Ford Mustang: 55th Anniversary

The Ford Mustang is 55 years old this year, 2019! 

There have been more than 10 million Mustangs made, so that's more than 10 million amazing stories. We'll be bringing you just some of those here over the next few weeks.


On April 17, 1964, an American icon was born. 

Its 1st year sales exceeded expectations – with more than 400,000 Mustang sold. 55 years later, the brand is still going strong, producing more than 10 million Mustangs so far.

A third grade school teacher falls in love with the first Mustang.

She bought the iconic car two days before it was unveiled to the world. 55 years later, Gail Wise still owns the baby blue convertible.

The Mustang's first appearance in a major movie blockbuster was Goldfinger in 1964.

Movie goers were awestruck by a thrilling car chase sequence which played out in the Swiss mountains.

When the Mustang Cobra charmed us all.

Originally conceived as a homage to the classic Shelby Mustangs, the Cobra moniker became synonymous with power and performance.

In addition to sporting a V8 engine, what markedly differentiated the Cobra line from other Mustang models were the hood scoop and racing stripes –both effectively adding a dramatic effect– as well as the cobra emblem on its front fenders.

Sonny and Cher rocked the 60s with their hippy charm, wispy music and a groovy pair of Mustang convertibles.

Designed by George Barris, the self- proclaimed “King of Kustomizers,” Sonny’s Mustang was painted with a gold and brown colour combination called “Murano Gold”, while Cher’s sported “Hot Candy Pink”, a dazzling pink motif. 

“Mustang Sally” is considered an R&B classic, ranked as one of the Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of all Time”.

Originally penned by Mack Rice in 1965, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Wilson Pickett, pushed it to mainstream popularity after he had covered it a year later.

1968 – Mustang and Steve McQueen star in the movie classic, Bullitt.

Hailed as one of cinema’s all-time best, the car chase sequence in “Bullitt” saw the King of Cool, Steve McQueen, and the iconic 1968 Mustang GT Fastback blazing through the tight streets of San Francisco at unbelievable speeds, sometimes reaching over 180km/h.

1971 – Mustang sparkles in the Bond movie, Diamonds are Forever.

In the filming of “Diamonds are Forever,” director Guy Hamilton approached Ford to use one of their signature vehicles for an intense car chase scene in the heart of Las Vegas. Ford agreed but with one condition – James Bond had to drive the 1971 Mustang Mach 1. The scene gained pop culture fame when the thrilling chase culminated with the Mustang tilting on its two side wheels to pass a narrow alley.

1974 – Gone in 60 Seconds - Eleanor the Mustang becomes a Hollywood star.

Here’s your movie trivia of the day: The longest car chase in movie history stars the 1971 Ford Mustang, endearingly named “Eleanor” in the classic “Gone in 60 Seconds.” With a running time of 40 minutes, the pursuit spans six California cities, from Long Beach to Carson, with over 90 vehicles getting “destroyed” along the way.

2005 – Mustang becomes a street legend on PS2.

Featuring over 40 playable Ford Mustang vehicles and 22 tracks, Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives was quickly deemed as a must-to-have for both Mustang fans and racing gamers alike.

The game was noted for its “Career Mode” where players can create a custom Mustang and race it against others.

2009 – Dearborn Doll Mustang honors the WWII P-51 aircraft.

Inspired by the WWII famous P-51 aircraft, the one-of-a-kind Mustang AV-X10 

“Dearborn Doll” raised a whopping $250,000 for the annual EAA AirVenture charity event. The Dearborn Doll used the GT version of the 2010 Mustang as its foundation and was equipped with 4.6L V8 engine modified by Ford Racing.

2013 – REC Watches turn Mustang parts into high-end time pieces.

The phrase “a timeless masterpiece” achieved a new meaning when the Danish firm, REC Watches, salvaged parts and fragments of classic Mustangs to create hundreds of unique timepieces. “Most people would just see a pile of metal, a ghost of a Mustang,” said co-founder Christian Mygh. “We see something completely different – the soul of a car and a story that needs to be told.”

2014 – Burj Khalifa welcomes Mustang to the top of the world.

It’s not often you take an elevator to the 112th floor just to see a legendary supercar. But that was the case with the 2014 Mustang, whose unveiling deserved the highest car showroom in the world. To pull off this amazing stunt, a team of six Ford engineers flew from Dearborn, Michigan, and spent 12 hours re-assembling the car in Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

2015 – Apollo Edition Mustang salutes the spirit of ingenuity.

Specially built for the annual aviation event, EAA AirVenture show, the Apollo Edition Mustang auctioned off for $230,000, its proceeds went to the EAA’s youth aviation programs. The customized one-off took inspiration from NASA, the space organization that sent a man to the moon.

2015 – #Mustang shines as a social media star.

At the peak age of social media influencers, Ford Mustang swerved into the scene, engines blazing, and secured its status as the most hashtagged car on Instagram.

2017 – A herd of 960 Mustangs form a record- breaking parade.

How to make a nationwide launch of a new Mustang model a worldwide sensation? By breaking a Guinness World Record, that’s how. Ford Mexico called out all Mustang owners in the country to attend a special event in Toluca, celebrating the launch of the 2018 Mustang. At the event, electronic sensors were affixed to every Mustang, enabling Guinness supervisors to accurately count the ponies as they paraded past the recording device, giving the all- time record of a staggering 960 Ford Mustangs.

2018 - The 10 millionth Mustang makes history.

The 10 millionth Ford Mustang rolled off the Flat Rock, Michigan assembly line in August, marking a milestone moment for Mustang and avid fans everywhere.

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