- 50 Year Limited Edition Mustang No. 1,964 of 1,964 will be autographed by top Ford executives and auctioned by Barrett-Jackson, with all proceeds going to Get Your Heart Racing, a fundraising event supporting Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute
- Winning bidder will receive a Vip package to the Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Mustang No. 1,964 will serve as official pace car
- This extraordinary Mustang will be unveiled at the Get Your Heart Racing Pit Party – a spectacular fundraiser to be held at Eastern Market in Detroit on Sept. 12
Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute’s Get Your Heart Racing program will be the beneficiary when a 50 Year Limited Edition 2015 Ford Mustang, No. 1,964, crosses the block at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction in late September. Ford will build only 1,964 50 Year Limited Edition Mustang fastbacks in honor of the year the pony car debuted.
“Ford Mustang inspires passion like no other car,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “The visceral look, sound and performance of Mustang resonates with people, even if they’ve never driven one. Mustang is definitely more than just a car – it is the heart and soul of Ford Motor Company.”
That makes it all the more fitting that this rare 50 Year Limited Edition Mustang will be auctioned as part of the annual Get Your Heart Racing program to raise funds for Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute at Henry Ford Hospital.
Each limited-edition car features a plaque on the instrument panel engraved with a serial number and the signature of Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford. Mustang No. 1,964 will be customized into a one-of-one pace car package that includes the signatures of other Ford executives. The car will be revealed publicly for the first time at the Get Your Heart Racing Pit Party sponsored by Crest Automotive Group, Sept. 12 at Eastern Market in Detroit.
2015 Ford Mustang
Based on the all-new 2015 Mustang GT fastback with performance package, the 50 Year Limited Edition is designed to provide customers with outstanding performance and a unique appearance that will be instantly recognizable.
“We wanted to provide our most dedicated fans with the emotion of the original Mustang in a 21st century car,” said Bill Ford. “With this 50 Year Limited Edition, I believe we have accomplished our goal.”
One enthusiast has the opportunity to become the owner of one of the rarest of this limited stock, and it’s likely many of the most serious Mustang fans will be involved in the bidding.
Barrett-Jackson auction and NASCAR championship weekend
After headlining the Get Your Heart Racing Pit Party in Detroit, Mustang No. 1,964 heads to Las Vegas for the Barrett-Jackson auction, which takes place Sept. 25-27. In addition to the pride of owning this one-of-a-kind car, the auction winner will receive a Vip package to the Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16, where No. 1,964 will pace the championship race.
The auction package includes airfare, hotel accommodations and two Vip tickets to the track. A Ford NASCAR driver will run hot laps in Mustang No. 1,964 ahead of the race.
Get Your Heart Racing auctioned the “movie-star” Mustang that appeared in the Dreamworks box-office smash “Need for Speed” – a film adaptation of the popular video game of the same name. When the Barrett-Jackson auctioneer’s gavel ended the spirited bidding, that Mustang had sold for $300,000, causing the packed house to erupt in cheers.
“The Get Your Heart Racing program has become our biggest annual fundraiser, and everybody who participates seems to love it,” said Sandy Hudson, chief development officer, Henry Ford Hospital. “With the help of our sponsors – especially Ford Motor Company – we’re looking to 2014 to be our biggest and best year yet.”
Get Your Heart Racing is co-produced by Henry Ford Health System and Ford Motor Company in support of Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute at Henry Ford Hospital. Honorary chairpersons of this year’s event are Paul and Lynn Ford Alandt and Raj Nair.
Get Your Heart Racing is Henry Ford Health System’s most successful annual fundraiser. For more information or to purchase event tickets, please visit www.GetYourHeartRacing.org or contact Kim Streich at 734.246.9639 or kstreic1@HFHS.org.
2014 Get Your Heart Racing sponsors include Ford Motor Company, Crest Automotive Group, Comerica Bank, Continental Catering and Events, Heidie M. Gorno, Superior Ambulance, Novelis, Lear Corporation, Panasonic Automotive Systems of America, Fritz Enterprises, ISIS Medical, Village Ford, Penske Corporation, Powerlink, Ken and Marilyn Way, Goodyear, Dakkota Integrated Systems, Detroit Manufacturing Systems, Team Detroit, Faurecia, W.F. Whelan Company, the Honorable Sandy and Lisa Baruah, and R.H. Bluestein Company.
The Ford Mustang was first shown to the public at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City. Five decades later – almost to the day – Ford has rolled out its 2015 Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition at the New York Auto Show.
