Ford Mustang Convertible 1964 1/2

by

Model number: AW209

Review of the model:

When some like me, want to build a collection of American Automotive history, which spans from the late forties to the late sixties. We must not out rule the Ford Mustang from 1964. In any time span of history, some hallmarks stand out over the other. This is for sure with this car. We can go so far to say there is an époque before and after, when the car was introduced in the car industry. Remember in those days up to April 64, cars was ether sports, family or performance cars. Moreover, here emerges a car that was all of the above plus small, fast, affordable and roomy. In addition, best of all, very good looking with a touch of European style. A car that even today looks not outdated. This was surely a car that embraced the youth of America. One has said, you can sell a young man’s car to an old man, but you cannot sell an old man’s car to a young man!  The Ford Mustang 1964 was for everybody.

In the Die-cast world in scale, 1:18 we see many manufacturers who build this model. MotorMax, Solido and Welly to name a few. However none of them in my mind, has details as the model from Auto World.

When I unpacked the model from the box, the first that stroke me was the weight of the car! Quality and weight is not always connected, but in this chase, it shows how many parts this model is made of. Not all models are well made underneath, but if we look down under, the car is just as detailed as in the cabin! Auto World have made a good job regarding the authenticity. The driveshaft rotates when the rear wheels are turning and we see the red primer paint as well as different colors on the engine and gearbox.

When a model car is a convertible, it will demand a higher detail level in the cabin, as nothing is hidden away by the hardtop. Let me say:  What a fine cabin! If you like blue vinyl, you will not be disappointed, this wealth of detail realism is over the top and one of the best,  I have seen in this up to 100$-class! Here we find seats belt with chrome locks, rubber mats with Mustang Logo imprinted and very fine blue carpet. Everything here is so well made and realistic that you just will fall in love with this model – Top of all; try to find the key in the instrument panel!

This model represents the Pace car of Indianapolis 500 from 1964 with modifications in the suspension and motor bay. Oh yes nothing is left out here. The extra spring suspensions are present to cope with the high speed in the curves. When you open the hood of the model, you will see a nearly perfect 289 V8 Ford motor, with all the “bells and whistles” all the correct wires, hoses and stickers are present. A heavy engine most have plenty of fresh air, this model have the real honeycomb grill in etched metal.

A feature that represents the higher levels of model cars is the well-made hinges in the doors and lids. This Mustang has spring hinges on the hood and the doors open more realistic then the low-cost “dog bone” hinges. Take a look in the trunk that reveals a fine carpet in vinyl and a spare wheel. Under the lid, we find a sticker that shows how to operate the jack for exchanging the wheels.

Ford Mustang had in the first year of production, the iconic hubcaps with knock off spinners, they a very well made and are a favorite of mine. Same goes for the tires, they are made of soft rubber with well made casting, which shows the grid on them.  The model stands in the right height, with good quality spring suspension.

The glass in the windshield and lights is well made, but the lenses in the front light are mounted not perfect (grid inside most be horizontal/vertical) – This little issue can be eradicated with new mounting. All chrome shines very bright, and if you polish with a soft cloth it will last long. The model have all the small emblems like the real car, mostly tampon stamped – and this job is done perfectly all over – After all this pace car have lot of text on the sides as well as a perfect aligned blue stripe. If I shall wish things better, it will be the emblems on the hood and front fenders could have been in etched metal!

Lastly let’s have a look at the casting and paint/prep work. The casting is well made and if you have a white model car as in this chase, any imperfections will stands out! Also the gaping around the doors and lids will be bolder in a light colored model. The hood and deck lid fit perfect and the door acceptably well. Only on the paintwork there is some very small issue around.

I have chosen to give the model 5 ½ of 6 stars cause the minor issues mentioned above. But Hey don’t get me wrong, this model is very good – I will say the best Mustang 1964 on the 1:18 market today!

I will give this model 5 out of 6 stars  ******

Below here are pictures of the model, historical description, old brochures, technical data and some movie clips for the real car. So please enjoy!

