First off, the perennial pony was a calculated success. Ford launched the car with the baby boomer demographic set squarely in it's sights. Ford also knew it needed an answer to the rivals being produced at General Motors. Add to that the economic advantages of sharing so many power trains and other parts with existing lines and you begin to see that the success of the Mustang was no accident.

Introduced to the world as a concept car in 1962 as the Mustang I and then in 1963 as the Mustang II, with the final production being offered tot eh public at the 1964 World's Fair Pavilion in New York and Ford was clever enough to already have sales channels in place that very day, so if you saw it and you liked it, you could get it.

Power plant options were:
170-cubic-inch (2.8-liter) OHV straight six at 101 horsepower.
200-cubic-inch (3.3-liter) OHV straight six at 116 horsepower.
260-cubic-inch (4.3-liter) OHV V8 making 164 horsepower.
289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) V8 at 210 horse power with a two barrel carb and 220 horsepower with a four barrel carb.
"K-code" high-compression, solid-lifter, four-barrel 289 at a nice 271 horsepower.

And then they were off to the races, both in sales and literally. Initial sales of the first year model topped 126,000 units, not bad for a sales year that consisted of about nine months. Carroll Shelby was called upon to ignite the Mustang racing heritage, and well, if you don't know who Carroll Shelby is, you've been living under an automotive rock for some time.

The second generation of the Mustang came about in the 1967 when things were more cramped in the demographic, and the muscle car was beginning its track of distinction from other coupes of the day. Newer power plant options to meet the demand were offered:

200-cubic-inch six making 120 horsepower
250-cubic-inch (4.1-liter) 155-horsepower six
"K-code" 289-cubic inch V8 delivering 271 horsepower
390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) "big-block" V8 at 315 horsepower
427-cubic inch V8 with 390 horsepower
428-cubic inch V8 with 335 horsepower

This was the time period that the muscle car began to grow and prosper. Sales were high and all through the late sixties and early seventies engines and cars grew larger every year until one day

Fuel crunches dictate design. With the shortages and prices in the early seventies came the Mustang II, a sad little car perched atop a Pinot frame (ugh) and the first time the Mustang was 1) not offered with a V8 and 2) offered

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Automotive history: Ford Mustang?
We want to hear your view. Write now!