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The MUSTANG Car
The Ford Mustang:
The Mustang is an American automobile manufactured by Ford.
The original Ford Mustang was a four-seater concept car that evolved into the 1963 Mustang - a two-seater prototype, which Ford used to pretest how the public would take interest in the first production.
Introduced early on April 17, 1964, at the International World's Fair and thus dubbed as a "1964½" model by Mustang fans, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A.
The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobiles—sports-car like coupes with long hoods and short rear decks. It and gave rise to competitors such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, AMC Javelin, Chrysler's revamped Plymouth Barracuda and the first generation Dodge Challenger. The Mustang is also credited for inspiring the designs of coupés such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, which were imported to the United States.
The Mustang is the only original pony car to remain in uninterrupted production over five decades of development and revision.
The Mustang I made its formal debut at the United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York on October 7, 1962, where test driver and contemporary Formula One race driver Dan Gurney lapped the track in a demonstration using the second "race" prototype. His lap times were only slightly off the pace of the F1 race cars.
Manufacture began in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964; the new car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York World's Fair.
The Mustang has undergone several transformations to its current sixth generation.
The 1965 Mustang won the Tiffany Gold Medal for excellence in American design, the first automobile ever to do so. The Mustang was on the Car and Driver Ten Best list in 1983, 1987, 1988, 2005, an 2006. It won the Motor Trend Car of the Year award in 1974 an 1994.
In 2005 it was runner-up to the Chrysler 300 for the North American Car of the Year award an was named Canadian Car of the Year.
Shelby Mustangs:
The Shelby Mustang is a higher performance variant of the Ford Mustang.
Carroll Hall Shelby was an American automotive designer, racing driver and entrepreneur. He was best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and later the Mustang-based performance cars for Ford Motor Company known as Shelby Mustangs which he had done since 1965.
His company, Shelby American Inc., founded in 1962, currently sells modified Ford vehicles, as well as performance parts.
Shelby was born on January 11, 1923, in Leesburg, Texas, to Warren Hall Shelby, a rural mail carrier, and his wife, Eloise (Lawrence) Shelby. Shelby suffered heart valve leakage problems by age 7 and spent most of his childhood in bed. By age 14, Shelby's health improved and he was subsequently declared to have "outgrown" his health problems.
Shelby's first wife was Jeanne Fields; they married on December 18, 1943. Their daughter Sharon Anne Shelby was born a year later on September 27, 1944. They had two more children — sons named Michael Hall (born November 2, 1946) and Patrick Bert (born October 23, 1947). Shelby and Fields later separated and divorced in February 1960. In 1962, Shelby married actress Jan Harrison but the marriage was annulled the same year.
Shelby dealt with health issues throughout his life. He had a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996.
Shelby died on May 10, 2012, at the age of 89.
Joe Conway, president of Carroll Shelby International, said that "we are all deeply saddened, and feel a tremendous sense of loss for Carroll's family, ourselves and the entire automotive industry. There has been no one like Carroll Shelby and never will be. However, we promised Carroll we would carry on, and he put the team, the products and the vision in place to do just that."
His Creedo: "Yesterday's History. Tomorrow's a Mystery. So live for today."
In Popular Culture:
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Steve McQueen drove a Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 fastback in the famous chase scene in the 1968 film Bullitt. As a result of that and other Hollywood movies the car "enjoyed celebrity status in the 1960s."
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A 1971 Mustang Mach 1 was featured in the James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Of the three known cars that claim direct connections with the film, only one M-code car – VIN #1F05M160938[99] – has been proven authentic.
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H.B. "Toby" Halicki's 1974 independent film, Gone in 60 Seconds featured – and starred – Eleanor, the only Ford Mustang in history to receive star billing in a film. The film held the title of the most cars wrecked on screen – 93 – until 1980, when The Blues Brothers broke the record with an additional 10 cars smashed.
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The 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds features a customized 1967 Mustang fastback – named Eleanor in reference to the car in the 1974 film – driven by Nicolas Cage.
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A US Navy recruitment advertisement even ran: “The Beach Boys. Apple pie. The ’67 Mustang. Three things worth fighting for…”
Fast Facts:
Ford Motor Company wanted an affordable and attractive muscle car. The Mustang fit the concept. The "1964-1/2" model had a price tag of $2,368 for the base V-6 model, and sold 126,538. Going into the 2010 production year, over nine million Mustangs have been sold since 1964.
The Pony Car has almost always boasted a running pony icon on its grille. During the years 1975 through 1993, the Pony was not produced. Returning in 1994, the running pony again adorned the grille of the Mustang. Facing the car, you'll see the horse on the grille runs in the opposite direction of a racetrack horse.
The two-door Mustang is available in either a coupe or convertible. The six- or eight-cylinder engine boasts factory horsepower ranging from 145 to 315. The only year model that offered a four- or six-cylinder engine without a V-8 option was 1974.
The Mustang was named after the P-51 fighter plane used in World War II. The man who drew the Mustang graphic, Phil Clark, joined Ford in 1962 as a designer.
