The Ford Mustang is officially unveiled by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, on April 17, 1964

The Mustang I was a two-seater concept car that also borrowed from European styling notes. Two versions of this small, sporty model, with a mid-mounted engine and side flow scoops for cooling, were created. First a fiberglass show car and a second fully functioning vehicle that premiered at Watkins Glen on October, 1962. The Watkins Glen premiere created phenomenal excitement as people poured from the stands to surround the car. Both versions were also used extensively at car shows and were toured around college campuses to gauge interest in the smaller sports cars.

Before the details were finalized, the Mustang II was conceived as a market research tool to validate the design choice. This four-seater sports car incorporated elements of the forthcoming production Mustang. The car’s body, reinforced with fiberglass, was stretched out five inches and the roof lowered by three inches. The concept made its debut at Watkins Glen in October 1963 to whet the appetite for the forthcoming production Mustang. The car was described internally as “Personality: demure enough for church-going, racy enough for the dragstrip, modish enough for the country club.”

The introduction strategy for the car is best illustrated by a story. The Company brought 52 couples with young kids in to see the Mustang. This group should have been outside of the expected demographic for the car, given their small children. After reviewing the car, the couples were asked if it would be a practical automobile for the family. Most replied “no.” The couples were then asked to name the price they thought the car might retail for. Most picked figures that were thousands over the expected selling price. When they were told the actual price, the couples underwent a strange transformation of opinions. Husbands and wives went back for a second look at the Mustang, and without exception began to find reasons why this car really would be practical for them after all. The design, features, options and price made it irresistible.

Within four months more than 100,000 Mustangs had been sold and the car had taken its place among the top five automobiles in sales volume. In all more than 420,000 were sold the first calendar year making the Mustang the most successful car launched in the U.S. The car also connected on an emotional level as the Company received more than 4,000 pieces of fan mail from customers who were in love with their Mustangs.