History:

The Ford Mustang is an American car manufactured by Ford. It was originally based on the platform of the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. The original 1962 Ford Mustang I two-seater concept car had evolved into the 1963 Mustang II four-seater concept car which Ford used to pretest how the public would take interest in the first production Mustang. The 1963 Mustang II concept car was designed with a variation of the production model's front and rear ends with a roof that was 2.7 inches shorter. Introduced early on April 17, 1964 (16 days after the Plymouth Barracuda), and thus dubbed as a "1964½" by Mustang fans.

On April 17, 1964, the Ford Mustang made its official debut at the World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens, New York. Almost 22,000 Mustangs were immediately snapped up by buyers. Named for a World War II fighter plane, the Mustang quickly came to be synonymous with the performance segment, giving rise to the name “pony car.” Ford sold more than 400,000 Mustangs within its first year of production, (Over one mill in 18 months) far exceeding sales expectations.

To achieve an advertised list price of US$2,368, the Mustang was based heavily on familiar yet simple components, many of which were already in production for other Ford models. Many (if not most) of the interior, chassis, suspension, and drivetrain components were derived from those used on Ford's Falcon and Fairlane. This use of common components also shortened the learning curve for assembly and repair workers, while at the same time allowing dealers to pick up the Mustang without also having to invest in additional spare parts inventory to support the new car line.

Favorable publicity articles appeared in 2,600 newspapers the next morning, the day the car was "officially" revealed. A Mustang convertible also appeared in the James Bond film Goldfinger in September 1964.

1964 Ford Mustang Indy 500 Pace Car
Partly by Jim Smart
 

Are you familiar with the '6411/42 Mustang Indianapolis 500 Pace Car? If not, belly up to the table and tune in to a story about the Greatest Spectacle in Racing and how it has affected Main Street for decades. It's not uncommon for an automaker that provides the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car each year to build a number of replicas for sale to the public.

In 1964, Ford had the Galaxie poised to pace the Indianapolis 500. That changed when Mustang madness swept the nation. But Ford had a serious problem: not enough Mustangs to meet consumer demand, much less the added demand of a racing event where more than three dozen convertibles were needed. Extra challenge? They all had to be white and appropriately equipped for the Indy 500.

Why would the Indy 500 need more than three-dozen Mustang convertibles? It's an Indianapolis 500 tradition that select festival officials have access to pace car replicas for two to three months preceding the race to promote "the greatest spectacle in racing." Indy 500 officials from the period have told us that those responsible for the pace car program at Ford were scrambling to find suitably equipped Mustang convertibles prior to the race. To pacify Indy officials, Ford shipped 35 '64 Galaxie 500 convertibles in March, which were replaced by Mustang convertibles early in May.

The 35 Wimbledon White Mustang convertibles varied in the way they were optioned because many of them were sourced from Ford dealers within a sizable radius around Indianapolis. Each of these convertibles was D-code 289-4V-equipped. Interiors were red, white, or blue vinyl. Some had Cruise-O-Matics while others had four-speeds. Each had the Indy 500 graphics made for Ford by 3M.

Tradition had always been that Indy 500 festival committee members would have the option of purchasing each of the festival cars once the race was over. But not in 1964. Ford shipped these convertibles to Louisville, Kentucky, shortly after the race and sold them to dealers with the highest bids. Alderman Ford in Indianapolis successfully bid on a dozen or so of the pace car replicas. Needless to say, these cars sold quickly. What makes them hard to track is their status as run-of-the-mill production units. No special DSO codes or paint color.

While we don't yet know enough about the 35 festival convertibles, we do know something about the three actual Holman-Moody-prepared pace car convertibles built to pace the race. One paced the race. The other two were backup cars. Their vehicle identification numbers were 5F08F100240, 5F08F100241, and 5F08F100242, indicating all were 260-2V convertibles. All had significant chassis preparation. Each was fitted with a Holman-Moody-prepared 289ci V-8 engine. Although we tend to call these engines 289 High Performance V-8s, they were more custom-built, high-output 289s. Each of these Mustangs was fitted with grab bars and two-way radios. All three were produced as 260-2V convertibles and shipped to Holman-Moody. One of these cars survives today in Florida, owned by Bruce Weiss. The other two haven't been accounted for.

So, how do the approximately 190 Pace Car White Mustang hardtops fit into the pace car picture? For one thing, the pace car hardtop replicas really have little in common with the 38 Wimbledon White drop-tops at Indy. These pace car hardtops were Pace Car White (Color Code "C", 1964 only), had Trim Code 42 (white with blue appointments) interiors, and were equipped with the "F" code 260-2V V-8 with Cruise-O-Matic transmission.

