The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford
Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation
North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Production began in
Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964 and the car was introduced
to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York World's Fair. It
is Ford's second oldest nameplate currently in production next
to the F-Series pickup truck line. However the F-series pickup
truck has undergone major nameplate changes over the years. The
Mustang was Ford's most successful launch since the Model A.
Executive stylist John Najjar, who was a fan of the World War II
P-51 Mustang fighter plane, suggested the name. An alternative
view was that the Mustang name was first suggested by Robert J.
Eggert, Ford Division market research manager. Eggert, a breeder
of quarterhorses, received a birthday present from his wife of
the book, The Mustangs by J. Frank Dobie in 1960. Later, the
book’s title gave him the idea of adding the “Mustang” name for
Ford’s new concept car. As the person responsible for Ford’s
research on potential names, Eggert added “Mustang” to the list
to be tested by focus groups; “Mustang,” by a wide margin, ”
came out on top under the heading: “Suitability as Name for the
Special Car.”
The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobile
— sports car-like coupes with long hoods and short rear decks —
and gave rise to competitors such as GM's Chevrolet Camaro,
AMC's Javelin, and Chrysler's revamped Plymouth Barracuda. It
also inspired coupés such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri,
which were exported to America.
Mustangs grew larger and heavier with each model year until, in
response to the 1971-1973 models, fans of the original 1964
design wrote to Ford urging a return to its size and concept.
Although some other pony cars have seen a revival, the Mustang
is the only original pony car that has remained in production
without interruption after four decades of development and
revision. -Wikipedia |
| First Generation: 1964 1/2 - 1966 |
 
|
| First Generation: 1967 - 1968 |
 
|
|
|
| First Generation: 1969 - 1970 |
 
|
| First Generation: 1971 - 1973 |
 
|
|
|
| Second Generation: 1974 - 1978 |
 
|
| Third Generation: 1979 - 1993 |
 
|
|
|
| Fourth Generation: 1994 - 1998 |
 
|
| Fourth Generation: 1999 - 2004 |
 
|
| Fifth Generation: 2005 - 2008 |
 
|
| Fifth Generation: 2009 - Present |
 
|
|
