1965 Ford Mustang Hardtop

One of the world's most popular cars was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964, at the New York's World Fair. The night before, the new Ford Mustang was the pace car at a stock car race in my hometown--Huntsville, Alabama. The car appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek.

Advertisements appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers and on the major television networks. More than four million people visited showrooms, and more than 22,000 cars were ordered on the first day. First-year sales totaled more than 417,000, shattering previous sales records of any one model in the history of the automobile.Ford added a fastback to its 1965 Mustang lineup, but the coupe continued to be the best seller of the group. The coupe outsold the convertible and fastback individually five to one, accounting for nearly 75 percent of total sales.

The first Mustang GT was introduced in April of 1965. They were available in all three body styles. Two optional V-8 engines were offered with the GT with either 225 or 271 hp and a choice of a three- or four-speed manual, or a Cruise-O-Matic transmission. The '65 GT also included a special dashboard instrument cluster that became standard in 1966. The GT had stripes on the lower body sides, fog lamps in the grille, dual exhaust tips, and GT badges on the front fenders. The GT upgrade was an extra $165.03.

An interior upgrade was available for 1965 and 1966 Mustangs. The Deluxe or "Pony" Interior included two-tone seats with running horses stamped on the backs.

The 170 CID engine debuted with the first production Ford Falcon. Generating 101 hp, this economical engine offered reasonably good performance while delivering over 22 MPG off regular grade gosoline.

Baseline 170 CID engines and their three-speed manual transmissions had their problems which eventually led Ford to upgrade both. Early 170 CID had solid-lifter camshafts and constant-mesh helical-cut cam gears, which made the engine noisy for its size. Three-speed transmissions were considered inconvenient because the first gear wasn't synchronized. The car had to be brought to a complete stop before first gear could be engaged without grinding.