The hardtops were produced for the Checkered and Green Flag contests, which were dealer incentives designed to both promote the new Mustang and indicate the Mustang's status as the official Indy 500 pace car for 1964. Each sales district arranged its dealers into groups based on sales volume in the preceding 12 months. A sales objective for April 1964 was established for each dealer in each group. Dealers who exceeded their sales objective by the greatest percentage in its group qualified to compete against all other group winners in the district.
Ford had already decided the total number of winners because the pace car replicas were assembled consecutively in mid-April 1964. The total number of winners, by district, was also predetermined since each of the pace car hardtops had a standard two-digit DSO code on the warranty plate. There were five standard-order DSO code pace car Mustangs per sales district for a total of 180 units. Each sales district determined the allocation of winners based on the best percentage of sales. The very best were declared Checker Flag winners. Second Place winners were Green Flag contest winners. Ford was aiming for an even split between the two contests. But it didn't turn out that way.

Since each sales district had considerable flexibility in conducting their contests and determining winners, the number of winners of each contest was inconsistent among the districts. There were many ties between dealers, particularly small-volume dealers. This created logistics issues across the land. Ford had already produced 180 hardtops for the two contests, but they needed more as a result of the ties. Approximately 10 more Pace Car White hardtops had to be produced in early May to meet the need. We say "approximately 10" because it has never been determined with documentation how many were produced. This is based on available documentation that addresses winning dealers.

Because these additional pace car hardtops were ordered internally by Ford, with no idea who the winning dealers would be at the time, they were ordered as DSO 84 (Home Office Reserve) units.

Checkered Flag winners (105 of them) were invited to Dearborn, Michigan, to pick up their free Mustang pace car hardtops in a nice ceremony with then-Ford Division General Manager Lee Iacocca. Dealers had the option of driving their winnings home or having them shipped. Green Flag winners had to stay home and pay for their prize with a $500 discount.

Who the winning dealers were might surprise you. Most of them were small-volume, small-town Ford dealers in communities with 5,000 or fewer people. Over 20-percent of these dealers were from towns with fewer than 2,000 people!

1964 ½ Mustang
Partly by George Mattar

When is a half a half? Throughout the years many cars have made mid-year introductions. One introduction, now more than 40 years ago, is likely the most famous of all, and the car is still being built today, granted in many ways different due to a changing world.
We're talking about the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang, probably the most successful new car debut in history and certainly one with a wanting public. There's a saying "if a car is popular when it's new, it will be popular when it's old." The original Mustang is a restorer's dream. Just about every part to fix up a rusty old example is available from a variety of suppliers.

Lee Iacocca is credited with creating the Mustang and started to sell his idea to Ford execs in September 1962. There were, of course, many others involved in creating the Mustang, but he seems to get the accolades. The car was designed to break through the boring barriers of conservative design and appeal to the many young buyers who were now flooding the marketplace for a new car.

Iacocca was given the task of studying buyers' moods and his research showed the market was ready for a new, luxurious smaller car to compete against the growing import market in the early 1960s. His solution, - build a car with a shorter wheelbase, lengthen the hood, shorten the rear deck and lower the roofline. But first build an affordable car and offer a buyer as many options as possible. Ford's established parameters included that it not be more than 180 inches long, weigh no more than 2,500 pounds, cost under $2,500, and have a standard six-cylinder engine.
The first Mustang rolled off the assembly line March 9, 1964, and it made its national debut on April 17. With a list price of $2,368, by the weekend, 22,000 cars were ordered and some 303,408 were built that first year.  Certainly Ford made up for the Edsel fiasco.

