Car of the Week: 1965 Ford Mustang

[dodgechargerfan]

Roughly 550,000 new car buyers were smitten enough with the 1965 Mustangs to plunk down their cash and credit cards when the cars hit showrooms for the first full season. Untold thousands more Americans were probably just as taken with the cars, but weren’t in the market and had to admire the new pony cars from afar.

Ron Trzebiatowski was among those legions of admirers right from the beginning. It was a permanent infatuation that started early and has never left him.

“When they came out in ’64, I would have been 12 years old, and I fell in love with them right from the start,” recalled the resident of Amherst, Wis. “I know I was just a kid, but I cut out every article and advertisement and everything I could find from the newspapers and magazines and I saved them. … I remember one of the ads had a little coupon you could cut out and send it to get a promotional model, and I did that and got one of those. I’ve always been a Mustang fan. Always.”

Read more.

 

[Dr.Jass]

“When they came out in ’64, I would have been 12 years old, and I fell in love with the marketing right from the start,” recalled the resident of Amherst, Wis. “I know I was just a little girl, but I cut out every article and advertisement..."

Two landmark marketing cars came out in 1964: the Mustang and the GTO. One was a performance car directed primarily at men, the other was a "style over substance" bitch car. Ron chose bitch, and has been stuck in the role since. Had to sell the 390 fastback, but when the time came to get another Mustang, he was allowed only to choose the transmission because wifey wanted the top to go down. :dgt:

 

[68R/T]

They were all tin cans based on the falcon, which was one of the first truely "disposable" cars. :dgt:

.....and nowhere in the article is the inaugural V8 engine ever mentioned. The 260. :huh:

 

[68R/T]

Two landmark marketing cars came out in 1964: the Mustang and the GTO.

You forgot about the Barracuda, which was released 2 weeks before the mustang. It may not be considered a "landmark" car to many, but to many others the styling was original and truely landmark. It revived a fastback style that hadn't been seen since '52.

 

[Dr.Jass]

I didn't say anything about landmark cars.

 

[68R/T]

I didn't say anything about landmark cars.

Ah yes, I see, you said, "landmark marketing ​cars"

 

[Dr.Jass]

Exactly. I would have mentioned the Barracuda as well as the Dodge/Plymouth Super Stock Hemi models' arrival, which obviously changed the face of racing forever.

There was nothing "landmark" about either the GTO or the Mustang, but the marketing behind them made otherwise average, if not subpar, vehicles the "car to have" for '64. I wonder how many GTO owners were shocked when they got their asses handed to them by 2-year-old B-bodies with the 383-4V and a pushbutton automatic...

 

[68R/T]

I wonder how many GTO owners were shocked when they got their asses handed to them by 2-year-old B-bodies with the 383-4V and a pushbutton automatic...

And the 260 mustang guys got whooped by ma's 318 station wagon.

 

[Fishy]

"Lee Iaccoca called me in 1964, right after the Mustang came out and said ‘We want to make a racing car out of this.’ And I said the thing is a secretaries car,...."
Carroll Shelby

 

[restoman]

There was nothing "landmark" about either the GTO or the Mustang, but the marketing behind them made otherwise average, if not subpar, vehicles the "car to have" for '64. I wonder how many GTO owners were shocked when they got their asses handed to them by 2-year-old B-bodies with the 383-4V and a pushbutton automatic...

Funniest thing I've read all week.