On April 17, 1964, the Ford Mustang, with its long hood, short rear deck and sporty features, caused a sensation when it was introduced to the public at the New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens.

“When the Mustang was unveiled, the reaction was so positive that there was no doubt it was going to be a success,” recalls Joe Oros, chief designer of Ford’s original pony car – dubbed the 1964½ because it was launched at an unusual halfway point in the year.

Don Frey, product planning manager for the original Ford Mustang, says he knew the car was going to be a hit months earlier when the design team gave Ford employees a sneak peek at one of the prototypes.

“We built the first prototype in an experimental garage, and employees flooded the place to see it,” he said. “Their reaction was spectacular, and it was very revealing to us. We knew the car was going to be roaring success from the start.”

And what a success it was.

The 1964½ Mustang debuted at a price of $2,368 – a bargain even in 1964. Ford expected annual sales of about 100,000 units. But 22,000 Mustang orders were taken on the first day, and sales reached an astounding 417,000 in the car’s first 12 months on the market. Within two years, Mustang sales reached one million.

Frey says he believes the car had such dramatic appeal because the styling was very unusual for its day.

“The design was very European, particularly the front end,” he said. “There was no other car like it in North America at that time.”

Another facet of Mustang’s appeal was that it could be any vehicle the customer wanted it to be. The original Mustangs were available in three body styles – convertible, hardtop or fastback – with the most extensive list of options Detroit had ever offered. The Ford Mustang could be an economical “base” car, a macho high-performance car or a luxury car.

“Mustang was designed to be designed by you,” one of the original print ads declared. And it was true. Everyone who owned a Mustang believed no one else had a vehicle like theirs, and the vehicle had broad appeal.

“We were told to design a car that the ladies would love that the men would love just as much, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Oros.

Marketing studies conducted at the time showed that women bought as many Mustangs as men.

“They loved the styling, and the car was very affordable,” said Frey. “Women bought it by the thousands.”

Frey, now 86, is the proud owner of one of the original Mustangs – built in June of 1964. It’s a red hard top with a white interior, and he keeps it parked in his home garage.

“I have a driver who comes by, and we take it out,” he said. “To this day, people stop us and ask if it’s an original Mustang.”

At age 92, Oros says he’s still as passionate about the Mustang as he was 45 years ago.

“He wants me to stop in the middle of the freeway whenever he sees a Mustang, and I tell him that we can’t do that,” said Oros’ driver and caregiver Violeta Orlanda. “When we do stop somewhere, he searches the parking lot to find the Mustangs, and he insists on checking them all out in detail from front to back.”

Oros says his fascination and fondness for the pony car he helped create will never end.

“It makes me feel proud every time I see one,” explained Oros. “After all of these years, Mustang has never lost its luster.”

Frey is equally as proud.

“We created an icon,” he said. “And I had a hand in it.”

Information courtesy of Ford.

You knew this was coming.

Shelby American has either reproduced or authorized reproductions of all its classics, from the Cobra 289 to the Ford GT40.  While some of those replicas are second-rate, the Shelby-made Cobras and authorized SuPerformance Daytonas are exceptional cars for the money.  We’ve always been suckers for the 289, though–easier to tame on the road than the 427.

Because of the large volume Shelby’s built up of his Cobra line since the ’90s, prices for these cars new or used aren’t absurdly high.  We’ve seen genuine Shelby-built later 289s for $70,000.  Just because we’re ragging on an overpriced auction car doesn’t we don’t like the name.

Here’s a Fifth Gear video review of the Dodge Challenger SRT-8.  As you’d probably expect, there’s a mix of emotion.  On one hand, the handling, thirstiness, weight, cabin materials, and cornering ability are put down; on the other, the Challenger’s rough edge and Hemi power give it just enough character to win over a favorable impression.

The Challenger is officially unavailable to UK drivers; only special importers have access.  Expect willing UK drivers to pay a high premium too.  Flat-out, the SRT-8 should retail around £24,000–which is a fairly good price.  It’s mentioned the import duties and tax would hike that price tag to about £40,000, or almost double what the cost is here in the States.

So much for the bargain.

Shelby’s put out official pics and specs for the 2010 GT500 Super Snake.  The Super Snake, unlike the regular GT500, is an actual Shelby project undertaking directly by the company staff.  (The GT500 uses the Shelby name pretty much for marketing purposes.)  The benefit of having the Ford/Shelby name running side-by-side is that Shelby’s own tuners can market their specials as being almost factory-grade.

There shouldn’t been much need for marketing with the refreshed Snake.  This GT500 uses a juiced supercharger instead of a needle in the ass.  With an upgraded intercool and exhaust system, the Super Snake will put out 630 hp in stage one trim, or an unfathomable 725 hp with the stage two setup.  (The regular GT500′s max output is 540 hp.)

