Ford Mustang – Over 40 Years and Going Strong

Here at The Auto Mall, we’ve seen quite a few vehicles come and go over the years, but few of them have graced our inventory quite as long as the Ford Mustang. Having just gotten a couple of almost-brand-new Mustangs in our inventory, we jogged our memories to take a look back at the beginnings of one of America’s favorite muscle cars.

In 1964, Ford had come quite a long way from the Model T to the T-Bird, and was about to change auto history again with the introduction of America’s first “pony car,” the Mustang. The car was the first of its class, sporting a coupe’s body with a long hood and short rear deck. This body type served as the inspiration for the entire “pony car” class, including other long-driven cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird and Toyota Celica. Today, the Mustang remains the only car of this class to have continued uninterrupted production throughout the last 4 decades.



The origin of the car’s name has remained unclear over the years, but speculations have been passed down over the years. Some believe the car’s designer was a fan of the P-51 Mustang, a fighter jet during World War II, and wanted the vehicle to reflect the same power the jets presented in battle. Others credit the company’s market research manager, who bred quarter horses and had a particular adoration of the wild mustang’s regal nature. It is only known that Henry Ford II would’ve liked to call it the T-Bird II, and an advertising campaign was actually prepared for the car under the name “Torino,” but it was “Mustang” that tested out the best among consumers.

Whatever the story behind the beginnings of the car, the life of this vehicle has been long and ever-changing and we look forward to it continuing to grow and evolve for many years to come. Of all the cars that come through our inventory, we know we can always trust a Ford Mustang to be someone’s next dream car and are proud to feature them in our inventory any day.