Evolution of the Mustang as Seen on Screen

318,000 Mustangs were sold in the year of release when the first generation model was born - which is more than 3 times the demand that Ford had initially anticipated. After 18 months this figure had exceeded 1 million units. An instant success which spawned a whole new type of car-culture, almost overnight.

The 1968 GT390 Mustang Fastback was of course the famous vehicle used by Steve McQueen in ‘Bullitt’, which hosted one of the greatest Hollywood car chases of all time.

Bond fans will recognise the first generation model from the 1964 film ‘Goldfinger’, in the scene where Sean Connery uses tyre-slashing wheel hubs on his Aston Martin DB5 to burst the tyres of Bond Girl, Tilly Masterson’s Mustang Convertible.

More recently, Sean Boswell drove a ‘67 Fastback in ‘Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift’, Tom Cruise had a 66 Shelby GT350H in ‘War of the Worlds’ and Nicolas Cage stole Eleanor (a ‘67 Shelby GT500) as the final target in the 2000 remake of Gone in Sixty Seconds. A true legend, then.

The Mustang II was widely received as the right car at the right time. Although it was slower than the Mustang it replaced, the second generation offered excellent fuel economy (relatively) and it was smaller and lighter. The Mustang II was named the 1974 Motor Trend Car of The Year - an accolade the original never achieved. The total count of second generation models exceeded 1.1 million units over the 4 years of production, and it followed a different ethos to the first model.

The Mustang II came at the time of an oil crisis, so although smaller, less powerful engines may not have been initially welcomed by purists, Ford rightly maintained that the Mustang II was the right car at the right time. The Mustang II made it onto the cinema screens a few times, the first being the original Charlie’s Angels film in 1976 and then a 1977 Mustang Cobra also featured in ‘Starman.’

The Mustang III was in production for 14 years making it the longest running model of the Mustang family. Throughout production it only undertook one major facelift in 1983 which provided a more ‘aero’ look to the front-end. Engine options were also changed throughout the production of the Mustang III as consumers struggled to decide between the need for power and the need for economy, due to oil shortages at the time.

The exiting model of the Mustang III came with either a 2.3 L engine or a 5.0 L V8 engine, a combination which Ford believe to be effective to this date…

The Mustang III was the least ‘seen-on-screen’ of all Mustang models, the only realy hollywood hit was in Back to The Future 2 where an 80’s Convertible Mustang with a huge spoiler was meant to be the car that we’re all driving in 2015.

In 1994 the Mustang was subject to its first major redesign in fifteen years and Ford spent in excess of $700million to develop the chassis and reduce road noise. The base mustang came with a 3.8 litre V6 and a 5-speed manual transmission. The Mustang IV was the first model to feature driver and passenger airbags and 3 point seatbelts. The Mustang GT, with a 4.94 litre V8 (they called it a 5 litre) would accelerate from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and was named the Motor Trend Car of The Year.

The 4th gen Mustang was famous in two films in particular. Firstly, in 2 Fast 2 Furious a 2003 Saleen model Mustang was crushed while trying to negotiate a small gap between two large rigs on a highway. Secondly, a convertible Saleen model Mustang was driven by Harrison Ford in the blockbuster film Hollywood Homicide.

The fifth generation should be fresh in the memory of motoring enthusiasts who have kept a watchful eye on the evolution of the Mustang. Introduced in 2004 at the North American International Auto Show, Ford attempted to replicate the original Mustang with modern lines and styling - a styling ethos called ‘Retro-Futurism,’ apparently.

The 5th Gen Mustang is arguably the most decorated Mustang of all time, after featuring in a huge list of blockbuster films such as: I Am Legend, Transformers, Death Race, Knight Rider (2008) and Need for Speed - to name a few.

The sixth generation Mustang was unveiled in December, 2013, and changes include a wider and lower body and the introduction of a 2.3 litre 4 cylinder 'Ecoboost' engine. A 5.0Litre V8 model is also available. 

Order books opened for European buyers during the UEFA Champions League Final, in May 2014, and all 130 units designated for the UK sold out within 30 seconds of going on sale. The UK allocation has already sold out, with over 1,200 orders already placed. UK deliveries start in October 2015 for the new Mustang - which is yet to be seen on screen, but no doubt an imminent eventuality that we cannot wait for.

So, which is your favourite?

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