The pony car movement was born in 1964, when Ford brought out the Mustang to instant acclaim. Although it was based on the Falcon, a plodding economy car, the Mustang captured the hearts and wallets of a generation - Ford sold more than a million Mustangs in the first 18 months.
Its appeal was based on a stylistic masterstroke - by lengthening the hood and chopping off its tail, designers created a shape that suggested a horse running across the American plain.
But by 1970, pony car sales had begun to slide. Then came the OPEC oil crisis, and the beginning of a long period of darkness for the Mustang and its pony car brethren. The performance age was over, replaced by an era of smog controls, downsizing and diminished expectation. In 1974, Ford released the Mustang II, a gutless machine based on the ignoble Pinto platform. For the pony car faithful, it was as though the Mustang had been gelded.
By the mid-2000s, there were new signs of life. In 2005, Ford released the fifth-generation Mustang, which bore a close resemblance to the cars of the golden age. The pony car was back.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content. Open this photo in gallery: This Mustang I was a concept car designed to boost Ford’s image in the early 1960s. Inspired by European sports race cars, this two-seater roadster had a small 1.5L 4-cylinder engine mated to a 4-speed transmission, positioned behind the driver. The V-4 engine was available in two types: an 89-horsepower street version and a 109-horsepower racing engine. Its sleek body was made of lightweight aluminum. When the production version of the Mustang hit the streets in 1964, it didn’t resemble this concept car in the slightest. The Globe and Mail
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Open this photo in gallery: Henry Ford II with the 1964 1/2 Mustang Ford at the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, on April 17, 1964.
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Open this photo in gallery: Tom and Gail Wise ride in Gail's Skylight Blue 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang convertible near their home in Park Ridge, Illinois November 26, 2013. Gail Wise, then using her maiden name of Gail Brown, made the first known retail purchase of a Mustang on April 15, 1964, two days before the model went on sale. Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: Gail Wise with the Ford Mustang she recalls buying from a dealer two days before the car's head-turning reveal at the 1964 World's Fair. The New York Times
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Open this photo in gallery: The Ford Mustang that Marc Snyder got in 1964 for his 16th birthday, at a drag race in Byron, Ill. Snyder still has the 6-cylinder Wimbledon White today. The New York Times
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Open this photo in gallery: The Poppy Red Mustang Laki Malamatenios got in 1964. In 1969 he passed up the chance to trade it in and says he knew then that he'd keep it forever. The New York Times
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Open this photo in gallery: 1964 Ford Mustang advertisement. The original Ford Mustang launched the pony car movement and became a symbol of 1960's America.
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Open this photo in gallery: Open this photo in gallery: Jerry Dunn, retired, bought this candy-apple red 1965 Mustang convertible 10 years ago for $20,000 – it was a childhood dream he fulfilled after retiring. “I always wanted a Mustang. I actually ordered one when I was younger and decided to cancel it and keep the car I had. I always wanted to get a ’65 so I finally did.”
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Open this photo in gallery: Open this photo in gallery: Open this photo in gallery: Eugene and Ruth Anne Choma drove a 1967 Ford Mustang before they had kids.
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Open this photo in gallery: The 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 was the financial ruin of many a poor boy.
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Open this photo in gallery: Open this photo in gallery: 1970: A ram air “Shaker” hood
scoop is offered on any Mustang equipped with a 351-cid or larger V-8
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Open this photo in gallery: This model took the
conservative design theme even further with an upright grille, quad headlamps
and none of the fun spirit of Mustang.
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Open this photo in gallery: The 1972 Mustang: The only new model offering is the Sprint – a special red, white and blue exterior paint-and-tape package with coordinated interior.
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Open this photo in gallery: Open this photo in gallery: The Mustang II, a gutless embarassment based on the Pinto, went on sale in 1974.
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Open this photo in gallery: 1975 Ford Mustang II - the Mustang II's limited macho factor plunged below zero after it was featured on the Charlie's Angels TV show.
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Open this photo in gallery: 1975: V-8 power returns to
Mustang in the form of the 302 cubic-inch small-block
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Open this photo in gallery: 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra II Ford
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Open this photo in gallery: Open this photo in gallery: 1995: The venerable 5.0-liter
V-8 spends its final model year in the Mustang. SVT produces 250 Cobra R models
powered by a 300-horsepower, 351 cid V-8
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Open this photo in gallery: 2008 Ford Mustang GT Convertible.
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Open this photo in gallery: Open this photo in gallery: Open this photo in gallery: 2015 Mustang with a V-8 engine The Globe and Mail
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Open this photo in gallery: 2015 Mustang with a V-8 engine The Globe and Mail
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Open this photo in gallery: 2015 Mustang with a V-8 engine at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. The Globe and Mail
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