In early 1964 while the Ford Mustang went into production as a new idea drawing on many older ideas from other automobile models such as the Ford Falcon a new chapter in the history of the American hot rod was unknowingly to those involved being made.

1969 Ford Mustang

The overall appealing look of the Mustang along with a highly successful advertising campaign began to get the word out very rapidly to the masses.

The powerful television medium was used extensively as commercials for the Mustang ran on all three of the major television networks. The nickname the Pony Car began to be lovingly applied to the Mustang in part due to the horse galloping along with the American flag flying in the wind in some of these impressive commercials which were seen by many future Mustang owners.

The original Mustang was available in both a coupe and a convertible model each which was adorned with chrome fenders and chrome grill which included the soon to be famous running pony. By 1966 over one million Ford Mustangs had been sold. This began its long life as a popular used car and collectible as well.


As many of the car aficionados of the time began to push the idea of allowing the Mustang to officially race against the Corvette, Ford decided to get behind this idea and arranged to have Carol Shelby modify a select few of the cars enabling them to be considered truly race ready.

These modifications included the removal of the rear seats in essence making the Mustang a two seater bringing it into compliance with race regulations and modifying the brakes and suspension. Many of these modifications grew into actual production designs used on future models which in turn evolved throughout the life of the production models.

Shelby was both a racer and a fan of the Ford Mustang and originally modified 100 of these cars into GT 350 models which were certainly race ready vehicles. To this day these are far from your average used car and are very highly sought after pieces of American history appealing to a wide range of collectors both in and out of the American hot rod scene.


Hot rods and muscle cars offer fans of these products an opportunity to make very personal statements that proudly represent to all who see them just a little glimpse into the individuals mind and spirit. Most car shows are utterly full of eye popping, lip licking, gloriously well taken care of classic cars offering everyone an opportunity to get a glimpse not only at individual attitudes but into the past as well.

Obviously in the beginning rebellious teens of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s had a lot to do with the spawning of the hot rod and muscle car movement. Rebellion from parents, the establishment, and conformity led to what would eventually become a very nostalgic part of the American hot rod culture.

There is certainly a lot of very proud history in the American auto industry and how the nation as a whole once took pride in the products which they collectively created. Times and attitudes may have changed but thanks to those who are the care takers of these classic automobiles we have the wonderful opportunity to step back in time if only for a little while.