The successful Ford Mustang was rolled out in April 1964. While early copies (those produced through August) are sometimes referred to as 1964 ½ or 1964.5 models, but all Mustangs built through the Fall of 1965 were titled as ’65 models. A keen eye can spot the differences between the early and later ’65 cars, but these were largely minimum changes. Located near Longmont, Colorado, this Mustang is available here on craigslist for $4,200. Thanks for the tip, Gunter Kramer!

Ford factories must have been running 24×7 to keep up with demand after announcing the Mustang. During the abbreviated season from April through August, Ford assembled more than 121,500 Mustangs, of which 92,700 were the 2-door coupe (the Fastback wouldn’t arrive until the Fall). Some of the differences between later ’65 and early ’65 Mustangs would include:

• 14-inch wheels would become standard (six-cylinder models had 13-inch wheels at first)
• headlight bezels were no longer beveled
• carpeting became all wall-to-all rather than using vinyl in some places
• door panels gained integral armrests
• alternators replaced generators
• 200 cubic inch six-cylinders replaced 170s

The seller says this car has a V6 engine which is either a mistake or the original inline-6 was replaced at some point. Unfortunately, no underhood photos are provided to confirm this. With a floor-shifted 3-speed manual transmission, we’re told that the Ford runs and drives, but we wonder if it stops because of the chock under the right front wheel. The lug pattern for the wheels appears to be 4-lug, which would have been appropriate for the inline-six models, but it looks like some 5-lug wheels are being used without the 5^th lug nut. I wasn’t aware 5-lug wheels would fit a 4-lug pattern.

The red paint is rather faded and there is rust in places that we can see, like the right front fender and passenger side door. There may have been some prior rust below the rear glass on the right rear quarter panel because some Bondo appears to have been poorly applied and the paint around it is flaking away. Inside the car, both bucket seats will need reupholstering, but the back seat and carpeting may be okay.

By the time the competition reacted to the phenomenal and surprising sales success of the Mustang, Ford had delivered nearly 1.3 million of them to the buying public. The Camaro would be its biggest threat and it didn’t arrive until the Fall of 1966 for 1967. All the rest would follow.