Vehicle Description
FROM THE MISSOULA AUTO MUSEUM COLLECTION Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale WITHOUT RESERVE and SOLD to the highest bidder January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Launched in 1964 as a mid-year model, Ford's sporty new Mustang created an overnight sensation and its debut remains the all-time most successful new car introduction. In addition to its handsome body design, including convertible, coupe, and fastback styles, the Mustang's popularity came in large part from its unprecedented combination of a compact and sporty car that was remarkably affordable. A comprehensive options list gave buyers the ability to design and have a Mustang built to fit their personal needs and budget.
Reportedly, while Ford Motor Company's market planners envisioned first-year Mustang sales around the 100,000-unit mark, this conservative figure was reached in just four months following release By 1966, one million Mustangs were on the road. The Mustang and its success immediately triggered competition from every major American car company, but none of them achieved the Mustang's enduring level of success, especially when one considers that the Mustang nameplate has been in continuous production from launch to the present day. Not even its closest rivals, GM's F-body Camaro and Firebird, can claim that honor.
Of course, during Ford's Total Performance era of the 1960s, the Mustang's option list included a wide range of powertrain combinations from inline sixes to the high-winding 289 K-Code V-8 engines in solid-lifter tune. Both manual and automatic transmissions were available to suit any driving style. Soon, the Mustang formed the basis for Carroll Shelby's all-conquering GT350, purpose-built to wrest SCCA B-Production road racing dominance from Chevy's Corvette, which it did for three years straight from 1965 though 1967.
Now in its ninth major design evolution, the Mustang was a reassuring constant over the past five decades of massive political and social change, somehow managing to survive the early-1970s performance-car shakeout and the economy-oriented 1970s. By 1982, the Mustang regained its swagger and escaped a proposed switch to a front-wheel platform during the latter 1980s, maintaining its font-engine, rear-wheel drive roots to the present 2015 models. Of all Mustangs, though, it is the historic first-generation models that continue to steal enthusiasts' hearts everywhere they appear.
Offered without reserve from the Missoula Auto Museum Collection, this 1965 Ford Mustang coupe is a very attractive example with ample power delivered by a nicely detailed and presented C-Code 225-horsepower 289 cubic-inch V-8 engine mated to an automatic transmission. Other desirable features and options include power steering and air conditioning for an enjoyable cruising experience. Rolling on steel wheels with chrome hubcaps and finished in nice colors, this Mustang is a great first-generation example of an American icon.
