Over years and years, generations have witnessed changes in one of the most impressive muscle cars in history; the Ford Mustang. (The Beginning of The Ford Mustang)

The Ford Mustang’s Origin

In 1960, Lee Iacocca, who served as Ford’s vice president and general manager, envisioned a sporty compact car aimed at the youth. With a tight budget, he and his team worked around the clock until they unveiled the first-ever Ford Mustang on April 17, 1964, which was the 1965 model.

They set an aggressive sales goal of 100,000 Mustangs in the first year. To their surprise, they sold 22,000 on the first day.

The instant success marked the birth of the great Mustang.

In this series, I will showcase the greatest Mustangs of all time.

The First-Generation Mustang

Ford introduced the 1965 Mustang model and marketed it as such, despite making several production changes to cars built after August 1964. By then, Ford had already sold 120,000 Mustangs. Hobbyists label early Mustangs as “1964½” models, while those built after August are “late 1965” models. The Mustang debuted with convertible and notchback body styles, with the fastback joining the lineup later in 1965. With various options available, buyers could customize their Mustang into anything from a budget-friendly car to a high-performance racer.

Sales for the 1965 model (including “1964½” cars) exceeded expectations, reaching 681,000, nearly seven times Ford’s original goal. The original engine lineup included a 170-CID straight-six, a 4.3-liter V-8, and the powerful 289-CID V-8 with up to 271 horsepower. Late 1965 saw the six engines enlarged to 200 CID (3.3 liters) and the 260 replaced by a two-barrel carburetor equipped 289. The Mustang carried on into 1966 with minor modifications, and on March 1 of that year, Ford achieved a milestone by producing its millionth Mustang. ^[1]motortrend.com