What is a 1964 Mustang?
Ford released the first Mustangs in April of 1964. Following the tradition for mid-year model introductions, Ford called it a 1965 model. However, Ford was unsure of this new type of car, and still stinging from the Edsel fiasco, so they were a bit timid with funding the development. Some of the parts weren’t as refined as they could be, and many parts were borrowed from the successful Falcon line to save costs. As it became apparent to Ford that they had a real winner with the Mustang, they began making improvements during the model year, and replaced many of the Falcon parts with new Mustang-specific parts. Most of these changes came in August of 1964, when the production lines were changed over to make the regular 1965 models of Ford’s other products. Most collectors now refer to the Mustangs made before August 1964 as “64” Mustangs, even though they are actually 1965 models.
