Classic Mustangs For Sale
The Ford Mustang was introduced mid-year in 1964. Its introduction would redefine a segment of the automobile industry that had languished at the bottom of the automotive food chain for years in the eye of the domestic car buyer - the compact car segment. Formerly, this had been limited to just a few models such as the Pontiac Tempest, Plymouth Valiant, Studebaker Lark, and the Ford Falcon. While many cars introduced prior to 1964 may have been a pony car, none set the standard for the segment as did the new Ford Mustang. Lee Iacocca's vision set new records that still exist today.
The Mustang debuted in April 1964 at the New York World's Fair. Based on Ford's compact Falcon, the Mustang brought sporty looks and enhanced performance to an otherwise practical car, thus filling in the marketing gap left when the Ford Thunderbird was transformed from a sports roadster to a luxury vehicle.
While the Mustang prototype featured a mid-mounted engine and seating for two, the production model was a four-seater (two-plus-two configuration) with a front engine.
Sharing many components with Ford's Falcon and Fairlane, the Mustang was always intended to be an affordable vehicle, and engineers took special care in keeping material costs down. Introduced before the rest of the 1965 model-year cars (and therefore often referred to as a "1964 1/2"), Mustang sales immediately exceeded expectations, selling nearly 10 times as many units as originally forecast.
The Mustang was conceived by Donald Frey, a product manager at Ford. Along with support from Lee Iacocca, Frey challenged Ford designers to imagine different looks for the Mustang, finally choosing the car designed by David Ash and John Oros to put into production.
The classic Mustang was offered as either a convertible or a hardtop coupe. The base model hardtop included a 170-cubic-inch inline-six-cylinder engine coupled with a three-speed manual gearbox and retailed for just over $2,300. An optional 260-cubic-inch V-8-engine version was also available.
Late in the 1965 model year new engine options were introduced, including a 200-cubic-inch, 120-horsepower engine. A 200-horsepower, 289-cubic-inch engine replaced the earlier V-8. A 225-horsepower version with a four-barrel carburetor was also offered.
Soon after its introduction, a GT equipment package, which included a 225-horsepower V-8 engine, special headlights and disc brakes, was offered.
Mustang dimensions were set at a 108-inch wheelbase, 181.6-inch length and 68.2-inch width.
The classic Mustang has remained a popular car among collectors and auto enthusiasts. In 2005, Ford introduced the fifth-generation Mustang, which takes many of its design cues from the classic version. The influence of the classic Mustang can also be seen in numerous models, both foreign and domestic, that combine moderate performance and sporty styling in a car suitable for daily driving.
Early Mustangs also proved successful in road racing. The GT 350 R, the race version of the Shelby GT 350, won five of the Sports Car Club of America's (SCCA) six divisions in 1965. Drivers were Jerry Titus, Bob Johnson and Mark Donohue, and Titus won the (SCCA) B-Production national championship. GT 350s won the B-Production title again in 1966 and 1967. They also won the 1966 manufacturers’ championship in the inaugural SCCA Trans-Am series, and repeated the win the following year.
In 1969, modified versions of the 428 Mach 1, Boss 429 and Boss 302 took 295 United States Auto Club-certified records at Bonneville Salt Flats. The outing included a 24-hour run on a 10-mile (16 km) course at an average speed of 157 miles per hour (253 km/h). Drivers were Mickey Thompson, Danny Ongais, Ray Brock and Bob Ottum.
Boss 429 engines powered Ford Torinos in 1969 and 1970 NASCAR racing.
In 1970 the Mustang won the manufacturers’ championship in the Trans-Am series once again, with Parnelli Jones and George Follmer driving. Jones won the drivers’ title. Two years later Dick Trickle won 67 short-track feature races, a national record for wins in a single season.
In 1975 Ron Smaldone's Mustang became the first-ever American car to win the Showroom Stock national championship in SCCA road racing.
Mustangs also competed in the IMSA GTO class, with wins in 1984 and 1985. In 1985 John Jones also won the 1985 GTO drivers’ championship; Wally Dallenbach Jr., John Jones and Doc Bundy won the GTO class at the Daytona 24 Hours; and Ford won its first manufacturers’ championship in road racing since 1970. Three class wins went to Lynn St. James, the first woman to win in the series.
1986 brought eight more GTO wins and another manufacturers’ title. Scott Pruett won the drivers’ championship. The GT Endurance Championship also went to Ford.
In drag racing Rickie Smith’s Motorcraft Mustang won the International Hot Rod Association Pro Stock world championship.
In 1987 Saleen Autosport Mustangs driven by Steve Saleen and Rick Titus won the SCCA Escort Endurance SSGT championship, and in International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) racing a Mustang again won the GTO class in the Daytona 24 hours. In 1989, its silver anniversary year, the Mustang won Ford its first Trans-Am manufacturers’ title since 1970, with Lynn St. James winning the drivers’ championship. In 1997, Tommy Kendall’s Roush-prepared Mustang won a record 11 consecutive races in Trans-Am to secure his third straight driver’s championship.
In 2002 John Force broke his own NHRA drag racing record by winning his 12th national championship in his Ford Mustang Funny Car, Force beat that record again in 2006, becoming the first ever 14-time champion, again, driving a Mustang.[4]
Currently Mustangs compete in several racing series, including the Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup and the KONI Challenge, where it won the manufacturer's title in 2005 & 2008, and theCanada Drift, Formula Drift and D1 Grand Prix series. They are highly competitive in the SCCA Speed World Challenge GT Series.