The Ford Mustang created the "Pony car" class of american muscle cars, affordable sporty coupes with a long hoods and short rear decks, and gave rise to competitors such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, AMC Javellin, Chrysler's revamped Plymouth Barracuda, and the second generation Dodge challenger. The Ford Mustang is also credited for inspiring the designs of coupes such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, which were imported to united states.
- First generation
Lee lacocca's assistant general manager and chief engineer, Donal N. Frey was the head engineer for the T-5 project - supervising the overall development of the car in the record 18 months - while lacocca himself championed the project as Ford division general manager. The T-5 prototype was a two-seat, mid-mounted engine roadster. This vehicle employed the Ford Taunus V4 engine.
It was claimed that the decision to abandon the two-seat design was in part due to the increase in sales the Thunderbird had seen when enlarged from a two-seater to 2+2 in 1958. Thus, a four-seat car with full space for the front bucket seats as originally planned, and a rear bench seat with significantly less space than was common at the time, were standard.
- Second generation
The new model, called "Ford Mustang II", was introduced on September 21, 1973, two months before the first 1973 oil crisis, and its reduced size allowed it to complete against imported sports coupes such as the Japanese Toyota Celica and the Europian Ford Capri.
First year sales were 385,993 cars, compared with the original mustang's 12 month's sales record of 418,812. Ultimately, the Mustang II would be an early example of downsizing that would take place among Detroits' Big Three later in the decade.
- Third generation
The 1979 Mustang was based on the larger Fox platform. The larger body with an increased wheelbase yielded more interior space for four passengers, especially in the back seat, as well as the larger capacity trunk and a bigger engine bay.
The third generation mustang had two different front end styles. From 1979 - 1986, the front end was angled back using four rectangular headlights, known by enthusiasts as "Four Eyes". The front end was restyled for 1987 to 1993 model years to reflect the contemporary, rounded-off "aero" style of the Ford Taurus using flush-composite headlamps and a smooth grille-less nose.
- Fourth generation
In November 1993, The Ford Mustang debuted its first major redesign in 15 years. Code named "SN-95" by the automaker, It is based on a updated version of the rear-wheel drive Fox platform called "Fox-4". The new styling by Patrick Schiavone incorporated several styling cues from earlier Mustangs. For the first time since its introduction 1964, a notchback coupe was unavailable.
- Fifth generation
Ford introduced a re-designed 2005 model year Mustang at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, code named "S-197" that was based on the new D2C platform developed under the direction of chief engineer Hau Thai-tang, a veteran engineer for Ford's IndyCar program under Mario Andretti, and exterior styling designer Sid Ramnarace, the fifth generation Mustang's styling echoes the fastback Mustang models of the late-1960s.
The 2010 model year Mustang was released in the spring of 2009 with a re-designed exterior - which included sequential LED talllights - and a reduced drag coefficient of 4% on base models and 7% on GT models.
- Sixth generation
The sixth generation Mustang was unveiled on December 5, 2013. In February 2015, the Mustang earned a 5-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for front, side and rollover crash protection. The 2018 model year Mustang was released in the third quarter of 2017 in North America and by 2018 globally. It featured a minor redesign to the exterior. The 2018 Mustang engine was revised. In January 2018, Ford displayed a prototype of the special edition 2018 Bullit model, to be released in the summer, this vehicle commemorated the 50th anniversary of the movie that helped attract interest in the marque.
- Drifting
- Awards
The 1965 Mustang won the Tiffany Gold Medal for excellence in American Design, the first automobile ever to do so.
The mustang was on the Car and Driver Ten Best list 1983, 1987, 1988, 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2016. It won the Motor Trend Car of the Year award in 1987 and 1994.
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