Mustang Forty Years

NOW IN PAPERBACK!!!Ford's Mustang, launched on April 17, 1964, became the Official Car of the Baby Boom. It was a fortuitous accident of timing and a brilliant result of product planning. This sleek, stylish automobile launched the "Pony Car" genre with a staggering 417,000 sales in its first year. Through 40 years of tough competition from Chrysler and General Motors, the Mustang has survived and outlasted them all. Dozens of interviews bring insight to the 40-year-old story, the on-going legend, and the Mustang's future.'

A bold, fast-paced history of America's most-beloved fun car, from the prototypes that led to the original 1965 Mustang to the behind-the-scenes story of the all-new 2005 model.

Shelby Mustang details the entire story of these fantastic cars, from the early prototypes built in Shelby's Los Angeles shop to today's Ford-engineered high-tech performers. Written by one of the world's foremost authorities on Shelby automobiles, critically acclaimed author Colin Comer, and with a foreword by Lee Iacocca, the American automobile executive credited with the successful development of the Mustang, this is the definitive account of the Shelby. When Ford wanted to toughen up its super-successful new Mustang, they approached Carroll Shelby to give it the performance image it so sorely lacked. Beginning with a 1965 "K-Code" 289-cubic-inch-powered Mustang fastback, Shelby applied the same formula that had made his Cobra sports cars such devastating performers both on and off the track: more horsepower, less weight, balanced handling. The GT350 quickly established itself as a bonafide force in SCCA B-Production racing, twisting back roads, and boulevards alike—setting the course for future Shelby Mustangs, like the big-block GT500. Though those original Shelby Mustangs were done by 1970, Ford dusted off its Shelby relationship in 2006 and has been producing high-performance Ford Mustang Shelbys ever since. This is a must-have read for any fan of American performance cars, whether you're a muscle-era original or a 21st-century stormer.

Ford’s Mustang is America’s most iconic pony car. This lavishly illustrated work walks readers through Mustang’s forty-plus years of continuous production—a rich and varied history nearly unmatched in the automotive world. From the first six-cylindered ’Stang of 1964 1/2 through today’s fire-breathing, world-beating Mustang, The Complete Book of Mustang offers an in-depth look at the prototypes and experimental models, the anniversary and pace cars, and the specialty packages for street and competition driving that have made the Mustang an automotive legend for nearly a half century. With extensive details, specs, and photographic coverage, this book is the ultimate resource on America’s best-loved pony car. Now updated to include all models through 2011.