Ford Mustang Resource
Ford Mustang History
Ford Mustang information and details through its vehicle production history.
Ford Mustang Through the Ages
The Ford Mustang is America's notorious muscle car.
Ford Mustang Car History
Based on the Ford Falcon Compact, the Ford Mustang is a breed of automobiles created by the Ford Motor Company in 1964. During that time, the very popular full sized muscle cars were slowly being replaced by medium sized muscle cars with big block engines. Not one to be left behind, Ford produced a whole new breed of pony cars originally designed as two-seaters. But because the company wanted to gain market dominance, it added a back seat before introducing the Ford Mustang. It sold over 22,000 units in the first day and more than one million in two years, becoming one of the most successful product launches in automotive history.
Over the years, the Ford Mustang inspired many competitors like Toyota to come up with their own "pony cars". In the years that followed, the Ford Mustang has also undergone numerous revisions to make sure people kept buying the originally loved car but with up-to-date add-ons. At present, the Ford Mustang is still being produced despite it's being in it's so-called fifth generation.
The first generation was a two seat mid-engine roadster that was later remodeled into a four-seat car. It consisted of very simple components and had a platform type frame. The years 1974 to 1978 marked the second generation of the Ford Mustang. By this period, pony cars were losing popularity to cheaper, fuel-efficient wheels. Thus spawned the Mustang II model, which is a downsized version of the original. It was supposed to be based on the Ford Maverick not much different from the Falcon, from which the original Mustang was based. But the concept was scrapped and the Mustang II was based instead on the Ford Pinto. It sold almost as much as the Mustang I.
The years 1979 to 1993 marked the third generation of the Ford Mustang. A brand new Mustang with a completely restyled and more spacious interior was launched. This new car could comfortably seat four people and had more trunk space for belongings. The fourth generation of the Ford Mustang from 1994 to 2004 saw the first major redesigning of the automobile breed. Featuring dramatic styling by Patrick Schiavone, this period also saw the return of the Cobra model. The Ford Mustang was named Motor Trend magazine's Car of The Year for the third time.
The year 2005 to the present times encompasses the fifth generation of the Ford Mustang. In the 2004 North American International Auto Show, Ford launched the S-197, a redesigned Mustang based on a new platform. It was said that the aesthetics of the fifth generation Mustangs are inspired from the original Mustangs of the 1960's, inspiring the term "retro-futurism". Today's Mustangs are manufactured in the home plant in Michigan.
The Ford Mustang has not only won in sales and market dominance over the years. It has also been duly recognized by award giving bodies several times over. It has been included five times in the Car and Driver Ten Best list, won Motor Trend Car of The Year three times, bagged the first ever Tiffany Gold Medal for excellence in American design, and has won the title of Canadian Car of the Year.