In 1964, the standard engine was the 170-cu.in. straight-six with 101hp and had a 8.7:1 compression ratio. There were three optional V-8s beginning with the 164hp/260-cu.in. engine and a 210hp/289-cu.in. V-8. The top performer was the 271hp/289-cu.in. V-8. This engine featured 10.5 compression, four-barrel carb with manual choke, solid lifters and dual exhaust. The original Mustang came standard with a three-speed manual floor-mounted transmission. An optional 4-speed was available, as was a Cruise-O-Matic automatic, except with the 271hp V-8.
The front suspension featured coil springs, ball joints, strut-stabilized lower control arms and a rubber-bushed ride stabilizer. The rear suspension was comprised of longitudinal leaf springs and diagonally mounted shock absorbers. The rear axle was a semi-floating hypoid and featured permanently lubricated wheel bearings. The steering was recirculating, ball-type with an overall ratio of 27 to 1 and a turning diameter of 38 feet. Brakes were self-adjusting drums, fore and aft. Standard tires were blackwall rayon cord 6.50 x 13. The overall length was 181.6 inches, width was 68.2 inches and height was 51.1 inches. A hardtop weighed in at 2,562 pounds and the convertible was a little heftier at 2,740 pounds.

VALUES:

Early Mustangs have always been popular and are an American icon. And while not as pricey as, say, Corvettes or anything with a Hemi under the hood, values of early Mustangs, especially convertibles, are gaining steadily. Prices of 1964 1/2 Mustang hardtops range in price from about $6,000 to $25,000, with the average value being $18,000. Certain options such as a four-speed transmission increase its value $1,000 and if it has 289/271hp V-8, add another 30 percent. Convertibles are pricier with a range of about $9,000 to $34,000, depending on options.




Technical specification:

Production: March 1964 – July 1964 (1964½ series)


Assembly:

Dearborn, Michigan
San Jose, California
Metuchen, New Jersey
Valencia, Venezuela
Mexico City, Mexico

Designers:

Joe Oros
David Ash
Gale Haldeman
Charlie Phaneuf (fastback)
Philip T. Clark (Mustang I concept)
John Najjar (Mustang I concept)

Body and chassis:

Body style 2-door hardtop
2-door fastback
2-door convertible

Powertrain:

Engine:

170 cu in (2.8 L) Thriftpower I6
200 cu in (3.3 L) Thriftpower I6
260 cu in (4.3 L) Windsor V8
289 cu in (4.7 L) Windsor V8
289 cu in (4.7 L) Windsor HiPo V8

Transmission:

3-speed manual
4-speed manual
3-speed automatic

Dimensions:

Wheelbase 108 in (2,743 mm)
Length 181.6 in (4,613 mm)
Width 68.2 in (1,732 mm)
Height 51.2 in (1,300 mm)
Curb weight 2,445 lb (1,109 kg)

Old brochures of the Ford Mustang 1964

John Najjar Born November 11, 1918
Omaha, Nebraska

was a lead designer and executive stylist at Ford Motor Company for over 40 years. He is credited for having co-designed the first prototype of the Ford Mustang known as Ford Mustang I with Philip T. Clark.

Career
Najjar was born to a working-class Greek Orthodox Christian Lebanese family in Omaha, Nebraska.[3] He joined Ford Motor Company's Apprentice School in Dearborn, Michigan. While working there as a machinist, he was approached by Henry Ford during a plant tour who asked him if he enjoyed his work. Najjar's response that he'd "rather be drawing cars" led to an invitation for him to add his talents to Ford's newly created Design Center.

He continued working as a designer for Ford for over 40 years. He worked with E. T. Gregorie, George Walker, Elwood Engel, Gene Bordinat, and Lee Iacocca. For many years his work was centered on futuristic show cars whose revolutionary features later appeared in many Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.

The Advanced Styling Studio developed the 1962 Ford Mustang I concept car - so named because of his love for its namesake, the North American P-51 Mustang fighter plane. His design contributions span decades and include the M4A3 Sherman tank and B-24 bomber in the 1940s, the 1957-58 Lincoln Continentals, the Mercury XM-800, the LevaCar concept.

Najjar also co-designed jointly with fellow Ford Motor Company stylist Bill Schmidt the groundbreaking Lincoln Futura, a futuristic concept car that served as a base for the Batmobile for the 1966 TV series Batman, as well as for the first movie adaptation of the Batman comics.

Najjar and his wife Virginia retired to Sarasota, Florida, in 1985.

He died January 6, 2011 (aged 92)
Sarasota, Florida

Video of the real car from Youtube

If you have any question or comment your are free to contact me at: aeronautic@stofanet.dk

Dealers are welcome to get their models reviewed too.

Aeronautic Jan. 2018

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