All this power requires added tweaks to support the extra muscle.  Suspension’s been extensively modified with stiffened springs, reinforced struts, and strengthened antiroll bars.  Baer six-piston ventilated disc brakes bring in the necessary stopping power for the SC’d 5.4 L V-8.

So just how much does all this serpent glory come in at?  The Super Snake is considered a performance package: stage one is $29,500; two is priced at $33,500.  With the GT500′s approximately $45,000 sticker, expect to be doling out $75,000 for the 630 hp package and $79,000 for the 725.

If George Michael had pulled this out at that park restroom years ago, we can all be sure he wouldn’t have gone to jail.

The Galpin X1 evokes the name and appearance of the legendary Air Force test plane.  With all the equipment we can see here, this X1 may be just as able to hit Mach 1 as the jet it’s named after.  The X1 is more about style than it is about substance–the actual cockpit is hooked up with special monitors and a flight stick.  That’s hardly legal–but still pretty cool.

Galpin’s Vapor custom is a reworked Challenger, emplying a blacked-out color scheme to help convey a stealth image.  The analogy is proper, for the Galpin is a promo stunt for the US Air Force.  Headlamps are of the hidden kind, putting the Vapor in-line with Dodge’s famed Charger coupe of the 1960s.  Also matching the Air Force style are the Vapor’s hi-po nitrous system and neon lights.  Raw stats are unknown, but this is easily the finest job done on a Challenger yet.  Thumbs up for that cabin display too.

[Images by J. Julius]

I know the post title is long, and many of you may be complaining about us wasting our time covering another “limited edition” Mustang.  But this time things are different.  Lee Iacocca, the father of the Ford Mustang, is attaching his name to a commemorative edition Mustang, available exclusively through Southern California’s Galpin dealer network–of which only forty-five will be produced.

The “2009 1/2″ special features a Gaffoglio coach-built body, hand-crafted to exquisite detail.  One can note a blend of both the 2003 Mustang concept and the later Giugiaro custom in Michael Leone’s design.  The base 4.6 L V-8 is uprated to 320 hp, but an available dealer-installed supercharger will push output to the 400 range.  A downside will be that the engines are linked to Ford’s rather flat 5-spd. stick.  A Ford Racing performance package will add stiffer springs and uprated shock absorbers; a 14″ brake package is also available.  Interior decor is flooded with specially embroidered and hand-stitched leather.  Special Iacocca lettering and appliques are spread from the seats to the dash to the 20″ chrome rims.  Even the door sills are specially plated.

During the 1960s, the Ford Mustang stood as the most iconic car on American roads.  It crossed demographics, looked unlike anything else on the road, and attached itself to a generation.  Part of the Mustang’s appeal was its wide array of options, trim, and bodystyles.  This was furthered by Carroll Shelby, who was signed on to modify a limited number of Mustangs.  His works, the GT350 and 500, became the most desired of Ford’s steel stallions, and that desire spread to America’s southern neighbor.

Eduardo Velazquez was a lawyer-turned-businessman who entered into the auto trade in the mid-Sixties.  It was through this that he formed a partnership with Shelby American to distribute the company’s works.  The problem was that Mexican law required a large part of manufactured works be produced within the country.  Importation barriers prevented the traditional line of Shelby GTs to be sold on Mexican dealerships as typical Fords, so Velazquez was forced to innovate.

His entry into the Mustang trade came just as the ‘67s were arriving in showrooms.  The year was Shelby’s last as the builder for the GT line, but the name still carried on till 1970.  The standard Shelby GT was a fastback, but was unavailable for Velazquez.  Instead, he chose to modify common notchbacks along the lines of Ford’s California and High Country specials.

Velazquez’s custom coupes borrowed the long taillamps of their American counterparts (which could be deleted), GT350 labels and stripes, and a large hood scoop (also deletable).  Under the hood was a domestically built 302 V-8.  The suspension was rough and heavy in order to deal with the harsh terrain common in the country.  From Shelby came a superior air filtration and intake system, Cobra emblems, and authentic Shelby wheels.

It may not seem like much, but Velazquez’s GT350s performed, winning road rallies and drag races throughout the country.  There was enough of a clientele to warrant further production.  The ‘69 became a best-seller (which meant it was built by the hundreds, instead of tens), featuring fiberglass roof extensions to convey a fastback profile, and a revised interior.

Velazquez continued to sell modified Mustangs up to 1974.  In spite of this, few of his cars are still around.  Those that are sell for a just a fraction of what American Shelbys go for.  Only around a dozen have been accounted for.