When the Ford Mustang debuted in 1964 at the World’s Fair, the automotive landscape was changed forever. The Mustang’s powerful place in the history of cars is partly what drove Rutledge Wood and his crew to choose it as the model to rebuild for the “On The Road with eBay Motors” project. But what inspired Ford to create the quintessential pony car in the first place?
To get the answer, eBay Motors reached out to Jimmy Dinsmore, the Cincinnati-based auto writer who is currently co-authoring a book on Mustang history. James Halderman, his co-author, has written more than a dozen textbooks about auto technology. (Halderman is also the cousin of Gale Halderman, who designed the first Mustang.)
The book—tentatively entitled, “Birth of the Mustang: How Gale Halderman’s Design Became Ford’s Iconic Pony Car,” is expected to hit major outlets in summer 2018. Here are four potentially surprising things that emerged from our conversation.
1. Lee Iacocca Should Not Get All the Credit as the “Father of the Mustang.”
Assembly of the Ford Mustang in 1964, as seen in a photo available on eBay.
Most car fans believe that Lee Iacocca is the father of the Mustang, but that honor arguably belongs more to Hal Sperlich, a visionary product planner at Ford. “Hal had great instincts. He believed that baby boomers wanted a new type of car,” Dinsmore told us.
A successful execution of the beautiful design penned by Gale Halderman would not have been possible without Sperlich’s brilliant business plan—and the use of resources that Ford had poured into the Falcon platform. “He came up with the numbers to appease engineering and keep it an affordable price,” said Dinsmore.
2. The Original Mustang Didn’t Have Any Serious Competition.
Dinsmore told eBay Motors that when the Mustang launched, there was no such thing as a pony car. “Ford was the first to that stage, which is why it sold 22,000 units on the first day,” he said. The Mustang sold 419,000 units in its first year on the market—making it the most successful first-year launch in Ford’s history.
Journalists line up at the historic Dearborn Inn in April 1964 for the media’s first drive of the Ford Mustang. (Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Co.)
That success is due, in no small part, to the fact that the Mustang broke new ground. While the Plymouth Barracuda was introduced two weeks before the Mustang, the first generation ‘Cuda lacked the ‘Stang’s revolutionary visual appeal. Dinsmore has driven many Mustangs over the years, but one car tops his list: the original 1964-1/2 model. “I know it’s not the fastest,” he said. “But as soon as everyone at Ford drove that car, they knew they had something special.”
3. The Mustang Might Not Always Have a V-8 Option.
The 1964 Ford Mustang broke new ground by offering a big engine in a small car.
Stuffing a big powerful engine into a small car was instrumental to the Mustang’s initial success. While it has always been offered with an optional V-8 engine—starting with the 289 cubic-inch Windsor V-8 in the earliest models—that tradition might not continue forever. “Ford has done amazing engineering with its EcoBoost technologies,” explained Dinsmore. “You can get more power from smaller engines. Eventually, the Mustang’s engine options won’t include a V-8 because the power and performance will still be there with more efficient and improving engineering.”
Ford is promising a gas-electric hybrid Mustang by 2020—and has even teased the idea of an all-electric Mustang. “I don’t see Ford putting an electric motor in the Mustang anytime soon,” said Dinsmore. “But if they do, the torque would be unbelievable.”
4. The Mustang Could Last Another 50 Years. Or Not.
Ford unveiled the 2018 Mustang V-8 GT at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show.
While the F-150 pickup truck has been Ford’s best seller for decades, the brand relies on the Mustang for emotional impact. Each major revision is a roll of the dice.
“I think the Mustang will continue to be part of the Blue Oval’s family,” said Dinsmore. “It’s an icon. And I believe that when the Mustang turns 60 years old in 2024, there will certainly still be a new Mustang to celebrate.”
But will there still be a Mustang in 2064 when the model turns 100? “If I had to guess, I’d say no. The auto industry will be significantly different,” said Dinsmore. “But I hope it will still be here. The Mustang’s legacy should live forever.”
See 2014 Ford Mustang for sale on eBay.
