On Sunday, April 17th, the Ford Mustang officially celebrated its 52nd birthday.
The 17th of April, 1964 is the date on which the iconic pony car was first revealed at the World’s Fair in New York City, athough it came two days after the very first example was sold to a school teacher in Illinois. A.J. Baime of Yahoo! Autos writes that Walt Disney was in attendance, and actually cut the ribbon at the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang’s unveiling.
Of course, it wouldn’t be very long after the pony car’s introduction that legendary chicken farmer/racing driver/businessman Carroll Shelby would introduce his first iteration of the Shelby-fied Ford Mustang: the Shelby GT350. That came along in January, 1965, and it kicked-off an auspicious performance partnership which survives to this day. Most recently, Ford Performance and Shelby American revealed the 2016 Shelby GT-H Mustang – an aggressively-styled V8 model to commemorate the 1966 Shelby GT350-H “rent-a-racer,” which was available at Hertz car rental locations nationwide.
Currently, the Ford Mustang is in its sixth-generation, riding on an independent-rear suspension for the first time in half-a-century. The powertrain, styling, and technology have all changed dramatically since the pony car’s birth in April of 1964, but its place in history is forever.
For a full timeline of noteworthy milestones from throughout the Ford Mustang’s long life, visit Yahoo! Autos.
No Comments yet