History

The Mustang was the brainchild of Lee Iococca. While intended as a 1965 automobile, it was debuted on April 17th at the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York. It was announced that it was to be the pacecar for the 1964 Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1965. All Mustangs built between March, 1964 and August 17th, 1964 were considered "early 1965 models and became known as "1964 1/2 models."

Initially, only the Coupe and Convertible versions were built and later the Fastback was added. The coupes outsold the convertible and fastback models by a ratio of 5:1 which makes the latter two models rarer. After over 1/2 century, these early Mustangs are still considered a game changer as it was a beautifully designed and affordable combinaation sports, touring, performance and family car all rolled into one.

This 1964 1/2 Mustang convertible is easily distinguished from later 1965 Mustangs as the 260 cubic inch V-8 engine was not installed in Mustangs after August of 1964.