Car Fans Gather to Celebrate Mustang's 40th Anniversary

AP ^ | April 16, 2004

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Car Fans Gather to Celebrate Mustang's 40th Anniversary

By Scott Reeves

Apr 16, 2004

Associated Press Writer

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Craig Hutain has spent $17,000 and put in about 1,500 hours over the past four years restoring the original look of his 1965 Mustang - right down to the "springtime yellow" paint and tachometer mounted on the steering column. Hutain, who bought the Mustang while in high school, is one of thousands of Mustang owners gathering this weekend near Nashville to celebrate the car's 40th anniversary.

The Mustang made its debut April 17, 1964 at the World's Fair in New York. Since then, about 8 million people have bought one.

Hutain, 44, a commercial pilot from Montgomery, Texas, considers his work a "tasteful restoration." His long-suffering wife, Lori, would say only, "It takes a lot of patience."

The Mustang was devised by Lee Iacocca, then Ford division chief, and product manager Donald Frey. The early models were little more than Ford's family sedan, the Falcon, with a new body.

But the car's image appealed to performance enthusiasts, and the Mustang became an American icon.

Frey, now 81, attended the Nashville event and signed autographs like a rock star. One man proclaimed him a "true genius" - an accolade that drew a snort from Frey.

"The original team didn't have a lot of people or money," he said. "We did everything on the cheap. ... The first car had only one light that flashed when the turn indictor was on."

Frey said the first Mustang rolled out only 18 months after getting the go-ahead from top management.

"I remember that we hoped to sell 86,000 units because we made a little money at that level," he said. "We sold over 400,000 in the first year and more than a million in the second."

Frey now teaches engineering at Northwestern University, and his students frequently ask how he launched the Mustang.

"I tell them to understand their market," Frey said. "It's important to know what people want."

But Ford launched the Mustang with little market research. Names considered for the new car included Cheetah, Puma, Cougar, Colt and Special Falcon.

Joseph Oros, now 87, set the design standards for the Mustang.

"I told the team that I wanted the car to appeal to women, but I wanted men to desire it, too," he said. "I wanted a Ferrari-like front end, the motif centered on the front - something heavy-looking like a Maseratti, but, please, not a trident - and I wanted air intakes on the side to cool the rear brakes. I said it should be as sporty as possible and look like it was related to European design."

A 1965 ad for the Mustang called it "a car to make weak men strong, strong men invincible."

Paul J. Russell, the current marketing manager for the Mustang, said a new V-6 lists at less than $20,000 and a loaded GT Coupe sells for slightly more than $30,000.

It sells well among baby boomers, but also among people younger than 30, Russell said. And about half its buyers are women.

"The car is more about 'psychographics' than demographics," Russell said.

Hau Thai-Tang, 37, chief engineer for the current Mustang, got his first look at the car as a child in Vietnam where it served as a prop at USO shows.

"When you look at the 2005 car, you can see the family resemblance, but it's also a new car," he said. "We went through our rich history and looked at what worked and what didn't. We quickly focused on the 1967-1968 models to draw inspiration from."

Hutain's 1965 Mustang had about 126,000 miles on it when he started the restoration. He's added just a few because he rarely drives it on city streets. He and his wife towed it on a trailer from Texas to the Nashville Superspeedway.

"When I wash the tires, I take the wheels off," he said. "My car has never had a hose on it."

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Pictures are absolutely necessary

[jennyp]

Ahhhh, the Mustang. For a few years it was the most beautiful car ever made!

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[Iowa Granny]

I bought a '65 Mustang... ordered it from the factory. It was a Red Convertible,, rally pack, Pony Interior,, the works,,, except the electric retractable roof. Those darned electric roof thingys only worked the first 6 months, anyway.

I paid $26,000 for that car. When I got married in 1967, my husband, the farmer, talked me into selling the car. To this day, my heart sinks when I see one on the road or parked at the Mall.

I was going to try to find another one. But someone reminded me that there was no Factory Air Conditioning in convertibles back in 1965. Times have changed,, and so have I.

Today I have a replica sitting on my desk to remind me of my wild and crazy youth.

[Blood of Tyrants]

$26,000 or $2,600?

[nuconvert]

$26,000??? You mean $2,600, right?

Sounds nice........

[Blood of Tyrants]

Hey! My litte burg (Gladeville) is in the news!

[Lunatic Fringe]

I like the 2005 Mustang.

[Sans-Culotte]

My first car, back in 1974 was a 1967 Mustang. It cost me $800 then. It did have A/C which is de rigeur in Texas. I drove that little car to death.

[Congressman Billybob]

I left college in a 1964 powder blue Mustang sedan in May of that year. It was a present from my folks for graduating from college and ceasing to be a financial burden on them.

I put 50,000 miles on that car in the first year, including four trips cross-country and forays into Mexico and Canada. It was a superlative car, and very comfortable for me (6 ft 2 in, I don't fit very well in most small cars).

Wish I still had that puppy. But when one marries and has children, one trades in a car like that on a station wagon. LOL.

All you who are on the leading edge of the baby boomers, remember the Mustang, remember "Louie, Louie," and help put a seasoned veteran of life and society into Congress. I promise that I will INVEST my congressional salary (which I don't need these days) in a restored Mustang with a plate on it that says "FREEPER11."

The reason for that is I will represent the 11th District of North Carolina, and I will be the first Freeper to become a Member of Congress. And if you come to Washington and visit, you'll be welcome to drive that Mustang to your favorite restaurant that has valet parking. (Gotta show it off, right? And they'll probably think that YOU are the Congressman. LOL.)

Congressman Billybob

Click here, then click the blue CFR button, to join the anti-CFR effort (or visit the "Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob" thread). Please do it now.

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Cherish the moment.......

[Mr. Mojo]

The new 'Stang is nice alright. Ford is making some fine retro cars these days -- the Thunderbird, the Mustang, and of course the amazing Ford GT (Check out the video, btw. .....wait a few seconds, turn on your speakers, and click on the appropriate link).

By contrast, have you seen the new supposedly retro Pontiac GTO? It looks like a Honda Civic. Horrific.

[Iowa Granny]

$2,600. Thank you for the correction. Major typo

[wjcsux]

bump

[wjcsux]

A wimp compared to this one!

[knews_hound]

Oh How I wish I could post pics.

My little pony is one of the best decisions I ever made.

I only regret I dont have enough time to drive it much....

Cheers,

knews hound

[Biblebelter]

I remember when the movie '"A Man and A Woman" came out. It was a French film that had some mainstream popularity. By mainstream standards it was considered steamy. I had watched a lot of French films and was not affected by the steaminess. But I was really impressed with the music and Jean Louis Trignant driving that Mustang in the sand on the beach. An American sportscar in a French film, I knew the Mustang had really made it and that I wanted one.

[brooklin]

I wish that I could post pics to, but my '67 fastback isn't all that pretty. Body is rough,but aren't we all. The engine, 289 rebuild with a decent cam is nice though.
My first car was a '68 convertible. If we only knew. I bought that first car for $200 .

[hayburner]

Just got back from lunch - went in honor of the 40th birthday in Mr. hb's 1965 red Mustang. Top down, of course, because it is a glorious spring day in Southern California.

Long live the Mustang.