WILD HORSES

Ford Mustang. No two words set the pulse of a petrolhead racing in quite the same way as this beautifully styled beast.

Just hearing the name makes you think of Steve McQueen hurtling through the streets of San Francisco behind the wheel of a GT 390 in Bullit. In motoring terms, the Mustang is one of the true greats: the presence, the look, the performance – and the noise. It drives us wild.

From day one, the Mustang had people flocking to the showrooms. Unveiled in Dearborn on April 17, 1964, it was an instant success. And tales of the lengths drivers went to to get one are rife. Legend has it that in Texas, 15 customers wanted a local dealer’s last Mustang. Even he knew that one car divided by fifteen people didn’t go, so he decided to sell it to the highest bidder. We don’t know what it went for, but we do know that the new owner insisted on spending the night in his new pride and joy to make sure it wouldn’t be sold while the firm was waiting for his cheque to clear. I’d have done exactly the same thing.

And I don’t think I’m alone out there. Most people I meet express a hankering for a Mustang – there’s just something about it. An X-factor, if you will, that drives men wild – it’s the closest thing we’ve got to Marilyn Monroe on wheels. Sadly, such a strong desire to put a pony on the driveway means that prices are north of £10,000, so few of us can afford one. Luckily, though, there is another way.

KING OF THE RODEO

From just £220, you can be king for a day, thanks to Tony and Elaine Merrygold at The Open Road classic car hire. Although they don’t own the car, they hire it out between spring and autumn, which helps the local owner pay for the upkeep of the Mustang. It’s been a popular addition to the Open Road fleet, too, and last year overtook the E-Type as their most hired car. Speaking of Jags, it’s time for CCM Pub Fact No. 1. Designed by Gail Halderman, the Mustang fastback didn’t join the line-up until 1964 – but the idea for it dates back to 1963. In May of that year, the clay model was captured on film along with two inspirational machines: a Studebaker Avanti... and a Jaguar E-Type.

In fact, the Big Cat wasn’t the only British influence on the American design team – it seems that they had cars like the MGB, Triumph TR4 and Sunbeam Alpine squarely in their sights. And why not? This was, after all, a ‘good looking little youth car’ in much the same vein as the Brit sportsters. Don’t forget, however, that England and America are two nations separated by a common language, so their definition of ‘little’ – for example – was somewhat different to ours.

The story goes that Ford general manager Lee Iacocca gathered together key creative staff at Dearborn’s Fairline Motel to quickly establish a target market and a set of parameters that, he hoped, would help him build the car that would make his mark on the company. Those parameters, incidentally, included a wheelbase no longer than 108 inches, a total weight of about 2500lbs, and a price tag equal to no more than a dollar for every pound of Mustang.

Meeting every week for 14 weeks in 1961, this so-called ‘Fairline committee’ decided to create a car aimed squarely at the emerging baby boomer market. Three versions of the car would be available: a two-door coupe and two-door convertible, with a fastback added the following year. Power ranged from a basic 101bhhp 170ci six-cylinder to a 278bhp high-performance 298ci V8. And the price? $2320.96 for the entry-level model.

The car that was sold to the motoring public was a very different animal to the one first unveiled: 1962’s prototype, called the Mustang I, was a sleek, mid-engined two-seater roadster that squared up against the Corvette. Ford, it seemed, were playing a very clever trick on the motoring public: executives knew that the finished product would look nothing like the show car, but they were desperate to cement the Mustang’s identity as a full-blown sportster.

PRACTICAL AND STYLISH

The car we have here today is a fine example of the breed: a 1966 fastback with the 289cu ‘small block’ V8. Again, ‘small’ is relative to which side of the pond you’re on because, to me at least, a 4.7-litre V8 can in no way whatsoever be considered small. Before opening the stable door, the car’s carer, Tony Merrygold, gives me a quick tour of the Mustang’s quirkier points, like the below dash air-con, fold-flat rear seats and innovative adjustable seat-backs (ie, you need a spanner!). Finally, he points me in the direction of the switch for the hazard lights… which is in the glove box.

Instantly, my mind conjures up visions of suited vice-presidents and boiler suit wearing workers swapping compliments like: ‘That sure is one fine dash, Ham’ until one wet behind the ears junior exec nervously inquires: ‘Umm, where are the flashers?’ Cue spilt coffee, fists banging on tables and workers clocking up the O/T as they cobble crude switches into glove boxes.

