There are times, in rare instances, that a fad turns a corner and becomes something more. The Beatles are a good example of this phenomenon. They invaded U.S. soil with their long hair and rock music. Many parents hoped that they were a fad that would eventually fade away, but instead, the Beatles went on to influence music for decades. The Beatles became a cultural icon and set the pace for rock music, as we now know it.
Another cultural icon is the Ford Mustang. One of the very first muscle cars, the Mustang set the tone for performance and handling and gave car makers new goals to reach if they wanted to compete. When the Ford Mustang was unveiled April 1964, other car manufacturers were sent on a mad dash to create their own versions of high performance cars just to keep up with the Mustang. However, the Pony car was in a class by itself - and still is. What the Beatles did for rock music, the Ford Mustang did for cars. The Mustang set a standard by which all other muscle cars would be compared.
From the moment that the Ford Mustang rolled off the production line, it was America's sweetheart. The Ford Mustang launch is considered one of the most successful product launches in automotive history. The unveiling created considerable excitement among the American pubic.
So much so those within the first 18 months more than one million units were sold. Of course, with so much excitement about a car that is as American as baseball and apple pie, there are bound to be legends surrounding it. Tales of men sleeping in their Mustangs at the dealership for several days while waiting for their checks to clear are just a taste of the stories that surround this American classic.
Not only one genius for its day, Ford's marketing campaign of the Mustang is also considered one of the most profitable in history. Ford ran Mustang commercials before the unveiling. These appeared at 9:30 p.m. on ABC, NBC, and CBS. This served to create a buzz about the car. The goal was to create excitement, which would result in a successful sales campaign, and it hit its mark. On April 17, 1964, the day following the airing of the commercials, Ford unveiled the Mustang at the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows in New York and the buying frenzy began.
The Ford Pavilion housed the unveiling. When Henry Ford II introduced Walt Disney's Magic Skyway ride he also introduced the Mustang. On the ride, the guests rode in Ford vehicles as they rode through history.
Early Mustangs were available with four engine options. One was the 289 cubic inch High Performance V 8. That bad boy kicked it with 271 horses. As word go out, dealerships were overwhelmed with people who wanted to be among the groundbreakers who owned a Ford Mustang.
The very first Mustang off of the production line was a Wimbledon White convertible that sported a 260 cubic inch V 8. Its VIN was 5F08F100001. This now historic little car first made its rounds as a promotional tool for Ford and the Mustang until Stanley Tucker, an airline captain from Canada, acquired it.
Tucker kept Mustang 5F08F100001 in Canada for some time, but in 1966, the then executive director of the Henry Ford Museum, Donald Shelly, requested acquisition of the car. Shelly indicated, in a letter, that he believed that the Ford Mustang would become a milestone in the automotive industry. He was right on the mark.
