It looks a lot like this; same color, same wheels, but a '65 gunmetal grille and - unlike this one, mine still has windshield wipers and side mirrors. No matching P-51D, alas...
Thanks for all the miles of smiles, Mr. Frey. You done good.
Posted on 03/29/2010 4:06:06 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy
Donald N. Frey, the engineer who spearheaded the design and development of the Mustang, the spunky, stylish, affordably priced “pony car” that the Ford Motor Company rolled out in the mid-1960s in one of the most successful car introductions in automotive history, died March 5 in Evanston, Ill., where he lived. He was 86.
/...../
Though much of the Mustang was borrowed from other Ford vehicles, including a Falcon chassis, the car developed an identity all its own for a younger generation in search of new looks and experiences. It was designed to appeal to both men and women, had a dash of elegance copied from European sports cars, and featured a galloping steed in the middle of its grille that buyers thought was, well, really cool.
Steve McQueen was almost upstaged by the souped-up Mustang he drove in the movie “Bullitt.”
Mr. Frey and his team created the car — from approval by top management to the showroom — in just 18 months, and expectations were modest when it was introduced on April 17, 1964, at the New York World’s Fair. Ford figured it would sell 80,000 Mustangs in its first year. It sold more than a million in its first two years.
Mr. Frey (pronounced fry) would go on to other achievements. He was chairman and chief executive of the Bell & Howell Company, recipient of the National Medal of Technology and a member of the executive board of the World Bank. He was proudest, he said, of helping to introduce safety improvements like disc brakes and radial tires to Ford cars.
But to automotive cognoscenti and just plain car lovers, the Mustang was his defining accomplishment. At gatherings of Mustang enthusiasts, Mr. Frey was often besieged by autograph hunters in the manner of a rock star.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
No seat belts or head restraints?
I wonder if Dear leader knows about this....
Here's the greatest Mustang commerical ever!
LOL....beat me to it!
Whats my wife doing in you Garage ?
Same thing happened to Harley Earl. The Oldsmobile F88 is one example, but the official Harley Earl site, that I believe is run by his son, http://www.carofthecentury.com is a rundown of how GM ousted Earl to take the company in the direction that eventually led to the problems today.
Hahahaha...Field of Dreams...
“is this Heaven?”
No, it’s Iowa!”
I notice we think alike, too. We used almost the exact same words to describe it.
Kind of interesting, I saw an interview with Lee Iacocca where one of the networks was trying to create a controversy about the original Mustangs not being safe, and Iacocca fired back that he wasn’t going to sit there and let them insult the original designers for not including safety concepts that wouldn’t be invented for twenty years.
Same color as my 1966 GT convertible. Pony interior identical to yours except no a/c in mine. Changed out the 289 for a 302 engine. Great toy—when I was still driving it to the office it got far more attention than my BMW.
I will never forget the first time I saw that commercial. It is one of those monuments in life.
I thought about putting (Ford Mustang) at the end of the title, but forgot.
At age 86 now, Mr Frey would have been ~16 years old when the P-51 first flew. Perhaps Sheldon Cooper could have designed it in his teens, but no other. ;>)
Thanks for all the miles of smiles, Mr. Frey. You done good.
Rest In Peace, Mr. Frey, and thank you for your wonderful gift.
Nice ‘Stang there, CM! I’m with ya — the first-gen fastbacks were the pinnacle of their design history. The GT version with the K-code 289 motor is the one to have. I had a ‘65 convertible with the detuned 289 back in the day.
Now, if I could just have the Firebird (not too happy about the white color though), and the GOAT also shown in the chase scene, I’d be a happy camper.
I'll take the old one in the back. :)
That was a cool commercial and I love Mustangs as much as any red blooded American but I still had to laugh when I saw the CURVES he put in that track. Typical Mustangs, even those built today, do NOT handle like sports cars.
(I shall now don my Nomex underwear)
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