What Was the First Mustang?

As you drive down the street and see one of the early Mustangs in mint condition, you might reminisce back to the old days and ponder, "what was the first mustang?" A smile comes to the faces of those that still remember the first Mustang like it was yesterday. The very first Mustang was a Wimbledon White convertible.

The Prototype was Born

The genius for the first Mustang was born with the vision of Lee Iacocca back in 1961. At the time, he was the general manager of the Ford Division. He wanted to design and develop a car to seat four people with bucket seats. It had to weight less than about 2500 pounds and no longer than 15 feet. It also would have to sell below $2,500. One meeting after another took place until funding was approved and the first Mustang was released from the assembly line March 9, 1964.

At the time, no one could have realized just how smart Ford would be to advertise simultaneous television commercials on all the three major networks. On April 17, 1964 after the commercials aired, the show rooms were jammed with people wanting to see the new car. On that date in history, Ford sold 22,000 Mustangs. As of the anniversary one year later, Ford sold 418,812 Mustangs.

The First Mustang

The Wimbledon White convertible made its debut to America at the World's Fair in New York, April 17th, 1964. Some called it the early 65, but most people just called it the 64 1/2. It was simple and to the point, but packed full of features that the American public had been clamoring for. You could buy it as a convertible or a coupe. It was equipped with a 170-cubic inch engine (six-cylinders) and a floor shift transmission with three-speeds.

You could also purchase a V-8 engine, in addition to three-speed automatics or four-speed manual transmissions. Both styles had chrome bumpers that wrapped around the famous chrome grille, complete with a horse running (Mustang). The design featured a shortened rear deck and a lengthened hood.

This gold mine of a car came complete with a padded dashboard, full headliner, bucket seats, full wheel covers and carpeting. You could have your very own 64 1/2 Mustang for $2,320.