1964 ½ MUSTANG – THE START OF A LEGEND

America – in 1964 – was a land of change!!!  The Beatles were leading a British invasion on the music front, the federal government was lowering income tax rates to stimulate the economy and the baby-boomers were increasingly becoming a major demographic of the buying public.  However, at the start of the year the car scene didn't have too many shining stars able to capture the imagination of the growing youth market.  Sure… there were a number of interesting cars – like the Corvette, the Corvair, and the Avanti – but these were considered either too expensive, too different, or just didn’t have the right look.

Muscle cars from the big three manufacturers were also gaining momentum, but whilst their performance in a straight line was considerable, the majority of people considered them to be noisy, expensive to run and lacking in sophistication when it came to braking and handling.  At the other end of the scale, the compact cars like the Falcon, Valiant and Chevy II were selling well, but their "budget car" image didn’t really appeal to younger drivers. All that changed with the Ford Mustang.

The Mustang was the brainchild of Lee Iococca – Ford’s young general manager – who felt that a sporty "personal car" aimed at younger drivers would fill a void in the market and promote the company to a younger audience.  By adding a rear seat to create a 2+2 sports sedan and by sourcing as many parts as possible from the Falcon and Fairlane parts bins, Iococca was able to maximise the car’s appeal and keep it affordable.   Although initially to be available in either hardtop (coupe) or convertible versions, a third “fastback” body style was soon to follow. 

To generate interest in the “Mustang” name while the production models were being developed, Ford produced the Mustang 1 (1962) & Mustang 2 (1963) show cars, to let the public know that something special was coming from Ford.  The plan obviously worked, because on the day the Mustang was launched – April 17, 1964 – all the available Mustangs sold out and 22,000 orders were placed.  With a start price of just $2,368 and a list of over 50 options and accessories, there was a Mustang for just about everyone.  Ford had initially predicted selling 100,000 cars in the first year, however all these were gone in four months.  By the end of one year, Mustang sales had reached over 417,000.

BLACK BEAUTY

Our beautiful “Raven Black” feature car was actually one of those very first Mustangs, having a build date of April 14, 1964.  Early Mustang production was initially carried out at Ford’s Dearborn plant in Michigan – with the first official production model coming off the assembly line on March 9, 1964.  Although all Mustangs produced in 1964 are officially 1965 model cars, those produced prior to the 17^th of August (start date of the revised 1965 model) are unofficially known as the 64½ Mustangs – of which 121538 (Hardtop --- 92,705 and Convertible --- 28,833) had been build.  Obviously, this makes our feature car – which was build number 13316 – quite a rare beast indeed!!!  If this wasn’t enough, the following list of options make the car even more special:

·        210 HP, 289ci 4V (low compression) V8 (‘D-Code’) – The most powerful engine option available when the car was released;

·        C-4, Dual-Range, “Cruise-O-Matic”, Automatic Transmission;

·        “Palomino” vinyl interior and trim;

·        Power disc brakes;

·        Power steering;

·        Full length console;

·        Electric hood; and

·        Styled wheels

Being the first of the breed, the 1964½ models differ in a number of both significant and minor ways from the revised 1965 model Mustangs that followed.  Although there are probably around a hundred specific differences, a number of the more notable ones include:

·        Use of a generator charging system;

·        Radiator support panel has three battery vent openings to aid battery cooling;

·        The passenger seat is not adjustable;

·        Horns are larger and are mounted on the frame in the engine compartment;

·        No convertible braces in engine compartment;

·        Smaller MUSTANG emblem on the front guards;

·        Front edges of bonnet are not completely folded over;

·        Head light bezels have bevelled edges to match the bonnet lip.

·        Automatic transmission selector handle is smaller;

·        Distributor has a small oil filler cap for lubrication;

·        Power steering uses an early Eaton pump with a special adaptor;

·        V8 blocks and bellhousing only have 5 mounting bolt holes; and

·        The brake light switch mounts in special master cylinder.

Whilst the lucky “owner” of this car is Alan Maher, the major credit for the beautiful original restoration, actually belongs to his father, Geoff Maher – a retired truck driver, now living on the Gold Coast.  Alan became aware of the car in 2001 and after about a month of checking out the car’s credentials to ensure its authenticity, he bought the car and drove it up to Queensland to hand over to his father for a full restoration.

Geoff is a real “classic” car enthusiast, having owned a large variety of cars over his lifetime.  His first car was a 1938 Willys roadster (a car that would be very desirable today) and was followed up with an Austin A90 Atlantic.  Whilst Geoff was able to rattle off a long list of classic names, some of his fonder memories seemed to revolve around a 1936 Ford roadster hot rod, a 1964 XM Falcon coupe and an early Ford F150 pickup truck!!!  Whilst other brands have come and gone, Geoff still seems to come back to the Fords for his classic car fix!!!

Geoff only started collecting and restoring Mustangs in 1989, with his first being a 1986 GTHO convertible – a car that Geoff converted to right hand drive himself and still owns today.  It wasn’t until 1998 – after a few years gap – that the next Mustang came along; this being a 1966 4 speed Coupe with “Pony” trim, power brakes, power steering, console and styled wheels.  However from here, Geoff and his son Alan were hooked on the early Mustang models and the next few years saw a procession of early Mustangs come into the Maher household to be lavished with the meticulous care and attention to detail, that Geoff has become so well known for.  These included a 1964½  3 speed manual coupe, powered by a 260 cu.in. V8, a 1968 302 cu.in. powered coupe, with automatic transmission, a 1965 fastback that Alan uses as his daily driver in Melbourne and the 1964½ convertible featured.

Not long after the convertible was completed, it was entered in the Mustang Concours on the Gold Coast, where it picked up a Gold award.  Such is Geoff’s humble nature, that he didn’t even bother going to the presentation night, feeling that the car wasn’t good enough to win anything.  Obviously the judges saw things differently and after our photo shoot, I can only agree.  In fact Geoff wasn’t sure why his car was selected for this feature by the Mustang Club, however one look at the photos hopefully are enough to show the quality of this car.

Even during our photo shoot, a number of people stopped to have a look at the black beauty sitting near the water, however we were all surprised when a young girl leading a real black pony came by as well.  Personally, I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate!!!

However, concours events and photo shoots really aren’t Geoff’s thing and so the car spends most of its time locked away in Geoff’s garage with his other toys, occasionally being taken out for a spirited gallop around the Gold Coast roadways.  Currently, Geoff is in the process of restoring another 1964½ coupe for Alan… but swears that this is definitely the last one!!!  After so many quality restorations in such a short time, only time will tell if Geoff can just quit “cold turkey” like that – but at 69 years of age, I suppose Geoff is finally entitled to a little rest and relaxation!!!

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