1965 Mustang (model 64 ½)
The 1965 Mustang was a car that catered to the "baby boom" generation, who were just becoming old enough to drive. The car was actually introduced in mid-1964; coupes and convertibles were both available at first and a fastback was made available months later.
To keep production costs low, the car was based on the Falcon, an economy car with unibody construction that originated in 1960. The Falcon came with a lighter V6 engine, and on later cars had an optional V8. The Falcon and Mustang had no common body parts, but did share a drivetrain and platform.
Most 1965 Mustangs debuted in October 1964, but Ford decided to push the date back to April of that year. They were titled as 1965 cars, but shared more in common with the 1964 line; the engines were the same available in that model year's Fairlanes and Falcons. They came with generators instead of an alternator, and when the actual 1965 models were released, they came with improvements.
The 1965 Mustang at first came with a 170ci V6 that put out 101 horsepower and a three-speed manual gearbox. A 260ci V8 was an option, as was either a three-speed automatic or a four-speed manual. The rest of the Ford line was released in October 1964, and the Mustang had the 200ci that put out 120hp, or the 289 V8 that was also available that year. Because of the long production period, more 1965 models were sold than in any other year up to 2011. The earliest 1965s sold over 121,000 units, and altogether 680,989 were sold.
For such an economy-priced car, the Mustang came with options that typically cost extra when added to other cars of the time. The floor was completely carpeted, and bucket seats were standard equipment in the front seat. There was also an AM/FM push button radio and standard 13" wheel covers.