Take a Ride Back in Time

The sixties was a decade of “counterculture” and revolution in social norms about clothing, music, drugs, dress, sexuality, formalities, and schooling also labelled the Swinging Sixties because of the fall or relaxation of social taboos that occurred during this time, but also because of the emergence of a wide range of music; from the Beatles-inspired British Invasion and the folk music revival, to the poetic lyrics of Bob Dylan. Norms of all kinds were broken down, especially in regards to civil rights and precepts of military duty.

The overall worldwide economic trend in the 1960s was one of prosperity, expansion of the middle class, and the proliferation of new domestic technology. The sixties witnessed the birth of: flower power, 8-track tapes, Batman TV series, bell bottoms, touch-tone phones and the Ford Mustang.

It was the mid sixties and the Baby Boom generation was coming of age; 46% of new car purchases were made by people with some level of post secondary education, additionally, more families were looking to add a second car to their garage. The number of families owning two or more cars in the U.S. increased from 1 million in 1959 to 13 million by 1963, and was continuing to rise. Research showed that women car owners were one of the segments growing most quickly and that the number of female drivers had increased by 53% between 1956 and 1963.

Women typically made the most use of the second car and they were forming decided opinions about what kind of car it should be – small and manoeuvrable that would handle and park easily. In other words, there was a large, particular, youthful, educated market being created with a special emphasis on woman drivers.

The Ford Mustang debuted at the World's Fair 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 cheque could clear.

Justin Case, Termination Agent for the Tin Can Communications Company and storyteller in Chasing the Wendigo, the first book in the Justin and Friends brozy mystery series, is a proud owner of a blue metallic fleck 1964½ Notchback Mustang. The 1964½ was so named because it was launched at an unusual halfway point during the year.

The Mustang was offered in convertible and notchback body styles, with the fastback joining the lineup as a late '65. Executive stylist John Najjar, who was a fan of the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter plane, is credited by Ford with suggesting the name.

A plethora of options enabled buyers to configure their Mustang as anything from an economical runabout to a weekend race car. Total sales for the 1965 model (including "1964½" cars) was 681,000—nearly seven times Ford's projections. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate.

Mustangs began making big-screen appearances in 1964 and have featured prominently in hundreds of notable films since. In 1964, the Bond film Goldfinger was the first movie to show off Ford's new sporty car, a white 1964 convertible driven by a beautiful assassin. After a brief chase in the Swiss Alps, Sean Connery, in his Aston Martin DB5, shreds the Mustang's tires and its rocker panel (borrowing a chariot racer trick from the epic film Ben Hur).

Then there was “Bullitt”, the first movie to put cameras in the cars to give the audience the feeling of riding along with their heroes, and many still consider it to be the best car chase ever put on film. Steve McQueen’s Highland Green Mustang, a 390-powered Fastback with a 4-speed and a steering wheel from a 1967 Shelby GT500, has become an icon as has the bad guy’s black 1968 Dodge Charger. The scene revolutionized how car chases would forever be seen in movies.

The success of the Mustang launch led to multiple competitors from other American manufacturers, including the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird (1967), AMC Javelin (1968), and Dodge Challenger (1970).

As rumours circulate about the possibilities for the S650 generation, expected to debut in 2023, it's clear that the Mustang story is still being built.

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