![]() The Mustang also had an effect on designs of coupes worldwide, leading to the marketing of the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri in the United States (the latter, by Lincoln-Mercury). It also competed with the Plymouth Barracuda, which was launched around the same time. The success of the Mustang launch led to multiple competitors from other American manufacturers, including the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird (1967), AMC Javelin (1968), and Dodge Challenger (1970). In August 2018, Ford produced the 10-millionth Mustang matching the first 1965 Mustang, the vehicle was a 2019 Wimbledon White convertible with a V8 engine. Introduced on Ap (16 days after the Plymouth Barracuda), over 400,000 units were sold in its first year the one-millionth Mustang was sold within two years of its launch. Originally predicted to sell 100,000 vehicles yearly, the 1965 Mustang became the most successful vehicle launch since the 1927 Model A. The namesake of the " pony car" automobile segment, the Mustang was developed as a highly styled line of sporty coupes and convertibles derived from existing model lines, initially distinguished by "long hood, short deck" proportions. Currently in its seventh generation, it is the fifth-best selling Ford car nameplate. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. (Since we took these photos, Kevin has replaced the steering wheel with the factory wood wheel that's listed on the original invoice.The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. The wheel was an option on the 1969 TA, but due to manufacturing problems it wasn't available until later in production. ![]() It had undergone a repaint 35 years ago, and at some point the Formula steering wheel was added. It has a little more than 75,000 miles on the odometer. "Victorville is off the beaten path, out in the Mojave Desert, so there were few prying eyes to deal with," Kevin says.Īfter Kevin and Don bought the car, they checked out the pertinent parts. The car then quickly faded into obscurity. When he parked it in his garage, he covered it with blankets, boxes, and other objects so that no one would know what he had. That was the last time the TA ran under his possession. Once he purchased it, he drove it for three months and parked it. What is known is that 18 years after it left the Van Nuys plant, Don answered an ad in the Orange County Auto Trader for the car. Kevin says, "Unfortunately, I don't have information between the time it was reinvoiced and sold to the public on July 20, 1970, to the point when Don bought it in 1987." Once that tour of duty was complete, the car was passed on to a dealership. This was most likely for road tests, advertising, and auto show displays. This TA was first shipped to Pontiac headquarters for company use. Much of this car's history has been lost, though Kevin found out enough to put together a partial timeline. With it sitting that long-since 1987-I didn't want to start it without draining all the fluids and putting Mystery Oil in the cylinders." With that bit of knowledge, Kevin and Don made a deal on the Trans Am, and then Kevin headed west to claim his prize. "Don was thinking retirement and figured it was time to sell the TA," says Kevin. Don mentioned that he had a car that Ames might be interested in and said it was possibly the first production 1969 Trans Am ever built. How did Kevin and his business partner (and cousin) Don Emery score this very special Trans Am? It all started with an ad that is featured in every Ames catalog and on its website: "Wanted: Low Mileage Low Production Cars." One day Kevin received a call from a Don Larsen of Victorville, California. Today he enjoys the car, along with several other top Pontiacs in his collection, with his "auto enthusiast in training" son Kyler. It's a car that has always inhabited a special place in his heart, and one that he was lucky enough to buy 28 years later for his very own. That ride was in his parents' brand new 1967 GTO. Kevin grew up a passionate Poncho connoisseur who took his first ride in a Pontiac as a toddler. Kevin is surrounded by the GM brand, and that puts a smile on his face every day of the week. ![]() Ames is the largest Pontiac-only restoration supply company in the world. He's fortunate to go to work and live the life he always desired, owning Ames Performance Engineering out of Spofford, New Hampshire. His particular dream world involves the collector car hobby and 1960s and 1970s muscle cars-Pontiacs, to be specific.
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