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Description
Ford’s Pony Car was first introduced in 1964, and immediately struck a chord with the American car-buying public, claiming a place in motoring history as it did so. The lineage became known as ‘Pony Cars’, which extends all the way to today with the seventh generation, as at time of writing. The progenitor was a much simpler car from a simpler time when the upper working and expanding middle-classes were relieved of their excess money by their innate desire to drive something sleek and fast. There were two variants at launch, including hardtop and a drop-top cabriolet, and they were joined by the Fastback later in ‘64. Ford’s chief engineer Donald N. Frey was responsible for the project, which began in ’62 and was chivvied along at board-level to ensure that the plug wasn’t pulled by the penny-pinchers with no imagination.
The result was a relatively light, powerful four-seater with a price limit to keep the more ambitious designers in check, using the Ford Falcon chassis as a base to keep costs down, and after a competition between the various Ford in-house design departments, the Ford design was chosen, as it appealed to men and women, adding a little European flair to the bodyshell, whilst keeping it palatable for home audiences. It also got a new badge, dropping the Cougar project name, taking on the Mustang name, and adopting the prancing horse that’s now legendary. The first Mustangs were given 1965 VIN numbers, and this led their fans to call them the 64 ½ Mustang, running with various engine sizes from 2.8L to 4.7L, three-speed manual and automatic gearboxes, plus a four-speed manual box. From outset its appeal was obvious, receiving 22,000 pre-orders, and selling almost 1.3 million cars in the first two years. The original Pony Car and its descendants have changed the way Americans view their cars immensely over the years, and I wouldn’t mind one of the new ones myself, if I had a few shekels to spare, as they’re now officially available in the UK.
The Kit
This is a reboxing with new decals of the 1985 tooling by Revell, which is backed up by the raised lettering on the underside of the interior tub of the model. The kit arrives in an end-opening box, and inside are five sprues and the bodyshell in white styrene, another sprue that has been chrome-plated over white styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet, and instruction booklet that is printed in colour with profiles for the decal option to the rear. This is a special boxing that depicts a single car for its 60th anniversary, which is an amazing length of time for a car and its name to continue in production. It is an old kit, but has good detail, and time has been kind to the moulds, including a full engine, underside details and the interior, plus of course the revised bodyshell and other parts that make this a convertible. As it’s a special edition, there are six thumb-pots of acrylic paint in various colours, a 12.5g bottle of Revell Contacta Professional cement, and a #2 Revell paintbrush.
Specifications
Width
7.2 cm
Length
18.5 cm
Height
5.0 cm
Skill Level
3
Age Recommendation
10
Individual Parts
70
This product is supplied unassembled
