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APRIL 11, 2014


Special events around the country next week will celebrate the 50th birthday of the Ford Mustang. On April 17, 1964, the age of the 'Pony Car' began, revolutionizing the automotive world and putting its mark on American culture. 

 

But the idea of 'Mustang' was born two years earlier. It was the summer of 1962. Henry Ford II had just rescinded the ban on factory racing support, and the company leaders were anxious to inject some excitement into the Ford brand, whose image had grown a bit stodgy in the previous few years. On the race track, fresh Ford-powered efforts were poised to assault NASCAR, NHRA, Indy and European sports car courses. But newly appointed Ford Chief Lee Iacocca wanted something targeted directly at consumers as well, so he commissioned a sporty concept car to be debuted at the US Grand Prix event at Watkins Glen in October. Time was short and the pressure was high, but a cadre of young engineers with experience in Europe envisioned a svelte, mid-engine, 2-seat sports car to draw in the youth market. It would be built using all the latest technology: a unitized tubular space frame, fully independent suspension at all four corners, and brand-new 1500cc V-4 engine and 4-speed transaxle out of Ford's European Taunus.

 

Engineers were inspired by the P-51 Mustang's aggressive image and decided to borrow the name for their new creation. The Mustang was a concept car, so more than anything it had to look the part. California custom car builder Troutman & Barnes was tapped to craft the hand-hammered aluminum body. It featured flip-up headlamps to streamline airflow and racy looks; an integrated roll-hoop also blended style and function. The Mustang I Concept was tiny, riding on a 90-inch wheelbase and weighing just 1148 pounds, giving it an excellent power-to-weight ratio with the street-spec 89hp, and eye-opening performance with the extra 20hp of the race configuration. At the car's debut at Watkins Glen, American F1 ace Dan Gurney laid down demonstration laps fast enough to make the field of the sports car support race that weekend. This from a car that 100 days earlier was nothing more than a sketch on a designer's pad!

 

Automodello has brought this hallmark moment in Ford history-and the beginning of the Mustang legend to life with beautiful 1/24 and 1/43 scale models of the Mustang 1 Concept.

 

 

The sleek lines and finely crafted details are perfectly recreated, showcasing just what a tour de force this machine really was. These resin models by Automodello are officially licensed by the Ford Motor Company. The Tribute Edition is accompanied with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Dan Gurney and licensed by All American Racers as a fitting tribute to Mustang 50 Years.

 

 

 

Both 1/24 and 1/43 scale models are in stock for immediate delivery. A small quantity of Dan Gurney Tribute Edition pieces are also available. Order below:

 

1/24 scale Mustang 1 Concept by Automodello.....$299.95 - Order HERE

1/43 scale Mustang 1 Concept by Automodello.....$119.95 - Order HERE

 

1/24 scale Mustang 1 Concept - Tribute Edition - DG signed Cert.....$350.00 - Order HERE

 

 

 MUSTANG 50 YEARS 

Celebrating America's Only True Pony Car

By Donald Farr Foreword by Edsel B. Ford II

 

In the early 1960s, Lee Iacocca-then director of the Ford division at Ford Motor Company-convinced Henry Ford II to produce a sporty four-seat car aimed at the emerging youth market. That car, essentially a reconfigured and re-skinned Falcon economy car, became the Ford Mustang, and it changed the automotive world like no other car before or since. 

 

In Mustang: Fifty Years, acclaimed Mustang writer Donald Farr celebrates this unbroken lineage of muscle: its phenomenal first-year sales, the new "pony car" genre it pioneered, and subsequent models that include the Mustang GT, Shelby GT350, Shelby GT500, Super Cobra Jet, Boss 302 and Boss 429-all part of a line of American performance cars that continues on to this day. With 400 photos of the USA's iconic sports car and released in tandem with the Mustang's 50th anniversary, Mustang: Fifty Years is a must on the bookshelf of any gearhead or Ford aficionado.

 

Hardbound | 256 pages | 200 color & 200 b/w images

$50.00 Order HERE

 

This week we took in an interesting small private collection of Ford, Mustang and Shelby related items including models in several scales and other unique 'stuff'. Click HERE.

 

As we approach the Month of May, we are happy to report that Spark has (finally) shipped two more of their 1/43 scale Indianapolis 500 winners to the US. We expect delivery by the end of the month:

 

43in72

Mark Donohue / Sunoco McLaren M16
1972 Indianapolis 500 Winner. $79.99. 
Order HERE

 

43in80

Johnny Rutherford / Pennzoil Chaparral 2K

1980 Indianapolis 500 Winner. $79.99 Order HERE 

 

If you haven't reserved one already, don't wait too long. These will sell out quickly.

 

 Have a great weekend!

 

 - Paul

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