The weekend just gone, saw a bevy of superb classics descend upon City Park in Bradford for the City’s annual celebration of automotive beauty. And yet, amongst all of the special cars on display there was really only one car that truly stood out. One car that can perhaps claim to be one of the most influential cars of the last 54 years. The 1964 Mustang still looked as good today as it must have done all of those years ago.
And for MotorMartin’s review of the Mustang please click here.
With that in mind, it was somewhat of a surprise when Ford confirmed to MotorMartin recently that they are celebrating the production of their 10 millionth Mustang – America’s best-selling sports car of the last 50 years and the world’s best-selling sports car three years straight.
The 10 millionth Ford Mustang, Ford say, is a high-tech, 460 horsepower 2019 Wimbledon White GT V8 six-speed manual convertible equipped with the latest driver assist technology and built at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan. The first serialised Mustang (VIN 001) produced in 1964 was the same colour and model with a three-speed manual transmission and 164 horsepower V8.
“Mustang is the heart and soul of this company and a favourite around the world,” Explained Jim Farley, presidentof global markets, Ford Motor Company to MotorMartin. “I get the same thrill seeing a Mustang roll down a street in Detroit, London or Beijing that I felt when I bought my first car – a 1966 Mustang coupe that I drove across the country as a teenager. Mustang is a smile-maker in any language.”
Ford is celebrating the milestone with employee celebrations at its Dearborn headquarters and its Flat Rock Assembly Plant, U.S., including flyovers from three WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter planes and Mustangs produced for more than five decades parading from Dearborn to Flat Rock, where the Mustang currently is manufactured.
Best-selling sports car
Mustang is America’s best-selling sports car over the last 50 years, based on Ford analysis of 1966-2018 total U.S. new vehicle cumulative registrations for all sports car segments supplied by IHS Markit.
Ford has sold over 7,000 in the UK since it first went on sale in 2016, and more than 38,000 Mustangs across Europe in the same period.
Last year, Mustang outsold the Porsche 911 in 13 European markets, including the U.K. and Spain. The leading five European markets for Mustang sales in 2017 were Germany, the U.K., France, Belgium, and Sweden. In 2017, Mustang GT was the best-selling V8 sports car in the UK, with over 1,500 sold.
Announced earlier this year, the special edition Ford Mustang Bullitt celebrates the 50th anniversary of the legendary Warner Bros. film. Powered by an enhanced 5.0-litre V8 engine, Bullitt has now sold out its special edition production run for the year in the UK, with vehicles due to arrive later this year.
In addition, the one-of-a-kind Eagle Squadron Mustang GT, driven on the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill Climb by Vaughn Gittin Jr., raised $420,000 at the recent charity auction for the Experimental Aircraft Association’s youth aviation education programs.
Better Than Ever
It’s quite clear that the latest Ford Mustang offers more technology, exhilarating performance and more personalisation than ever.
The new Ford Mustang features a more athletic exterior, and an upscale interior with soft-touch materials and 12-inch digital instrument cluster. Enhanced powertrains include Ford’s 450 PS 5.0-litre V8 and 10-speed automatic transmission for 0-62mph acceleration in 4.3 seconds. A six-speed manual transmission option is equipped with Ford’s new rev-matching technology for smoother, faster downshifts accompanied by a “blip” of the powerful engine.
Advanced driving technologies include MagneRide® adjustable suspension, selectable Drive Modes and a new Active Valve Performance Exhaust that delivers an innovative Good Neighbour Mode for early-morning or late-night driving. New driver assistance technologies include Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection and Lane Keeping Aid.
The Ford Mustang is now in its sixth generation. In addition to its sales leadership, the Mustang page has more likes on Facebook than any other vehicle nameplate.
What more can you say? Here’s to the next 10 million.
Where will you go?