Straightline

I remember very clearly the very first Mustang I ever saw in person. It belonged to Joe Benezra, who was the older brother to one of my high school buddies. Joe, who was maybe a year or two out of high school, swung by the high school one day to show off his new ride. It was a bright orange Mustang convertible, with a pathetic (by today's standards) 105 hp 6-cylinder engine, three-on-the-floor, and skinny whitewall tires with full wheel covers. As I recall, the Mustang had just gone on sale—like just a few days before! So Joe was clearly the first on the block to own on. Heck, he was probably the first in our small town to own one.

The most impressive thing to me about Joe's Mustang was not the looks (pretty good) or the specs (not so pretty good, as it was based on the wimpy Ford Falcon chassis). Nope, what stood out to this testosterone-charged youth was the fact that it was an absolute chick magnet—like I had never seen before! Now Joe did okay with the ladies on his own, but boy that Mustang sure must have driven up his batting average to MVP status.

So fast-forward to spring of 2008, and Ford has just built Mustang number 9,000,000. It's still a chick magnet—but the specs sure have improved! As to Joe? Who knows, but I bet it's safe to say that he hasn't aged so gracefully.

From Ford's Press Release: Ford Motor Company announced today it has built its 9 millionth Mustang. The GT Convertible Mustang is heading west to be delivered to a dealership in Iowa.

The Ford Mustang, approaching its 45th anniversary on April 17th, 2009, is one of the most widely recognized vehicles in the world. Today, one of every two sports cars sold in America is a Ford Mustang. The Mustang is also Ford Motor Company’s longest-running nameplate. Mustang was introduced on April 17, 1964, at the New York World’s Fair.

Mustang sales hit an astounding 419,000 in its first 12 months on the market, and topped the 1-million mark in the first two years, shattering the sales records of any single model in the history of the automobile. Mustang leads the nearly $1-billion aftermarket parts and accessories industry as the most personalized vehicle of all time, and has been recognized by SEMA as the most accessory-friendly new vehicle.

The 2009 Mustang offers a Glass Roof option and a new Warriors in Pink Package, available this summer.