The Vision

• The idea for the Mustang came in 1961 to Lee Iacocca, the vice president and general manager of Ford. Iacocca's vision was simple. He wanted a car that could seat four people, had bucket seats, was 180 inches long, weighed less than 2,500 lbs. and cost less than $2,500.
  
  

Creation

• Iacocca had months of meetings to discuss market surveys, aesthetics and costs. The Mustang finally received funding approval in September 1962. In order to keep it affordable, Ford based much of the Mustang's engineering on another Ford-made car, the Falcon. It only took 18 months from the time production for the Mustang was approved until the first car rolled off the assembly line.
  
  

Debut

• Even before the Mustang was finished, Ford was advertising nonstop. The day before its debut, Ford ran commercials on all three major networks: ABC, CBS and NBC. On April 17, 1964 the Mustang made its first appearance on the showroom floor. More than 22,000 Ford Mustangs were sold on the first day alone.