The American auto industry was never the same after April 17, 1964.
A revolutionary vehicle made its public debut that would reshape automotive history.
And Lee Iacocca stunned the automotive world when the Ford Mustang debuted and changed America forever.
Ford’s bold gamble paid off when the Mustang took center stage at the World’s Fair
Ford Motor Company unveiled its groundbreaking Mustang at the New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows on April 17, 1964, creating a sensation that would define American muscle cars for generations.
The mastermind behind the Mustang was Ford executive Lee Iacocca, who recognized that young Baby Boomers wanted affordable, stylish vehicles that made a statement.
Henry Ford II personally unveiled the car at the World’s Fair, while simultaneously the same model debuted in Ford showrooms across America, creating unprecedented nationwide excitement.
Named for a World War II fighter plane, the Mustang was one of the first vehicles that came to be known as a “pony car.” Ford conceived it as a “working man’s Thunderbird” that offered style and performance at an affordable price.
“Ford Division confirmed today that it will introduce a new line of cars this spring,” said the press release issued Feb. 6, 1964. “The new line of cars will be called the Mustang… no further details on the new car line will be revealed until the time of its public introduction.”
When the covers came off at the World’s Fair, automotive journalists were left speechless. Nothing like the Mustang had ever been seen before.
America went wild for the Mustang as it shattered all sales records
The Mustang went on sale to the public on April 17, 1964, the same day as its World’s Fair debut.
Ford sold almost 22,000 Mustangs on the first day alone, an astonishing figure that signaled the birth of an American icon.
The marketing campaign behind the launch was unprecedented. The Mustang was featured on the covers of both Newsweek and Time magazines, and the night before it went on sale, commercials ran simultaneously on all three major television networks.
One buyer in Texas was so eager to own the new car that he reportedly slept at a Ford showroom until his check cleared and he could drive his new Mustang home.
The very first Mustang had a surprising foreign owner
In a twist of irony, Mustang Serial Number One—the very first production Mustang—was sold to a Canadian three days before the official launch date.
Eastern Provincial Airlines pilot Stanley Tucker walked into George Parsons Ford in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on April 14, 1964, and fell in love with a Wimbledon White convertible. Somehow, the 33-year-old pilot convinced the dealership to break the street date and sell him car number 5F08F100001.
Ford hadn’t intended for this pre-production model to be sold at all. It was one of approximately 180 cars built at the Rouge plant between February 10 and March 5, 1964. These initial cars served two purposes: they helped Ford ease into full production and provided display vehicles for dealers in time for the April 17 launch.
Not long after Tucker made his purchase, Ford tracked him down and asked to have Serial Number One back. Tucker declined the request at first, but after putting 10,000 miles on his prized possession, he finally agreed to a trade in early 1966. Ford offered him the one-millionth Mustang ever produced, custom-built to his specifications. When filling out the order form, Tucker covered the entire option sheet with a single large “X” – taking everything except the high-performance engine, which carried a shorter warranty.
On March 2, 1966, Tucker came to Dearborn, met with Ford vice-president Lee Iacocca, and received his new Silver Frost 1966 Mustang convertible. The original Serial Number One was returned to Ford, who donated it to The Henry Ford Museum, where it remains on display today.
By the end of the first year, Ford had sold over 418,000 Mustangs – shattering the industry record for first-year sales that had been held by the Ford Falcon.
The Mustang’s base price of $2,368 (about $22,800 in today’s dollars) made it affordable to the average American family, while optional upgrades meant buyers could customize their vehicles.
The Mustang represented the American dream during a turbulent era
The Mustang’s success went far beyond impressive sales figures. The car captured the American spirit at a pivotal moment in the nation’s history.
Coming just months after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Mustang offered Americans something positive to rally around during uncertain times.
The car’s name itself evoked the wild, untamed spirit of the American West. The Mustang galloped into American culture as a symbol of individual freedom and the pursuit of happiness.
The Mustang’s legacy left other automakers in the dust
Ford’s competitors were caught flat-footed by the Mustang’s success. General Motors scrambled to develop the Chevrolet Camaro, which didn’t hit showrooms until 1967, three years after the Mustang’s debut.
Chrysler rushed the Plymouth Barracuda to market just two weeks before the Mustang, but it failed to capture the public’s imagination in the same way.
Lee Iacocca became Ford’s president in October 1964, solidifying his legacy as one of the most influential auto executives in American history. When Henry Ford II fired him in 1978, Iacocca moved to Chrysler, where he engineered another automotive comeback with the minivan in the 1980s.
By the end of its first year, Ford had sold over 400,000 Mustangs, far exceeding all sales expectations. The car remains in production today, having survived for over six decades as one of America’s most beloved automotive icons.
The Mustang went on to become one of the most iconic vehicles in automotive history. By March 1966, just two years after its debut, the 1 millionth Mustang rolled off the assembly line. The car’s popularity was so immense that within three years, over 500 Mustang fan clubs had formed across America.
The Mustang has since become a Hollywood star in its own right. It appeared on the silver screen in the James Bond movie Goldfinger, the same year it debuted. A green 1968 Mustang 390 GT was famously featured in Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, in a jaw-dropping car chase through the streets of San Francisco.
The Mustang didn’t just change the automotive landscape – it transformed American culture. The U.S. Postal Service even issued a commemorative stamp honoring the original model for its 35th anniversary in 1999.
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