On April 17, 1964 the Ford Mustang made its debut. Although the first Mustang was technically a 1964 ½, there were no Mustangs dated with this year. Ford registered them all as 1965’s, making the 1965 production year 18 months long. Except for a few differences, the 1964 ½ and the 1965 were identical cars.

These Mustangs represented the pinnacle of auto body styling. A long hood accentuated the sculptured sides while the short upswept rear end added zip. The 1965 Mustang was offered in two body styles, a hardtop or convertible. It wasn’t until August that the 2+2 fastback was added.

The front grille focused on the running Mustang emblem. The edge of the hood dropped to complete the grille’s outline and proudly displayed the widely spread Ford name. Other exterior features included single headlights and single taillights (with a triple-light effect). On the inside were bucket seats and a floor-mounted gear shifter.

1965 Mustangs came with one of the following engines:

• 170ci six-cylinder
• 200ci six-cylinder
• 260ci eight-cylinder, two-barrel
• 289ci eight-cylinder (two-barrel or four-barrel)
• 289ci High Performance (HiPo)

The original pony car captured the public's imagination and was a huge success, selling more than 600,000 units.