Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is an American automobile manufactured by Ford. It was originally based on the platform of the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. The original 1962 Ford Mustang I two-seater concept car had evolved into the 1963 Mustang II four-seater concept car which Ford used to pretest how the public would take interest in the first production Mustang. The 1963 Mustang II concept car was designed with a variation of the production model's front and rear ends with a roof that was 2.7 inches shorter. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, and thus dubbed as a "1964½" by Mustang fans, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A. The Mustang has undergone several transformations to its current sixth generation.

The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobiles, affordable sporty coupes with long hoods and short rear decks and gave rise to competitors such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, AMC Javelin, Chrysler's revamped Plymouth Barracuda, and the first generation Dodge Challenger. The Mustang is also credited for inspiring the designs of coupés such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, which were imported to the United States.

The Ford Mustang was brought out five months before the normal start of the 1965 production year. The early production versions are often referred to as "1964½ models" but all Mustangs were advertised, VIN coded and titled by Ford as 1965 models, though minor design updates for fall 1965 contribute to tracking 1964½ production data separately from 1965 data (see data below). with production beginning in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964; the new car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York World's Fair.

Executive stylist John Najjar, who was a fan of the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter plane, is credited by Ford to have suggested the name. Najjar co-designed the first prototype of the Ford Mustang known as Ford Mustang I in 1961, working jointly with fellow Ford stylist Philip T. Clark. The Mustang I made its formal debut at the United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York on October 7, 1962, where test driver and contemporary Formula One race driver Dan Gurney lapped the track in a demonstration using the second "race" prototype. His lap times were only slightly off the pace of the F1 race cars.

The sixth generation Mustang was unveiled on December 5, 2013, in Dearborn, Michigan, New York, Los Angeles, California; Barcelona, Spain, Shanghai, China; and Sydney, Australia. The internal project codename is S-550.

Changes include widened body by 1.5 inches, 1.4 inches lower body, trapezoidal grille, and a 2.75-inch lower decklid, as well as new colors. The passenger volume is increased to 84.5 cubic feet, and three engine options are available: 2.3 L EcoBoost 310 hp four-cylinder, 3.7 L 300 hp V6, or 5.0 L Coyote 435 hp V8, with either a Getrag six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The newly introduced smaller 2.3 L EcoBoost I4 engine is developed to reach high tariff global markets like China.

The 2015 Mustang features a new independent rear suspension (IRS) system, developed specifically for the new model.

The 2015 Mustang became the first version that was factory designed as a right hand drive export model to be sold overseas through Ford new car dealerships in right hand drive markets. During this model year, left hand drive versions were expanded to new export markets.

In May 2016, the National Mustang Museum was announced, with an expected opening in Concord, North Carolina in summer 2017. The decision to locate somewhere in Concord was a result of the success of the 2014 Mustang 50th anniversary celebration at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, with over 4,000 Mustangs registered and an estimated economic impact of $8.3 million.

Favorable publicity articles appeared in 2,600 newspapers the next morning, the day the car was "officially" revealed.
The song Mustang Sally, recorded by Wilson Pickett in 1966, is about a man who buys a Mustang for his ungrateful girlfriend. It has been described by one cultural historian as "Free advertising for the Ford Motor Company."
Steve McQueen drove a Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 fastback in the famous chase scene in the 1968 film Bullitt. As a result of that and other Hollywood movies the car "enjoyed celebrity status in the 1960s."
A 1971 Mustang Mach 1 was featured in the James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
The David Gelb directed documentary A Faster Horse covers the vehicle's history creation of the 2015 Mustang.
The 1974 version of Gone in Sixty Seconds featured a 1971 (fitted to resemble a 1973) Mustang fastback.