The Ford Mustang is celebrating its 59th birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to take a look back at some of the popular pony car’s most historic models? Here, the 1965 Mustang is showcased front-and-center outside of Ford’s exhibit at the 1964 World’s Fair, where the car made its world debut on April 17.
Ford Mustang: America’s popular pony car through the years
The Ford Mustang, which first debuted at the 1964 World's Fair on April 17, is an iconic sports car, solidified in American culture as the venerable pony car we know today. Take a look back at the history of the 'Stang.
The Ford Mustang is celebrating its 59th birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to take a look back at some of the popular pony car’s most historic models? Here, the 1965 Mustang is showcased front-and-center outside of Ford’s exhibit at the 1964 World’s Fair, where the car made its world debut on April 17.
On stage, the Mustang gets its first introduction at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.
In April 1964, Ford asked a group of journalists to drive the new Mustang on a 750-mile road trip to test the muscle car’s durability and reliability. Here, the cars are seen at Niagara Falls.
Engineers work with a special Mustang prototype that was cut into pieces for a legendary publicity stunt.
And there it is! The Ford Mustang became the first car to ever climb to the top of the Empire State Building. Ford put the 2015 Mustang in the same spot to mark the car’s 50th anniversary in 2014.
The Ford Mustang was built to fill the market for an exhilarating personal car during the baby boom years. The first Mustang, dubbed the “1964.5” model, came with a six-cylinder engine, three-speed transmission and a padded dashboard. Ford sold 417,000 Mustangs in that first year.
The Shelby GT350 variant made its debut in 1965 with a V-8 engine making 306 horsepower.
This promotional photo for the 1965 Mustang convertible shows a couple taking a break from driving their awesome car.
The Mustang is the car for the whole family, at least according to this ad from 1965. Three variants of the Mustang are shown with their target demographics: young men, women, and families.
Hertz struck a deal with Ford to make this Mustang, complete with Cobra 289 High Performance V-8 engine making 306 hp and 329 lb-ft of torque, available for rent. The price? Just $17 per day, plus 17 cents per mile.
The Mustang convertible was the top-seller for its year with more than 72,000 models sold.
In 1967, Ford gave the Mustang its first redesign. Larger than the previous model, the ’67 Mustang was big enough to hold a V-8 engine.
In ’68, the Mustang was solidified in pop culture with a starring role in the Steve McQueen thriller “Bullitt.” The San Francisco-set film’s chase scene featuring the green muscle car remains one of the top film car chase scenes of all time.
Ford beefed up the Mustang in 1969, adding length, width, and weight to the pony car. The Mach I was also added, with distinctive striping, dual exhaust pipe and a “shaker” scoop on the hood.
This Mach I Mustang was one of 11 different powertrain options made available in the 1969 model year.
Also in 1969, the high-performance Boss 302 Mustang made its debut. A 4.9-liter V-8 engine was added to give the Mustang a competitive edge over the Camaro.
After the bold 1969 redesign, Ford scaled back the Mustang’s muscles for the 1970 model year. Gone were the twin headlamps, rear air scoops and other more aggressive styling features.
A “Shaker” hood scoop was added to the 1970 Mustang’s more powerful variants.
Go USA! Ford built this red, white, and blue Mustang to commemorate the 1972 United States Olympic Team, complete with USA decals on the rear panels.
With a house like that in the background, there’s no doubt that this is a 1970s ‘Stang! Ford debuted the completely-redesigned second generation Mustang for the 1973 model year, transitioning the pony car into a mid-size sedan.
The second-generation Mustang added notchback, luxury Ghia and 2+2 fastback models to the line-up. Shorter and lighter, this Mustang was the first to be offered without V-8 or convertible options.
During the late 70s when no convertible Mustang was available, Ford offered T-top removable glass panels as an open-roof option to those longing for the performance of the Mustang with the airiness of a convertible.
Ford brought the V-8 engine-only King Cobra to market in 1978. Only 4,313 units of the limited edition model were produced.
The Mustang entered its third generation with the 1979 model year. Using the larger Fox body platform, the new Mustang was able to seat four comfortably.
The ’79 Mustang (foreground) is seen with the original 1965 Mustang, demonstrating the various changes to the pony car’s styling and shape in less than 15 years.
In response to the oil crisis of 1979, Ford rolled out a more fuel-efficient V-8 for the 1980 model year. Making just 120-horsepower, it is the least powerful V-8 ever to be sold in the Mustang.
The 4.9-liter V-8 engine’s return to the Mustang marked a new era for performance from the pony car. Making 157-horsepower, this engine was a marked change from the “efficient” V-8 in the preceding two model years.
It wouldn’t be a Mustang without a whole lot of power! The 1983 Mustang GT offered a 5.0-liter V-8 engine making 175 horsepower.
The Mustang had been without a convertible model for a decade before the 1983 model brought back the drop top.
The 1986 model upped the power on the 4.9-liter V-8 engine to 200-horsepower.
During the late 1980s, the Mustang didn’t see many changes between model years. Ford dropped the available T-top on hatchback models in mid-1988.
Ford revised the inline four-cylinder engines on the Mustang for the 1991 model year, allowing for a bump to 105 horsepower.
The Mustang was redesigned again in 1994, entering its fourth generation. Still using the Fox body platform, the new ‘Stang boasted styling by Patrick Schiavone.
A stiffer platform, a new 5.0-liter V-8 engine, and new vehicle styling were the hallmark’s of the 30th anniversary 1994 Ford Mustang.
The fourth-generation Mustang also brought back the convertible option, although hatchback and notchback models were discontinued.
The 1998 Mustang Cobra saw a power bump on the GT’s 4.6-liter V-8 engine to 225 horsepower.
The Cobra made a roaring return in 1999, with a 4.6-liter V-8 engine making 320 horsepower with 317 lb-ft of torque.
Get a load of the creased lines and pronounced wheel wells on the 2000 Mustang convertible.
Ford played homage to the Mustang’s role in “Bullitt” with a special edition model in 2001. Lower clearance, new air intakes and high-flow mufflers made this model more like the fastback featured in the classic chase sequence.
It’s the muscle car that outlasted them all! In 2002, Mustang celebrated its spot as the sole surviving American muscle car as the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird wrapped up production.
The Mustang’s fifth generation launched in 2005 with a 4.0-liter V-8 engine making 210 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque.
The new GT model had a 300-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8 engine capable of going from zero to 60 mph in 5 seconds.
Who knew twins could be separated by 40 years? The 2006 Ford Shelby GT-H brought back the black paint job and gold racing stripes of the Shelby/Hertz GT350H “Rent-A-Racer.”
Ford brought the famed Shelby livery to the fifth generation Mustang in 2007 with the Shelby GT500. A supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 engine gave this bad boy 500 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque.
The 2008 Mustang was the final Mustang with no available infotainment system.
Ford built this special Mustang to raise money for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
The Mustang entered its 50th year of continuous production in the 2014 model year, which was also the last of the model’s fifth generation.
New colors, styles and technology were added to the 2014 Mustang.
The 50th anniversary Mustang brings the famed muscle car into its sixth generation.
A wider and lower body set the new Mustang apart, along with a more efficient 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine being made available in the Mustang for the first time.
