Executive stylist John Najjar, a fan of the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter plane, is credited by Ford with suggesting the name. The first prototype, the "Ford Mustang I," was co-designed by Najjar and Philip T. Clark in 1961. The Mustang I made its formal debut at the United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York, on October 7, 1962. An alternative view suggests Robert J. Eggert, Ford Division market research manager, first suggested the name after receiving the book The Mustangs in 1960.
Originally predicted to sell 100,000 vehicles yearly, the 1965 Mustang became the most successful vehicle launch since the 1927 Model A. Introduced on April 17, 1964, over 400,000 units were sold in its first year, and the one-millionth Mustang was sold within two years of its launch. In August 2018, Ford produced the 10-millionth Mustang, a 2019 Wimbledon White convertible with a V8 engine, matching the first 1965 Mustang.
The Ford Mustang began production five months before the normal start of the 1965 production year. Early versions are often called "1964½ models," but all were advertised, VIN coded, and titled by Ford as 1965 models. Body styles available included a two-door hardtop and convertible, with a "2+2" fastback added in September 1964. The 1965 Mustang won the Tiffany Gold Medal for excellence in American design, the first automobile to do so.
From 1965 until 2004, the Mustang shared chassis commonality with other Ford model lines, remaining rear-wheel-drive. From 1965 to 1973, it was derived from the 1960 Ford Falcon compact. The second generation, denoted Mustang II (1974–1978), was a longer-wheelbase version of the Ford Pinto. From 1979 until 2004, the Mustang shared its Fox platform chassis with 14 other Ford vehicles. Since 2005, the Mustang has used the D2C platform, unique to the model.
Through its production, multiple nameplates have been associated with the Ford Mustang series, including GT, Mach 1, Boss 302/429, Cobra (separate from Shelby Cobra), and Bullitt. The 2020 model year saw the re-introduction of the GT500, and for the 2021 model year, Ford re-introduced the Mach 1 after a 17-year hiatus.
The Mustang made its first public appearance on a racetrack as pace car for the 1964 Indianapolis 500. In 1969, modified versions of the 428 Mach 1, Boss 429, and Boss 302 took 295 United States Auto Club-certified records at Bonneville Salt Flats.
In drag racing, the Mustang's American competition debut was in 1964. In 2002, John Force broke his own NHRA drag racing record by winning his 12th national championship in his Ford Mustang funny car, beating that record again in 2006 to become the first-ever 14-time champion.
Early Mustangs also proved successful in road racing. The GT 350 R, the race version of the Shelby GT 350, won five of the Sports Car Club of America's (SCCA) six divisions in 1965. Mustangs competed in the IMSA GTO class, with wins in 1984 and 1985. In 1997, Tommy Kendall's Roush-prepared Mustang won a record 11 consecutive races in Trans-Am.
In stock car racing, Dick Trickle won 67 short-track oval feature races in 1972, a US national record. In 2010, the Ford Mustang became Ford's Car of Tomorrow for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Ford Mustangs have been track-raced in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2019, replacing the discontinued Ford Fusion.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.