Birth of a Legend series – The Ford Mustang

The original pony car, the introductory 1965 Ford Mustang was an instant hit. Originally falling into the compact car segment, the Mustang was designed to appeal to women as well as men. The automotive press was enthralled; the front page article of Popular Science’s May 1964 edition was an account of race car driver Dan Gurney putting the new Mustang through the paces in February 1964 at the Ford test track in Dearborn, Michigan. He described the 271 hp high performance model auto hitting 123 mph on its test run, taking 7.1 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph.

Boy’s Life, the magazine of the Boy Scouts of America, carried ads for scale models of the firecracker by June. Popular Science predicted 400,000 sales a year soon. The car was so popular that multiple promotions from advertisers like Royal Crown Cola, DeWalt tools, and Command tooth paste were run offering a Ford Mustang as the grand prize; Mercury Records salesmen were offered a Mustang as an incentive goal prize.

Early ads promoted an elegant air for the car, a far cry from the hard driving street rod it would become in the American conscious. A finely dressed middle-aged couple stood with the Mustang against a featureless black backdrop with the tagline “Presenting the unexpected…new Ford Mustang!”

A whopping four page spread in Life in May 1964 introduced the sportier aspects of the car and positioned it as a family vehicle with the nuclear family happily smiling around a hardtop and a rear view displaying the Mustang’s impressive simultaneous grocery and luggage carrying abilities (who routinely carries groceries with their luggage in real life?). Print advertising near the beginning of the 1965 model year often paired the Mustang with other cars, particularly the Ford Fairlane; though the ads did start featuring the Mustang in solo sporty poses with young, casual drivers and passengers, further foreshadowing the role the great car was destined to fulfill in American motoring.

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If you enjoy Classic Car Advertisements, be sure to check out Vintage Fire Truck Advertisements too!



Welcome to Classic Car Advertisements!

First of all, welcome to my new blog, Classic Car Advertisements! Now, here is the twist, the focus of this blog isn't about selling a classic car today, but the actual advertisements that sold today's classics when they were new. We'll go back and look at how the print ads that sold cars changed since the early 1900s, and how many aspects of advertising have stayed the same. So please check back often, tell your friends (please!), become a follower, comment frequently and discuss the ads and the cars they sold, and enjoy this "ride down memory road." Thank you!