Give the team credit, though, because they managed to produce a great car with limited resources. You see, while it might look like a brand new vehicle, the Mustang was just a plain old Ford Falcon underneath. Steering and suspension were straight off the Falcon, and so were the floorpan and the ‘small block’ V8. But it was because Ford decided to use an existing, well-developed platform that the pony car could be rolled out so quickly and sold so cheaply. Clever, eh? But here comes the really clever bit: the Mustang was designed to be designed by you. You could make it a family Mustang, a sports Mustang, an all-out luxury Mustang or a little bit of each. In 1965, just one year after launch, there were more than 70 Mustang options, including three engines (200bhp, 225bhp and 271bhp) and two transmissions (three-speed Cruise-O-Matic or four-speed manual).

Then there was the vinyl roof, deluxe steering wheel, wire-style wheels cover with simulated knock-off hubs, white sidewall tyres, push-button AM radio, air con, ‘back-up’ lights and tinted windshield. Packages were offered, like the visibility pack, which included ‘remote control outside mirrors’ and a ‘day/night inside mirror’ as well as two-speed wipers and a washer. There was almost nothing that you couldn’t have as an option. Front disc brakes, vinyl tonneau cover, padded sun visors, compass, rocker panel mouldings, limited-slip differential… the list was endless. And, for motoring geeks like us, it was a little bit of heaven.
Easily the most expensive option, at $328, was the High Performance 289 V8. It appealed to those who wanted a truly wild horse and promised to be a winner, thanks to some hefty modifications (strengthened main bearing caps, beefier rods, stiffer dual valve springs, hardened pushrods, and much, more). Also part of the deal was the Special Handling Package (quicker steering and stiffer springs, shocks and anti-roll bar) and a set of 6.95x14 nylon ‘Red Band’ tyres.

GETTING A REACTION

Both then and now, the Mustang always gets a reaction. Ford design guru J Mays is quoted in Mike Mueller’s book The Complete Book Of Mustang as saying: ‘The Mustang attracts two kinds of drivers – those under 30, and those over 30.’ Mueller himself goes on to say that ‘…The truly fresh 1964 Mustang became, like the Beatles that year, bigger than Jesus.’

Part of the buzz that surrounds the car comes from the enormous marketing push that accompanied its launch. The day before launch, Ford ran Mustang commercials on the big three networks: ABC, NBC and CBS – all in the same 9.30pm timeslot. The frenzy began.

It was marketing on a scale that the automotive world had never seen. It created a press reaction, the likes of which the automotive world had also never seen, with Iacocca and his Mustang showing up simultaneously on the covers of Time and Newsweek. And then there was the car press. They were spellbound. Car Life review wrote: ‘It’s a sports car, a gran turismo car, an economy car, a race car, a suburban car, and even a luxury car,’ it enthused. ‘The car may well be, in fact, better than any domestically mass-produced automobile on the basis of handling and roadability and performance, per dollar invested.’

Such press reaction, created enormous public demand. Original forecasts claimed no more than 100,000 Mustangs would be made in the first year. But general manager Lee Iacocca had a different idea: he wanted to sell 417,000 cars by April 17, 1965: 4-17 by 4-17. And by the 17th day of the fourth month in 1965, Mustang sales stood at 418,812 – smashing the record for total first year sales; a record previously held by another Ford, the Falcon. During the first eighteen months of its life, the Mustang would sell more than a million units.

Knowing all of this makes driving the Mustang a truly special event. Heads turn as I blast through Warwickshire countryside: traffic stops to let me out and people wave. Kids at bus stops grin from ear to ear at the engine note.

Power is delivered effortlessly, though there’s enough grunt to spin the rear wheels in first on a loose surface – a good job, then, that the Cruise-O-Matic transmission comes with the ability to start the car in second gear. But despite all the go, there’s very little in the way of stop. With drum brakes all round and no servo assistance, you really have to over-compensate with braking distances – especially for the first few hours at the wheel when its hard to brake effectively without locking up.

It’s not hard to negotiate through town, as the steering is fairly light. What’s tricky, however, is gauging the front right-hand corner of the car because it’s left-hand drive. There’s good visibility all-round, but just don’t try and make any three-point turns – the turning circle isn’t, um, very European. And you certainly won’t relish negotiating B-road blasts in it.

What you will love, however, is just being in. As a car with such awe-inspiring history, jaws drop every time people see it – and you will love every minute of being in it or being near it. Is the Mustang a truly great car? No question.