On This Day

Ford Motor Company Unveils New Mustang

Ford decided the Mustang would debut in the spring of 1964 rather than the traditional fall new-car season, so it would have the spotlight all to itself. The reveal took place on April 17th, at the New York World’s Fair, giving the new car the biggest possible stage.

The Mustang was fresh and sporty, standard bucket seats and a floor shifter that appealed to youth. It's low starting price ($2,368 – or $17,813 in today’s dollars) put it within reach of its natural audience.

The Mustang was named for a WWII fighter plane, and was the first of the vehicles that came to be known as a “pony car” (an affordable, compact, highly styled car with a sporty or performance-oriented image). Ford sold more than 400,000 Mustangs within its first year of production, far exceeding sales expectations.

The Mustang underwent numerous evolutions, but is still in production today, with over 9 million sold.