Ford Builds Its 10 Millionth Mustang and Pays Tribute to the Original [News]

The Ford Mustang's production run spans 54 years and six generations.

Ford produces 10 millionth Mustang
10 Millionth Mustang formation at Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. [Photo: Ford]

From VIN 001, Ford celebrates the 54-year history of the Mustang.

Baseball, apple pie, and the Ford Mustang. These are three things many people mention when they think about what makes America. While some would argue the Mustang’s position for another iconic American car – and there are plenty of them – Ford’s recent production milestone shows the Mustang has endeared itself to fans for generations.

[Photo: Ford]
It all started with the 1964.5 Mustang, named after the P-51 fighter plane used during World War II and the Korean War. Back then, the Wimbledon White GT rocked a three-speed manual transmission and 164 horsepower V8. Over the years, the Mustang evolved through six generations and created the pony car class we know today. This car gave rise to competitors from General Motors and Chrysler, like the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, Plymouth Barracuda and Dodge Challenger.

10 millionth Mustang produced
Mustang owners turned out to represent every generation as Ford produced the 10 millionth Mustang. [Photo: Ford]

Starting a phenomenon

The best sales year for the Mustang was 1966, with more than 607,500 cars sold. It’s one of America’s best-selling coupes, and remains at the core of the Ford brand. “Mustang is the heart and soul of this company and a favorite around the world,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s president of global markets. “Mustang is a smile-maker in any language.”

Fifty-four years after the first Mustang left the factory, its production has come full-circle, in a manner of speaking. The 10 millionth Mustang produced – again, a Wimbledon White GT V8 model – paid tribute to VIN 001. However, instead of a three-speed manual, this Mustang sports a six-speed.

The 10 millionth Mustang – a 2019 Whimbleton White GT convertible, was produced at the Flat Rock assembly plant in Michigan. [Photo: Ford]
The 10 millionth Mustang – a 2019 model – is a far cry from the first generation that kicked of the pony car craze. In this instance, there’s a 5.0-liter V8 under the hood, pushing out 460 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. The standard Mustang GT is also joined by the more powerful Shelby GT350, the special edition Mustang Bullitt and, soon enough, the brand new GT500.

P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft fly overhead as Ford celebrates its production of the 10 millionth Mustang. [Photo: Ford]
To celebrate the occasion, Ford hosted event with more than 60 Mustang owners, representing each generation of the model. After marking the milestone by spelling it in Mustangs at the Flat Rock plant, a flyover of P-51 Mustangs capped everything off. Quite a way to salute a truly iconic car.

Speaking of Mustangs, we’ll have even more coverage of the new Mustang GT coming right here to TFLcar.com. Stay tuned!