Ford Mustang celebrates its 55th birthday

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Ford Mustang from the moment of birth turned into an icon of auto style. This car has become the hallmark of the era and entered world culture as a symbol of the American way of life. What is the secret of this phenomenon?

It all started very prosaically. When America was swept by a wave of protest rock-and-roll movements, and the rich and famous began to chant Ferrari, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz Wing of the Seagull, American manufacturers had to think hard about creating a car that could compete with sports cars gaining popularity. The USA needed a car that, in the wake of the romantic speed cult promoted by the motorcycle communities, could give the heart to the amusing dynamics and at the same time be accessible to the broad masses of citizens. The task seemed difficult to implement, but Ford engineers got down to business.

Secret of the name

In the early 60s, the company released two powerful models Falcon and Thunderbird. They were taken as a basis for a new car developing. The platform from Falcon allowed reducing costs, and the technical stuffing was taken from Thunderbird. The first conceptual model of a double sports car rolled out of the gates of the design laboratory in 1963 and received the working title “1964 1/2”, and in March of the following year, the first test copies of the present Mustang, presented to the public on April 17 at the New York Auto Show, rolled off the assembly line.

The sports coupe was distinguished by unusual forms for America, in which Italian motifs could be traced and the hand of eminent craftsmen from Turin was felt, but it was preferred not to tell buyers about the cooperation with the foreigners. Due to the finished platform from Falcon, it was possible to significantly reduce the price, and the simple design allowed buyers not to depend on expensive service stations. The car immediately caused enthusiastic appraisals and people reached out to sellers for a new dream. In general, it was a success.

The choice of the name for the sports car was quite interesting. According to the memoirs of Ford managing director Lee Yakokki, several names were suggested for the prototype. Henry Ford (grandson of Henry Ford Sr. and president of the company) wanted to call him T-Bird II. Designers protested and offered other options, namely Monte Carlo, Monaco, Torino and Cougar. At first, artists were inclined towards the cat theme and even depicted Koguar (puma) on the emblem. Then they went over to Torino in honor of industrial Turin in Italy, where the best sports cars of that time were created, especially as they were working on the body, including the Italian masters.

In general, the name Torino was already approved and prepared for an advertising campaign, but at the last moment information about the Italian mistress of Henry Ford came up in the press and they had to refuse the Italian name so as not to cause unwanted misinterpretations.

In the end, very quickly began to think about replacing. They remembered about the famous fighters of the Second World War and launched the Mustang in a series. Already later, the name was slightly corrected by trying to associate it with a wild horse. And the legend has played with new colors.

The first Mustang coupe went on sale in 1964 right after the premiere, costing $ 2,368 in the basic configuration, which is similar to the current $ 18,500. During the year, 1 million cars were sold. A cabriolet appeared in 1965, and two years later, in 1967 a fastback began to be produced, that is, a car with a shortened stern and a drop-shaped body. This type of body has received a lot of charged modifications and is considered the most popular among collectors.