The Mustang was first unveiled to the world during the New York World's Fair on April 17, 1964, and has gone down in history as Ford's most successful debut since the A model.
The immensely popular Mustang debuted as an instant American classic when John Najjar, a Ford Motor executive who greatly admired the P-51 Mustang, borrowed the name of that World War II aviation combat workhorse for the new car. The Mustang was America's first 'pony car' - a moniker that evolved from the car's combination of sporty characteristics, long hood, and short trunk.
In 1964, Ford embarked on an enormous television and print campaign to publicize the Mustang, and largely as a result of this media saturation, initial sales predictions, which were in the neighborhood of 100,000 units, jumped so dramatically, that over one million Mustangs had been manufactured within the next year and a half. In September of 1964 the Mustang became even more popular thanks to its appearance in the James Bond film, Goldfinger.
An oil crisis in Saudi Arabia and stricter emission regulations meant that big, gas guzzling automobiles were not as popular as before, and the Mustang was not an exception. Ford released a new version in 1973 that was smaller and had better fuel economy. The smaller size of the Mustang allowed it to compete better with imported sports car models like the Ford Capri (built in the UK and Germany at the time), and the Toyota Celica which continued its success story.
Without a doubt, the Mustang has secured its place in American automotive history, being the sole "pony car" to have remained in continuous production for more than forty years; although it has obviously undergone a series of changes and developments. And the tale goes on... the Mustang will launch its 2010 model in early 2009.
LemonFree.com - Buying or Selling a Ford Mustang? Check out LemonFree.com Cars