|
| Happy Birthday Ford Mustang! |
It was 45 years ago this today that marked the birth of the undisputed king of the American road: the Ford Mustang. And thousands of Ford Mustang enthusiasts from all over the world are gathering in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend to mark the occasion.
“The Mustang is one of the world’s most beloved automotive and cultural icons,” said Jim Farley, Ford team Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “Since April 17, 1964, it has been a symbol of American freedom and fun.”
Ford and the Mustang Club of America are commemorating the birth of America’s favorite pony car with a four-day celebration at Barber Motorsports Park. The event is expected to draw more than 2,500 Ford Mustang fans and their beloved steeds, as well as hundreds of thousands of spectators. Included among those buffs are nine of the muscle car’s most enduring fans: original owners of the 1964½ Mustang.
“People come up to the vehicle and they don’t believe that I’m the original owner,” said Phil Florio, of Summerfield, Florida, about his Wimbledon White 1964½ Mustang Coupe. “I knew from day one that it was going to be a very special vehicle. A lot of vehicle manufacturers have come out with their own particular type of pony car, but there’s only one ‘first’”
When Florio bought his 1964½ Wimbledon White Ford Mustang, he says it was “love at first sight.” Forty-five years later, the love affair is still going strong. “I’m going to be 71 in May, but when I get behind the wheel of that car and turn the key, I’m 25 years old again,” said Florio, of Summerfield, Fla. “It keeps me young.” “I used to drive the car in New York in the middle of winter, and when I got home I’d get blue hands trying to wash the snow and salt off of it in the freezing cold weather,” said Florio. “I loved the car, and knew when I bought it that I was going to keep it for as long as I possibly could.”
Laki Malamatenios drove his Poppy Red 1964½ Mustang 289 coupe, which he affectionately refers to as “Poppy”, all the way to Alabama from his home in Grass Valley, California to take part in the 45th anniversary festivities. “My ‘Poppy’ is something special,” he said. “This vehicle is a chronicle of my life with my family – some happy memories, some sad, but always interesting. Whenever I drive it, my whole life flashes before my eyes.”
“‘Poppy’ took me to Las Vegas to get married. She took me to the hospital when both of my children were born, and she’s taken the whole family on vacation,” said Malamatenio, of Grass Valley, Calif. “My whole life flashes before my eyes when I get into that car.” Malamatenio says his Mustang also has special meaning because he used it to buy his first home. “We wanted to buy a house, but we didn’t have enough money for a down payment,” he said. “The car was paid off, so I took out a home loan using ‘Poppy’ as collateral.” To Malamatenio, “Poppy” is part of the family. “Sometimes when I’m working on her, my wife says ‘You spend more time with her than you do with me,’” he laughed.
Fred Glazier’s Rangoon Red Mustang coupe also brings back poignant memories, he says. “I dated my wife in it. We took it on our honeymoon, and we brought both of our children home from the hospital in it,” said Glazier, of Souderton, Pa. “We are emotionally attached to this car, and I always tell me kids, ‘When I die, you better not sell it, or I’ll come back to haunt you.’” Glazier says his 1964½ Mustang inspired him to leave a career as a pharmaceutical representative and start a new vocation restoring antique cars. “I’ve specialized in the restoration of Mustangs since 1979,” he said. “A few years ago, I started working on my car, and today it looks like it did when I first bought it.”
Kathy Miller, of Boardman, Ohio, says she will never forget the day she received her 1964½ Prairie Bronze Mustang coupe as a high school graduation present from her mom and dad, “I was so surprised that day, and I’ve had the car ever since,” she said. “It went to college at Ohio State with me, and it was the car that I drove for my first job selling real estate.” Miller says she and her husband also drove the car on their wedding day. “My son restored the Mustang five years ago, and there was still rice in the dashboard,” she chuckled. “There’s a lot of nostalgia surrounding that car.”
For Edgar “Alex” Alexander, his black 1964½ Mustang convertible was an impulse purchase he never once second-guessed. “My first wife and I needed a car, and we had no conception of what we wanted,” he said. “There was a Mustang convertible on the lot, and my wife fell in love with it so we just ordered it.”
Alexander says the car garnered a lot of attention wherever the couple went. “We would go to the store or to the movies, and when we came out there would be a half dozen people or more looking at the car,” he said. “It was really cool.” He says the pride of ownership continued to grow over the years. “At the beginning it was a car,” he said. “Now, it’s a treasure.”
A host of electrifying events are planned for the 45th anniversary celebration. For example, professional road racers – including four-time Mustang champion and SPEED TV personality Tommy Kendall – will be on site to provide hot laps for lucky attendees around the park in Mustang FR500S race cars. And world champion drifter Vaughn Gittin, Jr., will be on hand all weekend to give demonstrations and rides.
“Whether you’re a casual observer interested in seeing the latest model pony car or a true fanatic who eats, sleeps and breathes Mustang, this is where you want to be to celebrate the 45th anniversary,” said Steven McCarley, president of the Mustang Club of America.
“The ’10 Unleashed” campaign
In addition to the events in Alabama, Ford is commemorating the 45th anniversary of the Mustang by introducing “The ‘10 Unleashed” campaign, which gives enthusiasts the chance to unleash their Mustang side behind the wheel of the new 2010 Ford Mustang – whether it be drifting in Japan like world champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr. or customizing a new steed using Ford Racing Performance Parts.
Through Aug. 15, consumers can submit their own Mustang dream experience in 250 words or less via Ford’s “The ‘Unleashed” site at www.the2010Mustang.com. Written submissions will be judged based on creativity, uniqueness and execution of idea. Winning submissions will be selected every few weeks, and winners will be able to turn their pony experience into reality.
“During its 45 years, the Ford Mustang has touched people’s lives in so many different ways, and we’ve enjoyed hearing those stories leading up to the introduction of the new 2010 Mustang,” said Allison Revier, Ford pony brand manager. “Now, it’s time to look forward and create new stories to fill the next chapter in the history book of America’s favorite muscle car.”
Related:
The Great Debate: 1964 1/2 or 1965?
Mustang: 45 Years in the Movies
Mustang History Database
Mustang Facts 1964-1973
The Phil Clark Story
|
|
