MUSTANG HERITAGE | XXXXXXXXX Mustang Heritage
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MUSTANG HERITAGE | XXXXXXXXX Mustang Heritage © FORD MUSTANG HERITAGE | XXXXXXXXXHISTORY An American Icon ew cars in history from coast to coast. been an exotic car. the masses, whether through because it influenced the have generated Why all the excitement? What was special about the the affordable V6-powered whole automotive world in a F Because the Mustang has Mustang in the beginning — base models or the rarer, big way. as much excitement, been a thrilling car for gener- and what continues to make V8-powered Shelby Mustang Countless cars, not only in ations. it stand out today — is that it supercars that feel at home America but also around the enthusiasm and offers a level of style and per- on the racetrack. world, owe their success to interest as this one: STARTING A formance that millions of It redefined what automo- the pioneering work of the REVOLUTION people can actually afford. tive fun meant in America. Mustang’s engineers. They the Ford Mustang. Exotic cars have always It offers the thrill of a mus- found a formula that made been around. From the earli- cular sports car without the A CONTINUING LEGACY drivers fall in love with their As this legendary pony car est days of the automobile, high price that sports cars The Mustang is remarkable affordable cars, helping to surpassed its 10 millionth car big engines, gorgeous styling once commanded, a revolu- not just because it was a sales spawn the muscle-car revolu- produced in August 2018, the and sporty performance were tionary concept when the success. Millions of people tion in the late 1960s and full scope of its influence on available to anyone with a big ‘Stang was first introduced in have bought and loved their embracing ideas that contin- America’s automotive land- enough checkbook. the 1960s. Mustangs through the years. ue to echo through sporty car scape was felt and celebrated But the Mustang has never It brought sports-car fun to But it’s also an amazing car designs today. MUSTANG HERITAGE | XXXXXXXXXTHE LEADERS Who Was Behind It? ee Iacocca became a L household name in the 1980s as Chrysler’s very public CEO, turning the company around financially and personally pitching its cars on TV. But before Iacocca was a corporate celebrity — and, indeed, part of the reason he was able to find so much success in his career — is that he is widely known as the father of the Ford Mustang. EARLY LIFE Born to Italian immigrants in Allentown, Pa., in 1924, Iacocca found a job with Ford by 1946 and quickly found success in the company’s sales and marketing efforts. By 1960, he was promoted to vice-president of Ford’s car and truck groups, a role that would lead him to oversee the creation of a new car designed for younger buyers in the Baby Boom generation. That car would go on to become the Mustang. While Iacocca championed the Mustang and was responsible for pro- moting and shepherding its initial development, the day-to-day design of it was overseen by a different man. DONALD N. FREY Lee Iacocca and Don Frey with an early Mustang. The two were instrumental in the Ford Mustang development program in the early ‘60s. Donald Frey was born with engineer- ing in his blood. His father was a metal- lurgist who designed the Model D trac- still widely used in the car industry assembly line and the people who the Mustang practical enough to appeal tor for John Deere in the 1920s, so a today. would repair the Mustang, since they to a much larger group of buyers. career in engineering for Ford made By sharing most of its parts with were already familiar with its compo- By the time Iacocca, Frey and the rest perfect sense for the young Frey. other mass-produced Ford models, the nents. of the Mustang team had finished When developing the Mustang in a Fairlane and Falcon, the cost of engi- Finally, the Mustang used a designing it, they thought they had a record amount of time — 18 months — neering and tooling new parts would four-seater design instead of the two- popular car on their hands. Frey also implemented many ideas that be eliminated. It also shortened the seat layout like the Ford Thunderbird Little did they know just how popular cut production costs for the car and are learning curve for workers on the and many classic sports cars, making it would turn out to be. MUSTANG HERITAGE | XXXXXXXXXTHE BEGINNING The First Mustang hen it first That original 100,000 sales practical then the ‘Stang. At a time when the 1950s impressive by today’s stan- target was surpassed