cantly less space than was common at the time, were standard. A "Fastback 2+2",
first manufactured on August 17, 1964, enclosed the trunk space under a sweeping
exterior line similar to the second series Corvette Sting Ray and European spor
ts cars such as the Jaguar E-Type coupe.
1965 "fastback", introduced in September 1964 for the 1965 model year

Favorable publicity articles appeared in 2,600 newspapers the next morning, the
day the car was "officially" revealed.[22][23] A Mustang convertible also appear
ed in the James Bond film Goldfinger in September 1964.[24]
1967 hardtop
Price and sales[edit]
To achieve an advertised list price of US$2,368, the Mustang was based heavily o
n familiar yet simple components, many of which were already in production for o
ther Ford models.[25] Many (if not most) of the interior, chassis, suspension, a
nd drivetrain components were derived from those used on Ford's Falcon and Fairl
ane. This use of common components also shortened the learning curve for assembl
y and repair workers, while at the same time allowing dealers to pick up the Mus
tang without also having to invest in additional spare parts inventory to suppor
t the new car line. Original sales forecasts projected less than 100,000 units f
or the first year.[26] This mark was surpassed in three months from rollout.[3]
Another 318,000 would be sold during the model year (a record),[3] and in its fi
rst eighteen months, more than one million Mustangs were built.[26]
Upgrades[edit]
Several changes were made at the traditional opening of the new model year (begi
nning August 1964), including the addition of back-up lights on some models, the
introduction of alternators to replace generators, an upgrade of the six-cylind
er engine from 170 to 200 cu in (2.8 to 3.3 l) with an increase from 101 to 120
hp (75 to 89 kW), and an upgrade of the V8 engine from 260 to 289 cu in (4.3 to
4.7 l) with an increase from 164 to 210 hp (122 to 157 kW). The rush into produc
tion included some unusual quirks, such as the horn ring bearing the 'Ford Falco
n' logo covered by a trim ring with a 'Ford Mustang' logo. These characteristics
made enough difference to warrant designation of the 121,538 early versions as
"1964" Mustangs, a distinction that has endured with purists.[27]