Only 18 short months had elapsed from production approval to the first Mustang rolling off the production line. April 17th 1964 saw the official launch date with the previous day seeing a huge publicity push with television advertising on all three major networks. The result was the sale of over 22,000 cars on the first day, well and truly kicking off the Pony Car era of the sixties.
Introduction was actually prior to the 1965 model year – so the first models were referred to as the 1964½. Two body types were available initially, a coupe and convertible. Once the 1965 model year hit then a fastback body style was introduced. This fastback was then used as the base model of Carroll Shelby’s GT-350.
Mustang was the brainchild of Lee Iacocca who was the Vice-President and General Manager of the Ford Division of the Ford Motor Company. He saw a gap in the market for a mid-sized sports car and a car for the youth of America.
Based on the compact Ford Falcon, it used its chassis and shared many components therefore keeping production costs down.
One of the attractions of the Mustang was its low base price and large options list. This enabled the customer to “build” a car to suit their taste and wallet. This level of customization opened it up to an even bigger market.
Initially it was available with a six cylinder 170 cid and V8 260 cid. However these then became 200 cid for the “six” and 289 cid V8 once the 1965 model year was underway.
Paint Options (company paint code in brackets)
1964½
Raven Black (A)
Pagoda Green (B)
Dynasty Green (D)
Guardsman Blue (F)
Caspian Blue (H)
Rangoon Red (J)
Silversmoke Gray (K)
Wimbledon White (M)
Prairie Bronze (P)
Sunlight Yellow (V)
Vintage Burgundy (X)
Skylight Blue (Y)
Chantily Beige (Z)
Cascade Green (S)
Poppy Red (3)
1965
Raven Black (A)
Midnight Turquoise (B)
Honey Gold (C)
Dynasty Green (D)
Caspian Blue (H)
Champagne Beige (I)
Rangoon Red (J)
Silversmoke Gray (K)
Wimbledon White (M)
Tropical Turquoise (O)
Prairie Bronze (P)
Ivy Green (R)
Sunlight Yellow (V)
Vintage Burgundy (X)
Silver Blue (Y)
Poppy Red (3)