The Ford Mustang debuted at the New York World’s Fair on April 17, 1964, and as the saying goes, “The world has never been the same.” At first a model made simply to leverage the interest in Ford’s racing program behind the GT40, it has left an indelible mark on automotive history and popular culture alike.
To celebrate, Ford is releasing a limited 60th Anniversary Edition model based on the S650 GT Premium trim level. However, before we take a look at just what that will bring to the table, we’re going to take a look back through the years and pick out some of the most popular models, either in popular culture or our own subjective opinions. Keep in mind, our list might not match yours, and that’s perfectly fine, as everyone has a favorite year and trim of the Mustang, even if they don’t know it!
Some Of The Most Iconic Mustangs Of All Time
1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
To kick off our list in fine style, we go to one of the oldest Mustangs of all. In its first year of production, Ford hoped to sell 100,000 of the iconic beast, and ended up selling over 263,000 before 1964 was out. Since Carroll Shelby was a full partner of Ford at the time, he was able to get access to the car, and when he wasn’t making history designing and building the GT40, he managed to fettle 306 horses from the venerable ‘Stang.
Using a 289 ci K-Code V8 engine, he fitted a bigger carburetor, a high-rise intake manifold and a much more free flowing exhaust manifold and downpipes. To handle the power, the car was stiffened, given motorsports suspension, and lowered ever so slightly. Despite still being a Mustang, the GT350 was good enough to win the SCCA production racing championship 3 years in a row!
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
What do you get when you take a Mustang fastback and let the legendary Larry Shinoda have a go at redefining it? The Boss 429, a NASCAR ready car straight from the factory. Although only in production for two short years, it is one of the most notable and notorious Mustangs to leave two burnout marks on American roads.
Coming with a gigantic 429 ci Ford 385 series big block V8, the Boss 429 was identifiable from miles away due to its fully functional hood scoop ramming cold air into the carburetor. It was also comically large for the space under the hood due to its enlarged valve covers that had barely an inch of clearance to either side of the engine bay.
What made the Boss 429 legendary, however, was its 375 HP and 450 lbs-ft of torque, which it raced with in NASCAR for a few years straight from the factory. While only 1,359 Boss 429’s were made, they are now considered one of the most important trims of the car, and are highly sought after by collectors, with auction bids going well over $300,000 whenever one of the coveted cars comes up for sale.
1985 Ford Mustang SVO
Powered by a 2.3L turbocharged inline-four (sound familiar already?), the SVO put down 205 HP and a significant 248 lbs-ft of torque, making it almost as powerful as the early V8 versions of the Fox-body. It came with a quirky little hood scoop that enthusiasts fell in love with immediately, and had several small but important modifications to the body, including the two tier rear spoiler and small wing.
It was what was under that body that made it truly special. The Mustang SVO was fitted with motorsport-grade suspension, had its chassis stiffened significantly, and consequently became the best handling Mustang of the 1980s, no question or shadow of a doubt. It became an autocross darling, and seeing one on a track day became quite common. Not bad for a little coupe!
2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
Before the 6th generation and theMustang GT4 race car, this was the closest that the Blue Oval came to making a (street legal) race car. It was stripped down, almost barren inside. There was less sound deadening on the firewall and floor. There were Recaro bucket seats, and side exit exhausts. There was a GT wing sticking up from the trunk and a front splitter jutting out from the chin.
Everything was sacrificed anything regarding comfort in the interests of power and speed. No rear seats, no A/C, no radio, not even cruise control. It came with three pedals, a stick in the middle, and a monstrous 5.4L V8 that put down 385 HP and 385 lbs-ft of torque. 60 MPH from a standstill disappeared in under 5 seconds, and cornered like it was partially on rails.
Limited to only 300 units and at a premium price, it nonetheless became one of the most revered Mustangs of all time, and brought the 4th generation kicking and screaming into the 2000s.
2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
When the engine under the hood is such an engineering triumph that it gains the name Predator, you know it’s a special version of the stallion. In fact, for a short while, the 5.2L Predator supercharged V8 with 760 HP and 625 lbs-ft of torque was the most powerful engine that Ford had made… ever.
It decimated the 60 MPH barrier in a hair over 3.3 seconds, and would keep accelerating like a bat out of hell to 180 MPH. It also looked downright nasty, in the sense that it wanted to eat anything that got in its way. It also had one of the chunkiest, rawest idle burbles that any Mustang has ever produced, sounding ready to destroy whatever road you were going to take it down.
However, the most surprising thing and why we list it as one of our favorites is that when you just wanted to take it for a drive to the grocery store or to go see a movie, it calmed down and became just a regular car. It cruised happily, had good brakes, very comfortable seats, and even had automatic climate control. One of the best ‘Stangs ever made, in our view.
The 2024 S650 Ford Mustang 60th Anniversary Edition
That brings us now to the car this whole article is about.
While nothing under the hood has changed, what makes this edition quite special are the retro touches that Ford has sprinkled all over the car.
One of the first colors you could get the Mustang in, Wimbledon White, the mildly cream colored off-white, has returned.
There is a classic low side stripe with “60 Years” emblazoned at the rear of the doors.
The front grille has a modern interpretation of the classic chrome and silver accents.
The 5.0 badge on the fenders also gets a retro colorway, red with black vertical pinstripes.
One of the best features of the 60th Anniversary, however, isn’t limited to just this car. As long as you have your car set to “Automatic Software Updates” in the car settings, you can change the dash to display the classic 67-68 style gauge faces.
Only 1,965 of these Mustangs will be available, and are expected to be launched in the middle of Summer. Meaning, if you want one, get a hold of your local Ford dealership now to get your order in, if they aren’t sold out already.
The Future
60 years have come and gone with the Mustang. Looking ahead, the question is now what is coming for our favorite car?
The Mustang badge has been transplanted onto a CUV in the Mustang Mach-E, although it really doesn’t count as a proper Mustang if you ask most enthusiasts. There may be an EV version of the coupe at some point, but with Ford cutting back on EV production as of late, that remains to be seen.
What is far more likely is something that Ford is taking an interest in, and Porsche out of Germany is spearheading, that being synthetic fuel. Dubbed “eFuel,” it is a complex process that uses carbon dioxide capture to create synthetic methanol, which is then processed to become synthetic hydrocarbons. It is also not just a pipe dream, as the Porsche Carrera Cup series around the world have all their cars running on eFuel, and the FIA World Rally Championship, where the Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid races, also uses 100% synthetic hydrocarbon fuels.
As much as Mustang enthusiasts are forward thinking and pretty damned smart, take away the V8 and we think Ford might be raided by a pitchfork wielding mob! For the non-V8 models, we think a hybrid might be accepted, but the whole spirit of the Mustang lies in eight cylinders in a V, four to a side, with a rumbling roar out the exhaust pipes.
That being said, the only way to see what the future holds is, honestly, to wait for it to arrive. Until then, there are 60 years of Mustangs to celebrate, so get out there and go for a drive and know that under your right foot, 6 decades of history exist.