in just The Mustang was about tail fins had grown out of dards, the Mustang was a W went on sale, three months. more than a low price, style and boxy, square, quick, enjoyable car to drive the Ford Motor Why, exactly, was this par- though. Lots of cars have slab-sided cars had become in 1964. Its base engine was a ticular car such a popular come with low price tags the norm, the Mustang V6 that made 101 horsepow- Company estimated seller while other sporty through history, but few reso- looked like a lot more fun. It er, but two V8 engines were just under 100,000 American cars, like the nated with the public as had a two-door layout, slop- where the real fun was at. Corvette and Thunderbird, much as this Ford did when it ing roofline and aggressive, A 260-cubic-inch V8 made Mustangs would sell never saw such widespread was introduced. muscular nose. 164 horsepower, while a in the first year. But appeal? Many of those same styling 289-cubic-inch V8 made 210 FRESH STYLE cues would go on to set the horses. And with a more nim- they were wrong. FOR THE MASSES Going on sale in the sum- look and tone for many of the ble feel than most cars from The obvious answer is its mer of 1964 — earning it a muscle-cars to come as the era, the new Mustang It turns out the Mustang price. With a suggested retail “1964 1/2” designation since General Motors and Chrysler appealed to a huge number sold 418,000 copies in the price of just $2,368, virtually it was unveiled in the middle responded to the Mustang’s of drivers who wanted a first year alone, breaking all anyone could afford to buy it, of the year — the Mustang surprise success. sporty car. kinds of sales records and whereas the more traditional, was an immediate hit with It was the right car at the wildly surpassing everyone’s “purist” sports cars were far consumers because it offered FUN PERFORMANCE right time, and it would go on expectations for the new car. more expensive and less so much style for the money. While it might not sound to change the world. MUSTANG HERITAGE | XXXXXXXXXSHELBY The King of Cobras lmost from the moment A it was introduced, racers began taking the Mustang to the track. From drag strips to road racing, and even serving as the pace car for the 1964 Indianapolis 500, the ‘Stang was the perfect platform to modify for speed. And in all the Mustang’s long and glo- rious racing history, one name stands above the rest: Shelby. A RACING ICON As a racing driver, Carroll Shelby would have been known for an excep- tional career even if that was all he accomplished. He set 16 speed records in the U.S. and internationally, drove for the Maserati and Aston Martin factory Carroll Shelby stands with the 2007 Ford Shelby GT Mustang. teams, was Sports Illustrated’s driver of the year for two years and even com- peted at the pinnacle of motor racing in relationship that would make Shelby er, the limited-production Cobra Formula One. world famous and influence the direc- became legendary for its speed and After Shelby ended his racing career tion of the Mustang for Ford. excitement. because of health issues, though, he While the original Shelby Mustang needed to find somewhere else to uti- SHELBY MUSTANGS Cobra was only built for five years, lize his talents. And what he did Shelby continued to work with Ford today its legacy lives on. It inspired changed the racing world — and the in the 1960s, helping with racing proj- countless other owners to modify their American car industry — for good. ects that would put Ford cars on the Mustangs for speed and, starting in world stage. 2007, the Shelby name returned to the FORD PARTNERSHIP And his involvement with the Ford lineup. Shelby had a brilliant idea. He knew Mustang would create some of today’s Shelby died in May 2012, but his from his driving experience that light- most desirable collector cars: Shelby memory will remain in the hearts of weight, nimble British sports cars were Mustangs. American car lovers forever. quick around a racetrack, but they Shelby used the same basic formula Today you can buy a Shelby GT500 could be even better with American- that made his AC Cobra successful in that carries on his dream of a quick, style V8 power. the first Mustang he modified, which powerful monster of a car. It tops the He decided to combine the two, became known as the GT350, or Mustang lineup with a price around Carroll Shelby played a major role in Ford’s cramming a Ford small-block V8 into a Mustang Cobra. With the ‘Stang’s light- $55,000, but it also offers more speed successful racing programs of the 1960s.