An early Mustang

[TC Chris]

I was spending (note I did not say "wasting") time on YouTube yesterday, and over on the right side they were tempting me with other cool videos. One was a Jay Leno video about a 1964-1/2 "K Code" Mustang--the first high-performance 289 V-8 model. One of the earliest ones survived and ended up in the hands of the kind of guy who could tell you the original part number for a heater hose. He has restored it to perfection. It's a blue convertible, black top. It had 35 miles on it since the completion of the restoration, and he let Jay drive the beautiful car around on public streets.

One reaction was just what a lovely design that first Mustang was. It's surely one of the most famous cars ever, universally recognized. What a cool vehicle, small and light, fast and elegant.

Another reaction was surprise at what the owner, a true expert, revealed. Ford was developing performance models from the get-go, and some of the earliest cars sold were performance models. They put a lot of work into making it work. I always had heard that Ford was surprised that it succeeded, and even more surprised that people wanted more performance than the 6-cyl. base model provided. Turns out it was not true. They had designed performance versions and built them from the beginning.

Sometimes things succeed because they are good.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

The Mustang was based on Falcon underpinnings. The Falcon was not very exciting, but it was a sturdy, economical car that could only be killed by rust. They could sell all the Mustangs they could build for the first couple of years.