Sixty years ago today was the debut of one of the world’s most successful cars, and my personal favorite, Ford’s Mustang.
The first-generation Ford Mustang was manufactured by Ford from March 1964 until 1973. The introduction of the Mustang created a new class of automobiles known as pony cars. The Mustang's styling, with its long hood and short deck, proved wildly popular and inspired a host of competition.
It was introduced on April 17, 1964, as a hardtop and convertible with the fastback version to follow in August 1964. Upon introduction, the Mustang, sharing its platform with the Falcon, was slotted into the compact car segment.
Mustangs are now in their 7th generation.
Ford previewed the seventh-generation Mustang at the 2022 Detroit Auto Show on September 14, in a special event called "The Stampede".[86][87] As part of its introduction, multiple track-only models were showcased, such as a NASCAR Cup Series body, a V8 Supercar version, and multiple GT racing versions, among others. Also announced was the addition of the “Dark Horse” series. Bridging the gap between the Mach 1 and now-discontinued GT350, the Dark Horse performs much the same role as the 2012-2013 Boss 302 Mustangs— a street legal car with enhanced performance on road courses. The seventh generation Mustang is assembled at Ford's Flat Rock Assembly Plant and began production on May 1, 2023,[88][89] initially available with either the redesigned 2.3L EcoBoost turbocharged 4-cylinder with 315 hp (235 kW), or the revised, 4th generation Coyote V8 with 480–486 hp (358–362 kW) in the GT and 500 hp (373 kW) in the Dark Horse.[90][91][92] At launch, three transmissions were offered: a Getrag 6-speed manual (GT only), a Tremec 6-speed manual transmission (Dark Horse only), or a 10-speed automatic transmission (available on all trims).
A pretty good track record.
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