Fifty years after debuting one of the world’s most popular cars, Ford is marking the milestone by revealing a Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition. Created to honor five decades of Mustang heritage, only 1,964 examples of the 50 Year Limited Edition will ever be built when it goes on sale this fall.
“When Mustang was approved for development more than 50 years ago, I don’t think anyone imagined it would spawn such a dedicated base of fans around the world and still be in production today,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “We are thrilled to be here in New York – where Mustang was first shown to the public at the 1964 World’s Fair – to re-create that historic event for today’s Mustang enthusiasts.”
Based on the all-new 2015 Mustang GT fastback with performance pack, the 50 Year Limited Edition is designed to provide customers with outstanding performance and a unique appearance that will be instantly recognizable on the road. The only options for the 50 Year Limited Edition are the choice of two exclusive colors and a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.
50 Years of Inspiration
“The new Mustang blends a muscular, contemporary shape with design cues that define it as quintessentially Mustang,” said Moray Callum, Ford vice president of design. “The 50 Year Limited Edition adds details that set it apart from other Mustangs, while hearkening back to the 1965 original.”
The only two available colors are Wimbledon White, like Mustang serial No. 0001 that was first sold to Capt. Stanley Tucker in April 1964, or Kona Blue. Both are exclusive to this limited-edition car.
“Chrome trim was much more prevalent on cars in the 1960s than it is today, so we added some discreet highlights for the grille, side glass and tri-bar taillamps,” said Callum. “The darker Kona Blue provides a particularly striking contrast against the chrome.”
Chrome bezels surrounding the base of each of the three taillamp blades take inspiration from the original 1962 design proposal by Gale Halderman that became the basis for the production model that debuted in 1964. The three individual lamps on each side of that design were combined into a single tri-bar lamp cluster for production, but the original concept has returned five decades on. The Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition will be the only 2015 model with the large faux gas cap badge on the rear fascia, with 50 Years added to the GT designation.
Another visual element that won’t be found on any other Mustang is the louvered rear quarter-windows. Unlike the external louvers on the quarter-windows of the 1965 fastback, the new windows are comprised of layered sheets of glass built with a construction technique uniquely developed for this car.
Unique Cockpit Experience
From behind the wheel, drivers will know they are driving a very special car. The aluminum trim panel that spans the double-brow instrument panel gets an axel spin finish different from other 2015 Mustangs, plus a special serialized 50 Year Limited Edition badge on the passenger side. Each badge will be individually etched at Flat Rock Assembly Plant where Mustang is built.
The limited-edition is the only 2015 Mustang with a cashmere-stitched, leather-wrapped steering wheel. The stitching is also used on the instrument panel, shifter boot, center armrest, door inserts and seats. The seats feature exclusive two-tone cashmere and black leather upholstery, and the Mustang 50 Year logo on the seat backs.
Limited-edition cars will be equipped with loop-carpet floor mats with cashmere stitching and suede binding not available on other Mustangs.
A Showpiece Meant to be Driven
“Mustang fans love to drive their cars, even the rarer examples of the breed, so we built this limited-edition from the best-performing 2015 Mustang available – the GT fastback with the performance pack,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “While some collectors will undoubtedly stash this car away in a museum, those who choose to hit the open road will get a world-class sports car that can run with the best.”
Powered by the upgraded 5.0-liter V8 engine delivering more than 420 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque, every 50 Year Limited Edition will be equipped with the Mustang GT performance pack that includes massive six-piston Brembo front brakes and 19-inch alloy wheels with high-performance Y-speed-rated Pirelli P-Zero summer tires.
The 19-inch alloy wheels feature a unique Y-spoke design inspired by the chromed steel wheels that were offered on the original Mustang 50 years ago. The front wheels are 9.0 inches wide with 255/40R tires, while the staggered rear wheels are 9.5 inches wide with 275/40R tires.
The 50 Year Limited Edition is the only 2015 Mustang that will be available with a combination of an automatic transmission and the performance pack. When equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission, the Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition will get a limited-slip rear differential with a 3.55:1 final-drive. Customers who opt for the six-speed manual will get a Torsen differential with a 3.73:1 final-drive ratio.
The 50 Year Limited Edition car will be among the first 2015 Mustangs built when production begins later this year. Each of the 1,964 50 Year Limited Edition Mustangs will get a unique owner’s guide in a leather portfolio with the 50 Year badge on the outside.
“We wanted to provide our most dedicated fans with the emotion of the original Mustang in a 21st century car,” said Ford. “With this 50 Year Limited Edition, I believe we have accomplished our goal.”