The '65 Ford Mustang was initially unleashed on the American scene in April of '64, and an instant love affair began. By the end of the year over a half million sold, breaking a sales record for Ford. Mustang's appeal lies in its ability to be all things to all drivers. To family types, it represented the classic 6-cylinder economy auto; middle class drivers saw it as a smaller version of a luxury car; younger demographics perceived it as a powerful sports car.
The '65 Ford Mustang's roots claim it was a sports car in its inception, the inaugural Ford “pony” car, a distant cousin of the older Ford Falcon. Much of the chassis and suspension design imitated the Falcon and Fairlane models. The styling was the brainchild of Donald Frey and Lee Iacocca, initially conceiving it as a two-seat roadster, eventually modifying it to a four-seater.
The '65 Ford Mustang's origins are distinctive because:
1. It set new records for sales and production of not just Ford, but different big name automobiles that same year.
2. It was awarded the Tiffany Gold Medal, becoming first of any American automobile to win that distinction.
3. Motor Trend selected the Mustang as its Car of the Year in both 1974 and 1994.
4. The Mustang was honored as part of Car and Driver's Ten Best List for a total of five years.
Not long after its 1964 launch, Ford Mustang was selected to be the pace vehicle for '64 Indy 500 race. Also that year the Ford Mustang placed first and second in the international Tour de France event. It made its inaugural appearance in drag race events in '65 with dealer sponsored contests. Five '65 Mustangs, fueled by 427 cubic inch V8 engines, participated in the National Hot Rod Association Experimental category and earned a spot in the Factory Stock Eliminator group. Bill Lawton was the driver of the car which won. The ‘65 Ford Mustang also performed very well in road racing. GT 350 R, a speedier offshoot of Shelby's GT 350, was awarded the top prize in five of six Sports Car Club of America division events in 1965.
The background of the '65 Ford Mustang includes many versions of the acclaimed car that became a king of the American highway. The first one was the Shelby, which was aimed at performance seekers who were at the higher end of the scale. Five models comprised this Shelby line, the GT-H, GT500KR, CS6/8, GT500E, and GT500, the Super Snake. Each of these was developed by independent entities collaborating with Ford. Among Ford's in-house Mustang variants were the widely admired Cobra and High Country Editions. In addition, Ford furnished a Special Service Package utilized by police forces.
The '65 Ford Mustang's origins were additionally celebrated with its inclusion in the September '64 premier of the Bond film, “Goldfinger”.
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