Ford's Mustang at 40: America's Timeless Automotive Icon
by John M. Clor
 

The new 1964 ½ Mustang epitomized America's post-World War II optimism, a feeling many expressed by exploring the country's vast playgrounds and parking sexy new cars in their driveways.

In 1964, the last of the baby boomers was born. The Beatles arrived in America. John Kennedy's profile replaced Ben Franklin's on the 50-cent piece. President Lyndon Johnson cranked up the country's involvement in Vietnam. And the Ford Mustang captured the spirit and the imagination of America.

In the parlance of the times, the introduction of the Mustang in the spring of 1964 was a "happening." Certainly some of the excitement surrounding that debut was due to astute marketing and clever publicity ploys. However, a lot of it was due to the car itself. Not that others hadn't tried to get there earlier.

Chevrolet put bucket seats and a floor-mounted stick shift in its little Corvair and called it a Monza. Ford followed suit with its Falcon compact and called it a Sprint. Earlier in the '64 model year, Plymouth put a new roof on a Valiant and called it a Barracuda.

The first Mustangs were built off the Ford Falcon platform and assembled at the Dearborn Assembly Plant, beginning a 40-year manufacturing legacy that will come to a close in May 2004.

But boomer buyers who were coming of age wanted something truly different. Then along came Mustang, a fun-to-drive, affordable car with a clean design and real sports car attributes. And it was an instant hit: Nearly 22,000 orders were taken the day the car went on sale, and some 8 million have been sold in the 40 years since.

From the start, Mustang has had a look all its own. Its long-hood, short-deck proportions express energy and an eagerness to be on the move. When others tried to imitate it, an entire market segment - the "pony car" (itself named in deference to Mustang) - was created. But none could succeed it.

The Corvair Monza only lasted until 1969. The Barracuda lingered a few years longer than that, but even the Plymouth nameplate didn't make it out of the 20th Century alive. And its main competitors, the Chevy Camaro / Pontiac Firebird, were not able to survive much past the new millennium. Mustang led its segment for 18 straight years; its market share is some 40 percent.

Ford's unique formula for Mustang's success centers on the car's personality. "Mustang has the look, the fire, the flavor of the great European road cars," the original print ads proclaimed. "Yet it's as American as its name ? and as practical as its price." What's more, Mustang's option list has allowed buyers to personalize it to his or her own tastes.

Then there's performance. Every Mustang, from one with the most economical engine to the most powerful V-8, has offered the promise of performance. With the smaller engines, that performance was often in the mind of the owner. However, legendary models such as the Shelby, Cobra Jet and Boss versions, had the goods to really get up and go. Today, Ford's Special Vehicle Team crafts its SVT Mustang Cobra with not only awesome power, but balances that with world-class handling and braking.

Finally, Mustangs have a sense of practicality. Taking the sleek lines of classic two-seat sports cars and packaging them to fit four occupants means a Mustang owner can not only allow friends to come along for the ride, but also drive into the early stages of parenthood without having to give up driving a sporty car.

And let's not forget affordability. Mustang has always been priced within reach of the majority of new car buyers. Today, as the average price of a new car nears $30,000, mainstream Mustangs range in price from $18,775 - $29,875.

Perhaps the greatest reason for Mustang's longevity is that Ford's recipe allows it to adapt to the changing wants and needs of the marketplace. During its first 10 years, Mustang grew longer, wider and heavier to satisfy America's tastes. Then, in 1974, Ford introduced a smaller, lighter, more economical model that responded to the first oil crisis.

In 1979, a new Mustang bowed with a wind-cheating shape and even greater potential for performance and efficiency. For its 30th anniversary in 1994, Mustang received a makeover to prepare it for the new millennium. And this fall, an all-new generation of Mustang, with high quality and safety, gallops onto the American scene.

"If there is one product that represents our company, it's the Mustang," explains Ford Motor Company CEO Bill Ford, Jr. "It's a legend because it's beautiful, fast and affordable ? nothing combines those three attributes the way Mustang does."

You can bet that this newest version of America's timeless automotive icon will be well-suited to the times, no matter how they might be a'changin'.

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Last Updated: 04-07-2004