Ford Mustang History
The original pony car, launched in 1964 and a defining American performance icon.
Photo: “Ford Mustang Coupe 1967 Ballina Golf Cub NSW L1030005” by John Robert McPherson / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Start with a make and model. Add a year where a detailed guide is available.
63 detailed year guides available. Select a year or open the model history.
Browse this model's history and yearsModel-year archive
Browse model years
Browse the Ford Mustang year by year, or narrow the archive by generation, body style, engine, and highlights. Coverage varies by year and configuration.
- Model years
- 63
- Generations
- 7
- Archive span
- 1964–2026
Photo: “Ford Mustang Coupe 1967 Ballina Golf Cub NSW L1030005” by John Robert McPherson / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Photo: “1978 Ford Mustang Cobra II (28371241885)” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Photo: “Ford Mustang Fastback 83-PN-HS” by AlfvanBeem / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Photo: Accord14 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Photo: IFCAR / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
Photo: A. Bailey (Maryland Pride) / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Photo: Elise240SX / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
Unveiled in April 1964, the Ford Mustang created the 'pony car' class and sold a million units within two years.
Across seven generations the Mustang has remained a cultural touchstone, balancing accessible pricing with high-performance Shelby and GT variants.
Generations
First generation · Original / classic
The original pony car. Launched April 1964 (the famous “1964½” cars, titled as 1965s) and produced through 1973.
Second generation · Mustang II
The Mustang II — a smaller, more economical Pinto-based car for the oil-crisis era, built 1974–1978.
Third generation · Fox-body
The long-running Fox-body, built on Ford’s Fox platform from 1979 to 1993.
Fourth generation · SN95
The SN95 platform, which returned curved styling to the Mustang from 1994 to 2004.
Fifth generation · S197
The S197, whose retro styling revived 1960s-fastback cues, produced 2005–2014.
Sixth generation · S550
The S550, the first Mustang with independent rear suspension as standard, built 2015–2023.
Seventh generation · S650
The current S650 generation, introduced for the 2024 model year.
Famous Mustang variants
The nameplates that define the Mustang — each with its own cross-year history, engines, production, and collectibility.
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Related models
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Find a scale model of the Ford Mustang
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.