1965 Mustang

There were few obvious changes from the 1964/12 model. Most of the changes were mechanical. First, the 101hp 170ci straight six engine was replaced by a 120hp 200ci six cylinder as the 164hp two barrel 260ci V8 was replaced by the oh-so-common 200hp two barrel 289 V8 as the bottom-of-the-line V8. The D-code 289, with 210hp, was replaced by the A-code 225hp 289. Besides this, the only other V8 difference was the alternator.

The Ford Mustang was, and remains a popular medium sized sports car for people of all ages. Some people modified them with Mustang Body Kits or mustang hid lights. The Mustang was originally based on the Ford Falcon. The first production Ford Mustang, was a white convertible with black interior and rolled off the assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964. It was later introduced to the North American public as a 1965 model both at the New York World's Fair on April 17, 1964 and via all three American television networks on April 19 that year by the Ford Motor Company. The 1965 Mustang was the most successful product launch in automotive history, even to this day, setting off near-pandemonium at Ford dealers across the continent. The original Mustang is considered to be the first pony car, and inspired many muscle cars soon to follow.

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Lee Iacocca, Ford Division general manager, inspired the 1965 Mustang first as a two-seater mid engined roadster then later as a four-seater Mustang. The base, while well-equipped Mustang hardtop with only 105 horsepower, (2.8 L). inline six-cylinder engine and three-speed manual transmission listed for $2,368. The 1965 Mustang earned a number of prestigious auto industry awards and accolades its first year including Motor Trend Car of the Year, pace car duties for the 1964 Indianapolis 500 and the Tiffany Design Award for "excellence in design," the first automobile so honored.

For such an affordable car of its time, the 1965 Mustang had lots of options ranging from a tissue holder to an automatic transmission, all the way up to three different V8 engine options. First was a 164 horsepower (4.2 L) version with two-barrel carburetor based on the 221 (3.6 L) "Ford Fairlane" engine introduced in 1962. A 210 horsepower, 289 (4.7 L) version with a four-barrel carburetion was the middle choice with the top-of-the-line engine being a thundering 271 horsepower high-performance, 289 engine with a four-barrel carburetor and solid-lifter valve train. At a cost of nearly $700, this high-performance 289, or "Hi-Po" as it is commonly nicknamed, was the single most expensive option available on the Mustang. In today's world, a $700 option such as this is really a no-brainer. The option list added to the car's popularity since it could be ordered from "mild to wild," depending on the buyer's taste and budget. The most popular drive train combination in Mustang's first two years would prove to be a 200 horsepower, two-barrel "Challenger" version of the 289 engine introduced at the start of the 1965 Mustang model year backed by a three-speed "Cruise-O-Matic" automatic transmission.