The Ford Mustang has been around for 50 years—it’s been the talk of the automotive media now for months. There have been 50-year celebrations of great magnitude, Ford even recreated the feat of assembling a Mustang atop the Empire State Building in Manhattan. The cake-topper was the introduction of the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang. Yes, Mustang is still rolling after 50 strong years. In fact, it just keeps getting healthier.
Having a nameplate last 50 years, puts the Mustang in rare air. Other vehicles that survived half a century (or more) include the Porsche 911 (1963-present), Chevrolet Suburban (1933-present), Ford F-series truck (1948-present), Ford Thunderbird (1955-2005), Corvette (1953-present), okay we know there was no ’83 Vette, and the original Mini (1959-2000) to name a few.
From its humble beginnings, Mustang has grown to become a world-wide icon and a timeless item for pop culture. There are hundreds of Mustang clubs, web forums, dedicated websites, magazine and even aftermarket companies, which specialize in Mustangs. Ford Mustang currently has over 8 million Facebook followers and Mustang is one of the most commonly modified vehicles. Mustangs have graced the silver screen, you can find an endless supply of Mustang toys, collectibles, RC Mustangs, even bands sing about them—who can forget Vanilla Ice’s drop-top 5.0? The power of Mustang will just grow stronger with the announcement of Ford’s new Global Performance Team.
Racing history has been covered in countless books, too. The Ford Mustang is unrivaled on track, as they have won races all over the world. And Ford’s racing involvement continues today, as Mustangs can be seen winning in NASCAR, NHRA, IHRA, NASA, NMRA, NMCA, World Challenge, and there are thousands of weekend warriors who bracket race, autocross, or compete in time trials or open track events. You can even buy a Cobra Jet or Boss 302 racecar straight from Ford. And let’s not forget how popular Mustang have become in Drifting.
Of course other Ford models like the Fiesta compete in Rally, its Daytona Prototype Sports Car program is very strong with the Roush-Yates twin-turbo EcoBoost engine, and rumor has it that Ford will return to Le Mans with a new Supercar very soon. Mustang fans will soon get a new Shelby model, the GT350 and an “R” model is likely to be announced soon. Ford also recently announced plans to sell the Focus RS world-wide.
Through the years, the Ford Mustang has remained affordable, it possesses style, performance, and has a racing pedigree that is historical. Just look at social media— everyone wants to be the “first” to do something with a Mustang. According to Ford, over 50 years, of the more than 9.2 million Mustangs that have been produced and sold, most of them originated close to Ford’s home base in Dearborn, Michigan. And I think many will be around celebrating 100 years of Mustang.
