Officially referred to as a 1965 production model by Ford, most Mustang enthusiasts refer to the first production run of Mustangs as the 64 1/2. The car was only available in two body styles, the coupe and the convertible. During the first month the Mustang was for sale, the engine choices constisted of a 170 cubic inch inline 6 cylinder or a 260 cubic inch V-8. However, in May of 1964 Ford introduced the 289-4V engine into the line-up. The 64 1/2 Mustang was produced until August of that year.

In September, 1964, Ford began selling the true 1965 Mustangs. The car was only slightly changed from the 64 1/2, with a few minor styling changes and the replacement of the the generator with an alternator. The original 170 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine was replaced with a larger, more powerful 200 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine and the 260 V-8 was dropped from the Mustang line-up. The 289 was available in 3 flavors: the 289-2V, the 289-4V and the 289-4V Hi-Po. The 2+2 Fastback was introduced during this model year, which became the basis for the first Shelby Mustangs.

One last addition was made to the Mustang corral midway through the production year. Although production started in February of 1965, the first Mustang GT was officially offered for sale on April 17, 1965, exactly one year after the introduction of the Mustang to the American public. The Grand Touring (GT) option included a special sports handling package, front disc brakes (not power assisted), GT stripes and fender badges, dual chrome "trumpet" exhaust that exited through the rear valance, and bar mounted fog lamps on the front grill. The only engine choices for the GT model were the 289-4V or the 289-4V Hi-Po. The GT package could be ordered on any of the three body styles.

Changes to the 1966 model year were few. The front grill was changed slightly as was the gas cap. Some of the items that had been options on the previous year's model, became standard equipment on the 66. Additional exterior color options and interior trim options were added. The only change for the GT included the addition of a special GT badged gas cap. The Shelby continued to be offered in the fastback model and for the first time could also be ordered as a convertible model. The High Country Special mustang was also offered for sale for the first time as a dealer promotion in Colorado, Wyoming and parts of Nebraska.

1967 ushered in a major style change to the Mustang. The 67 Mustang was larger and heavier than the previous models. Engine choices remained the same as the previous year, with one exception. For the first time ever a Mustang could be ordered with a big block 390 cubic inch 4V engine. The muscle car wars had begun! Fewer exterior color and interior trim choices were available in 67. Changes to the GT model included quad tipped exhaust outlets when the car was ordered with the 289-4V Hi-Po or 390-4V engine. Power assisted front disc brakes were standard on the GT and the GT package could now be ordered with any V-8 engine. 67 was also the first year of the pop open GT gas cap.

As in 66, the 1968 Mustang changed very little from the previous model year. The 289-4V and Hi-Po engines were replaced by the 302-4V engine. In December of 67 the 289 engine disappeared from the Mustang line-up completely and a 302-2V engine became available. Midway through the production year, Ford also added the new 428-4V CobraJet engine as an option with the GT package (only 1 non-GT 68 428 CobraJet car is known to exist). The GT option was relativily unchanged from the previous year with the exception of the addition of styled steel argent or chrome wheels and hubcaps bearing the GT logo. The straight GT stripe from previous years was replaced by a new "C" stripe and the fog lamps were now mounted in the grill without the grill bar. The first, and only, GT California Specials were offered for sale in 1968.

In 1969, the muscle car wars were really beginning to heat up. Mopar was selling behemoth 426 Hemi's and 440 Magnums, Chevy was offering COPO and Yenko 427's, Oldsmobile was pushing the 455 Rocket. The Mustang was once again completely restyled for 69. The car was longer and more aggressive looking. The 2+2 fastback was now known as the sportsroof. For the first and only time, the front end had 4 headlights instead of the usual 2. Ford introduced the potent Boss 429 "semi-hemi" and the Boss 302. They also added a 250-1V 6 cylinder, and two new Windsor 351-2V and 351-4V engines to the line-up. The 302-4V was dropped from the engine list in 69.

One last addition to the Pony stable in 69 was the Mach I. Although the GT option was still available, the introduction of the Mach I proved to be the death of the Mustang GT, and 1969 became the last year of the GT for many years to come. The Mach I came standard with most of same equipment the GT had plus additional features that no other Mustang had. The special body graphics on the Mach I made the car look meaner and faster than the GT, and the two models were comparably priced. The american public embraced the Mach I and sales of the GT nose-dived. Only 5396 GT's were sold in 1969, a far cry from the peak GT year in 1966 when 25,517 GT's were sold. 1969 was also the first year the convertible model of the GT outsold the sportsroof model, probably because those who wanted the sportsroof opted for the Mach I over the GT.

Changes to the GT package in 1969 included a restyling of the GT pop open gas cap to include a gear or cog pattern around the GT logo. The fog lamps that had been part of the GT package in previous years were eliminated, probably because there was no room after the two extra headlights were added to the front grill. The hood now sported pin-type hood locks and a non-functional hood scoop with integrated turn signal lights. The straight GT stripe returned to its rightful place on the rocker panel between the front and rear tires.

Since this is the 69 Mustang GT Registry, my history of the Mustang will end here like the GT did. However, if you are interested in additional Mustang history or would like to know more about certain Mustangs or model years, there is a wealth of other information available on the internet and in books. If you want to know more, I recommend that you got to my "Links" page and try some of the links listed, or use the Google search found on that page to locate more Mustang information. Also, if any of the information presented on this page is incorrect or in dispute, please email me. I always enjoy hearing from other Mustang enthusiasts, even if it is to tell me I am wrong.

I also probably need to give credit to the following people/entities for the information contained on this page: