Mustang Tid Bits

[Tnfastbk]

Listed on fox news

The Ford Mustang is an April baby, debuting at the New York World’s Fair in April 1964. It’s become one of America’s best-loved automotive nameplates. But there are a few things about the legendary Mustang that most people don’t know. Here are five of them:

Ford had used the Mustang name before on a car: The Mustang I of 1962 was a mid-engine concept car with a strange little V-4 engine. It shared almost nothing with the car that eventually became famous other than the soon-to-be famous name.

Ford couldn't call it the Mustang in Germany: A scooter company of all things held the rights to the name “Mustang” in Germany and Ford declined to purchase the rights for a reputedly paltry $10,000, Thus, the Mustang was known as the Ford T5 in Germany.

It was named after a WWII fighter plane, not a wild horse: It is generally believed that the Mustang acquired its name from the wild unbroken North American horse known as a Mustang. In truth, the car was named for the famous air war-winning North American P-51 Mustang, the WWII mount of famed test pilot and ace Chuck Yeager

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Toyota copied it: At the 1971 Tokyo Motor Show, more than a few eyebrows were raised when Toyota raised the curtain on its new Celica liftback. Several observers commented that it was essentially a 2/3 scale replica of the 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback.

Ford nearly killed it off: In the late 1980s, Ford toyed with the notion of killing off the Mustang in favor of the Mazda-based sporty car the Ford Probe. Mustang fans became incensed at the notion of a Japanese-engineered front wheel-drive car with no V-8 option replacing their beloved Mustang. Fortunately for all of us who worship the 2005 redesign of the Mustang and all of the wonderful variants that it has spawned, it didn’t happen.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/04/26/secrets-ford-mustang/?intcmp=features#ixzz1tXSnQZuB

 

[Don65Stang]

Toyota copied it: At the 1971 Tokyo Motor Show, more than a few eyebrows were raised when Toyota raised the curtain on its new Celica liftback. Several observers commented that it was essentially a 2/3 scale replica of the 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback.

 

[73vertproject]

woof woof

 

[Don65Stang]

woof woof

Just thought I'd put that last one in there too since it came up in my search.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I can see where there would've been some styling cues taken from the Mustang fastbacks, but come on - that car looks more like an stubby AMC Javelin than an early Mustang fastback.

Now that I think about it, I think 'our' cars kinda resemble AMC Javelins a bit as well, No?

 

[Don65Stang]

Now that I think about it, I think 'our' cars kinda resemble AMC Javelins a bit as well, No?

I think a LOT of the cars from those years are quite similar. Everyone had to have a piece of the pie.

 

[OLE PONY]

But was the P-51 Mustang named after the horse!

 

[goodnigh]

But was the P-51 Mustang named after the horse!

That is a good question.

mike

 

[Don65Stang]

But was the P-51 Mustang named after the horse!

P-51 was originally named Apache but was changed to Mustang. I found this interesting "story" though that Wolverine might enjoy...

Question: Was the Ford Mustang named after a horse?

Answer: John Najjar, the original designer of the Mustang I Prototype, is said to have named the vehicle after the legendary P-51 Mustang fighter plane from World War II. Although this is the "official" story, many people believe the Mustang was named after the horse. In fact, Lee Iacocca is said to have stated this several times while discussing the vehicle in interviews. In an interview conducted by Brad Barnett and The Mustang Source in 2004, John Najjar told Barnett he named the car after the airplane. However, his boss at Ford, R. H. Maguire, didn't want an airplane emblem to appear on the car, so they settled on the horse instead.

It is widely rumored that Iacocca came up with the name after attending an SMU Mustangs college football game. The story goes something like this. Iacocca and several Ford execs were at an SMU football game which pitted the Mustangs against the Michigan Wolverines. Although the Wolverines were off to a solid start, the Mustangs gave them a run for their money. Although Michigan was victorious in the end, Iacocca was won over by the team's spirit. He supposedly walked into the locker room and said, "Today, after watching the SMU Mustangs play with such flair, we reached a decision. We will call our new car the Mustang. Because it will be light, like your team. It will be quick, like your team. And it will be sporty, like your team." Although this makes for a great story, it is widely disputed and backed by no actual eyewitnesses other than Iacocca, who has not commented on the matter. As for my take on the situation, I'll stick with John Najjar's story until someone can prove otherwise.

Other names initially considered for the Mustang include the Cougar, Thunderbird II, T-Bird II, Torino, Turino, and T-5. After months of debating, Ford settled on the name Mustang.

 

[SPAIN72MUSTANG]

we all enjoyed the info.....

 

[sm3570]

Toyota copied it: At the 1971 Tokyo Motor Show, more than a few eyebrows were raised when Toyota raised the curtain on its new Celica liftback. Several observers commented that it was essentially a 2/3 scale replica of the 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback.

Don, that last pic belongs in another thread