Sixty years ago to the day, Ford unveiled the original Mustang at the World’s Fair in New York. Representing a new generation of accessible sports car, the Mustang was a hit right from the start and remains Ford’s longest-running nameplate in continuous production. To celebrate this exceptional heritage and mark the special birthday, a wide range of Mustang 60th Anniversary events are being held globally on 17 April, 2024.
“The Mustang is one of the most iconic, recognisable and revered cars in the world. The original model was conceived as an affordable car combining luxury and performance in a compact, sporty design, and these continue to be the defining attributes of the upcoming new seventh-generation Mustang,” says Doreen Mashinini, General Manager for Marketing at Ford South Africa.
Over the past 60 years Mustang has been an unrivalled success. In the United States, a record 418 812 Mustangs were sold in the first year, it topped the 1 million mark a year later, and surpassed 10 million sales in 2018. It has consistently led the sports car segment in the US over the past six decades.
Mustang has been the best-selling sports car globally for more than 10 years, and has enjoyed similar success in South Africa since it was launched locally in 2016. This was made possible by the sixth-generation Mustang being the first produced in right-hand drive, with the standard models and limited-edition versions such as the Bullitt, Mach 1 and California Special becoming highly sought-after amongst automotive enthusiasts.
“Over the past eight years we’ve sold 4 060 Mustangs in South Africa, and it has commanded an average 84 percent share of the sports car market, which is a remarkable achievement,” Mashinini says. “We have a loyal rapidly growing owner and enthusiast following for the Mustang in South Africa and we can’t wait to build on this legacy with our customers when the new Mustang GT and the exhilarating Mustang Dark Horse go on sale soon.”
As part of Mustang’s 60th anniversary, Ford debuted a special Vermillion Red and Ebony Black logo, inspired by the badging and wheel centre caps on the Mustang that debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair.
This special celebration precedes the upcoming launch of the seventh-generation Mustang in South Africa later this year. The new model incorporates an edgier yet timeless exterior design along with the most technologically advanced, driver-centric cockpit of any Mustang to date.
The Mustang GT is powered by an advanced fourth-generation 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine that delivers 362kW and 567Nm. The driver can quickly adjust steering effort, engine response, and transmission and electronic stability control settings through six available Drive Modes to create the perfect Mustang at any time. These are Normal, Sport, Slippery, Drag, Track and a customisable setting with up to six individual profiles.
An exhilarating new addition to the line-up is the Mustang Dark Horse which matches sinister looks with a specially modified 5.0-litre V8 engine that produces 372kW of power and a torque peak of 567Nm. Additional powertrain enhancements were made for performance at the track, along with unique chassis tuning, larger rear sway bars and MagneRide® shocks capable of monitoring wheel and tyre movement 1 000 times per second.
Dark Horse infuses even more performance style and functionality into the Mustang’s cockpit. A thicker, flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in suede and finished with Bright Indigo Blue accent stitching incorporates anodised silver paddle shifters. A dedicated drive mode button is at thumb’s reach, allowing drivers to quickly choose the desired driving setup. This sits in front of a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster with customisable screens including a variety of drive modes.
