Mustang is Ford's longest running nameplate and the world's best-selling sports car since its release in 1964. Early 1960s, Lee Iacocca, vice president and general manager of Ford, envisioned a sporty youth-market car based on the compact Falcon. Developed in record time on a shoe-string budget, Ford introduced the 1965 Mustang at the World's Fair on April 17, 1964, to instant acclaim. Ford planned for 100,000 first-year sales, but dealers sold 22,000 on the first day. The Ford Mustang launched a whole new genre of automobiles, known as pony cars.

1964_Worlds_Fair_Ford_Exhibit_1965_Mustang_neg_CN3430 80first-Generation Mustang

Ford marketed the original Mustang as a 1965 model, though Ford made several production changes to cars built after August 1964, by which time Ford had already sold 120,000. Hobbyists refer to early Mustangs as "1964½" models, while post-August cars are "late" 1965s. The Mustang launched with convertible and notchback body styles, with the fastback joining the lineup as a late '65. 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.