The Old Ford Mustang at a Glance ...

Regardless of ones age, when someone refers to a Old Ford Mustang.....the image that pops immediately into one's mind is probably going to be a 1965 or 1966, or possibly a 1967 or 1968, ...one of the original series of "old Mustangs".

There are several versions of how the Mustang name was selected, one being by one of the Ford stylists' who happened to be an avid fan of WWII airplanes, the "P51 Mustang," in particular. Another version gives credit to a Ford market researcher who had received a book about the Mustang horses while in the process of researching a name for the car. Whoever created the name undoubtedly had no idea that the name badge would still be adorning Ford cars 40 plus years later. The Mustang represents the longest continuous running name badge in Ford history. Although the Mustang is now on the edge of entering the seventh generation of production cars, it is the old original Mustangs that still create the most emotions.

Lots of the old pony cars have regained the public's interest in recent years, but it is the old Ford Mustangs that remain the most popular. Part of this may be due to the fact that the Mustang is the only original pony car that has stayed in production, with no interruptions since it's inception. That fact is really significant when you stop and consider that even the most cherished, most rare Mustangs ever built, were assembled on a moving assembly line by the same workers who produced the Ford Falcon's and Fairlanes.

In the first abbreviated production year, the 1964 1/2 Mustang sold over 125,000 cars. Those with the V8 motors outselling the six cylinder motors three to one. In it's second year of production the 1965 Ford Mustang sold over 400,000 units! To the surprise of many at Ford, the 1966 Ford Mustangs outsold the 1965 models, with an unbelievable total of over 600,000 units.

All the sudden it was 1967, and the Mustang finally had some serious competition. Chevy had their new Camaro, Chrysler had a Barracuda, Pontiac a Firebird, and from its own family, Mercury introduced the Cougar. But despite all of the new pony car competition on the field, the 1967 Ford Mustang still managed to sell almost a half million copies.

Ford countered the competition with the new larger, more powerful 1967 Mustang, and accentuated all of the styling features that the previous Mustangs had become known for. A new option for 1967 was the 390 cubic inch "big block" V8 motor putting out 315 HP with the four barrel carburetor. The Shelby Mustangs also introduced in 1967, the Shelby GT350, and the Shelby GT500. The 1968 Mustangs were introduced with a few minor cosmetic changes, but the big news was the big motor, a fire breathing 428 cubic inch V8, pushing out 335 horsepower.

These older Ford Mustangs have become an American staple, creating over four decades of driving excitement world wide. A true collector item.... an old Mustang.