1965 Mustang

The Ford Mustang debuted as a simple sports car powered by a 170 cid six cylinder and a pair of V8’s. Originally named for the fighter plane, the P-51 Mustang, preliminary allusions were made to the horse, and the horse motif quickly became the emblem for the Mustang. Buyers loved its low price, long hood, short trunk styling, and its myriad of options.

Ford loved its high volume sales and visibility. In mid 1964, Ford introduced a sporty 2+2 fastback body style to go along with the hardtop coupe and convertible. Enthusiasts also cheered the new “K-code” 271bhp 289 cid V8 that finally put some performance to match the Mustang’s good looks. For those that wanted more, the legendary Carroll Shelby and Ford collaborated to produce the Shelby GT-350, a Ford Mustang fastback specially tuned by Shelby.

The 289 V8 produced 306bhp in street tune and around 360bhp in special GT-350R race tune. These Shelby’s had no back seat, were only available in white and were fully race ready.

Production: 2D Hardtop: 501,965 Fastback: 77,079 Convertible: 101,945

Engines: 170 I6 101 bhp. 200 I6 120 bhp. 260 V8 164 bhp. 289 V8 225 bhp. 289 V8 271 bhp. (GT-350) 289 V8 306 bhp. (GT-350R) 289 V8 360 bhp.