On April 17 1964 Ford Motor Company pulled the wraps off an affordable, compact sports coupé called the Mustang at the New York World’s Fair.
With its ‘long hood, short rear deck’ proportions and youthful marketing to entice the decade’s baby-boomers, the 1965 (commonly referred to as 1964 ½) Ford Mustang provided the template that was to be the ‘Pony car’ class, inspiring a host of imitators.
The first-generation Mustang used chassis, suspension and drivetrain parts derived from the Ford Falcon and Fairlane to cut costs. Available as a hardtop or convertible, initially five engines were offered - from the entry-level 105bhp 2.8-litre straight-six to the 'K-code' 4.7-litre V8 271bhp halo unit.
Ford sold an astonishing 126,538 Mustangs during that abbreviated model year; the V8s outselling the six-cylinder variant by nearly three to one. Within 18 months, one million models had been built.
In 1965, Ford introduced the neat 2+2 fastback body. The Shelby Mustang GT350 also debuted with a tuned version of the K-code lump – with power up from 271bhp to 306bhp. Available only in fastback body form and in white with blue rocker stripes, 562 units were sold that year. Continued..
