Evolution of the Mustang

Lee Iacocca introduced the Mustang to the world in 1964 — creating the pony car class. This small bodied sports car instantly became an American classic and is widely recognized throughout the world. But that isn’t the full story. By 1969, the small pony car was being outgunned by more powerful competitors. The solution was a larger body style to accommodate big block options like their 428 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet engines. That same year, the Mach-1 debuted as one of the Mustang’s available option packages. In the end, increased power, dramatic styling, and a name that conveyed sound barrier breaking performance helped pull the Mustang from its pony car status into full blown muscle car territory.