The original Ford Mustang debuted on April 17, 1964, at the attractive price of $2,368. Dealers were inundated with requests for the sleekly-styled new vehicle. In Garland, Texas, 15 customers thronged to bid on the same Mustang. The winning bidder resorted to sleeping overnight in his new car so that it wouldn’t be sold out from under him before his check could clear.

Ford initially forecasted annual sales of about 100,000 units. On the first day alone, dealers took 22,000 Mustang orders. Shortly after its introduction, the fledgling vehicle’s success was official when it was featured on the racetrack as the pace car for the 1964 Indianapolis 500. During the Mustang’s first 12 months on the market, sales built to an astounding 417,000. Within two years, sales had catapulted to one million.

“When the Mustang was unveiled, the reaction was so positive that there was no doubt it was going to be a success,” recalls Joe Oros, chief designer of Ford’s original pony car – dubbed the 1964½, because it was launched at an unusual halfway point during the year.

Don Frey, Product Planning Manager for the original Ford Mustang, says he knew the car was going to be a hit months earlier when the design team gave Ford employees a sneak peek at one of the prototypes. “We built the first prototype in an experimental garage, and employees flooded the place to see it. Their reaction was spectacular, and it was very revealing to us. We knew the car was going to be roaring success from the start.”

Frey says he believes the car had such dramatic appeal because the styling was very unusual for its day. “The design was very European, particularly the front end. There was no other car like it in North America at that time.” Another facet of the original Mustang’s appeal was that it was made to suit the tastes of a wide range of customers; available models included economical “base,” high-performance and luxury variants, which featured the most extensive roster of options Detroit had offered to date. Three distinct body styles were manufactured, as well - convertible, hardtop and fastback.

“Mustang was designed to be designed by you,” an original print ad declared. And it was true. Everyone who owned a Mustang believed no one else had a vehicle like his, and yet the Mustang had enduring universal appeal. Despite its status as an icon of automotive lore, the Mustang remains as wildly popular as ever with enthusiasts everywhere.