The First Mustang

[raf-cars]

Can we please get this straight for one more time. Robert Lane's column reported once again that Capt. Stanley Tucker's 64 Mustang convertible, VIN 5F08F100001, was the first Mustang built. Wrong!!! No one, including Ford knows which Mustang was the first one built. I have done considerable research into this report and as the result of my research, the Henry Ford museum Curator on February 3, 1999, agreed to correct the name on the car display at the museum to Mustang Serial number 1 (only). The very technically correct title for this car is : The first production Mustang convertible to be assigned a VIN number. There is no record that can be found that shows which car was first off the assembly line at Dearborn. Ford built those cars out of VIN numerical sequence, so 001 may or may not have been the first off the line. I own this technically correct titled Mustang: The first production Mustang hardtop to be assigned a VIN number. The car is 5F07U100002. It may be that this car or 003 or 004 or 010 was the "first" off the assembly line. Usually a convertible was not the first car off the assembly line. In any event, it cannot be proven that 001 was the first off the assembly line. Hence any reference to it being built first in inaccurate and incorrect. And while we're in the corrections department, the car was not named after the P51 fighter as is commonly reported. It was named after the equine version, the horse. This is well documented historically.

[robertlane]

That is ABSOLUTELY correct. The VIN numbers assigned DO NOT reflect which can came of the line in any particular order.

 

In fact, I've walked the Mustang line on several ocassions and noted that car 151,942 could be made before car 99,999.

 

With that being said, Mustang 5F08F100001 is still considered the first production Mustang even though it may have not been the first one made.

[raf-cars]

That is ABSOLUTELY correct. The VIN numbers assigned DO NOT reflect which can came of the line in any particular order.

 

In fact, I've walked the Mustang line on several ocassions and noted that car 151,942 could be made before car 99,999.

 

With that being said, Mustang 5F08F100001 is still considered the first production Mustang even though it may have not been the first one made.

[raf-cars]

"It depends on your definition of CONSIDER". In the BROADEST SENSE of the word, many consider 5F08F100001 the first Mustang. However, it is important to recognize the technical distinction between the "First Mustang" and the "First production Mustang convertible to be assigned a VIN number", that car's correct title. Keep in mind, there were some 150 preproduction cars made at the Allen Park facility before the PRODUCTION cars ever started off the Dearborn line. Even some of the preproduction cars were built on the Dearborn production line, further confusing the issue. Though The Henry Ford (museum) agrees it cannot prove this was the first production Mustang built, we must keep an open mind when using that title and not just make a blanket statement so as to be misleading to a lesser informed Mustanger. History is history, you can't go back and change it.

[MyLittlePony]

Well hell, technically we can say that the concepts were the first. They always get neglected. no VIN for them. That 1962 concept could technically be considered the first ford mustang.

[Bama GT]

The gentleman who first proposed the name Mustang was John Najjar, who had worked for Ford Aviation before moving to Ford Motor Company. John was and still remains a fan of the P-51 Mustang plane, and submitted the name for the car based on that aircraft. I spoke with Mr. Najjar about this no more than four months ago.

 

J. Walter Thompson (now JWT) ad agency changed the backstory on the name because they didn't want the car to have the connotation of the destruction associated with war, and felt that the image of a horse on the open range was more fitting for the car.

 

Still, several names were in contention right up until production. Those names included T-Bird II, Bronco, Cougar, Puma, and others. In fact, I have a photograph of a production-ready 1964 1/2 fastback with Cougar badging on the front fenders and in the grille.

 

The story has been told that Lee Iacocca decided on the name after a football game between the University of Michigan and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Mustangs lost, but Mr. Iacocca went to their locker room after the game and said something to the effect of "You may have lost, but you were quick, agile, and athletic, so I'm going to name my new car after your team."

Edited January 26, 2006 by Bama GT

[kach22i]

Mr. Iacocca went to their locker room after the game and said something to the effect of "You may have lost, but you were quick, agile, and athletic, so I'm going to name my new car after your team."

This is a new story to me.

 

Interesting.

 

Go Blue. :D

[Bama GT]

From CollegeSports.com, in reference to SMU football:

 

The Mustang became well known throughout the Southwest, but in 1963 an event happened that made it a household name. Legend has it that when Ford Motor Company was preparing to introduce the sports car that would gain fame as the Mustang, it was considering other names such as Cougar, Bronco, Cheetah, and Colt. But during the 1963 football season, SMU took an undersized but quick team to Ann Arbor to play a massive Michigan Wolverine squad. Michigan gained the early advantage, but had to fight off the feisty Ponies for a 27-16 win. After the game, Ford's Lee Iacocca entered the SMU locker room and addressed the disappointed Mustangs. "Today," Iacocca said, "after watching the SMU Mustangs play with such flair, we reached a decision. We will call our new car the Mustang. Because it will be light, like your team. It will be quick, like your team. And it will be sporty, like your team." Ford's new car got its name, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Edited February 2, 2006 by Bama GT

[robertlane]

Interesting story, Brad. . .thanks for sharing it. Now about U of M. . .I bet they couldn't beat that same team today. :o

Edited February 3, 2006 by robertlane

[MyLittlePony]

Still, several names were in contention right up until production. Those names included T-Bird II, Bronco, Cougar, Puma, and others. In fact, I have a photograph of a production-ready 1964 1/2 fastback with Cougar badging on the front fenders and in the grille.

 

The story has been told that Lee Iacocca decided on the name after a football game between the University of Michigan and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Mustangs lost, but Mr. Iacocca went to their locker room after the game and said something to the effect of "You may have lost, but you were quick, agile, and athletic, so I'm going to name my new car after your team."

 

 

I always wondered about the SMU logo. Looks identical to the mustang running pony in every way, except I think its backwards. There has been many times that I wanted to purchase SMU merchandise (being that its everywhere in Dallas) But never doing so since I go to U of N Texas and so has my parents uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. I dont think theyre a rival schoolm, but it just feels weird.

[Guest Sixcav]

I think technically speaking you guys are all wrong since there were no VIN numbers back then. These were serial numbers. VIN numbers are 17 characters. But yes its true they built the cars out of sequence. In point of fact, even Ford doesn't know what the first car was most likely. Unless I'm mistaken VIN numbers weren't used until around 1972 / 73, somewhere around there.

[MyLittlePony]

So what was the real story?

 

Was the mustang named after the P-51 or the SMU team?