Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) is revving its engines to celebrate a milestone birthday: the 60th anniversary of its iconic Mustang.
A Star is Born: The Mustang made its world debut on April 17, 1964, at the New York World’s Fair. According to Ford, nearly 15 million fairgoers took a spin in the Mustang on the nearly half-mile-long Magic Skyway ride designed by Walt Disney. Talk about a grand entrance!
Instant Classic: The base model Mustang back then was priced at a cool $2,368 — roughly the equivalent of 420 Big Macs today. Ford sold a staggering 100,000 Mustangs within four months and a whopping 418,000 units in its first year. The car’s popularity even inspired a 1965 song by Mack Rice, “Mustang Sally,” about a woman smitten with her new ride.
Nearly two years after its debut, on March 2, 1966, the one-millionth Mustang rolled off the assembly line. Ford Vice President Donald N. Frey then stated, “Mustang has come to mean more than either a horse or automobile. Mustang means fun and youth and glamour. Mustang means sunglasses and shoes and hats.”
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