1964.5 Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang was released in 1964 as an early 1965 model year car, which owners affectionately call the 1964 and 1/2 Mustang…and the world would never be the same. It was the fun/sporty alternative to the boring cars from the big three and with optional V8 power, disc brakes, and good looks, it was a game changer. Find this 1964.5 Ford Mustang here on eBay bidding for $2,025 reserve-not-met with 5 days to go, located in Gig Harbor, WA. This
post is part of DT’s 2016 Birthday Celebration of 100 cars;
enjoy the ride!
This 64 and 1/2 coupe is one of the 92,000 units built in the first few
months of 1964 Mustang production (sold as 1965 model year cars). Power comes from a 170 cubic inline Thriftpower inline-6 that squeezes out 105 horsepower from a 1-bbl carb…not exactly smokey burnout material, but the Mustang was light and still sporty compared to almost anything else on a dealers lot in 1964.
See a car that looks better in white? tips@dailyturismo.com
Yeah, I know, iconic car, Iacocca and all that.
But seriously, these things drive like ass.
That 170 six and (2-speed in the '64s?) automatic might just sandbag the W115 220D next to you at the stoplight, if the guy hasn't finished sending his text yet.
You had two choices of steering – sailboat-helm manual (5 1/2 turns lock to lock) or Dial-a-Wander linkage-boosted power (as in this car).
And with the six came the little rear axle, the 4-lug 13in wheels, and Beetle-sized brakes.
Add to that a floppy structure (and once again the sixes were shortchanged on the torque-box structures under the firewall), Ford's company-wide practice of using the fuel tank as the trunk floor, etc. and you have a triumph of marketing 'pizzaz' over engineering.
You can MAKE a decent car out of an early Mustang, but most were meh as they rolled out of the factory, even by the standards of the day.
As for this one: it's had enough work done on it that it'd need careful inspection before purchase. It's had pans, and whoever painted it didn't bother to mask or remove the door strikers and latches.