Generations of the Ford "Pony Car"
The Iconic Ford Mustang
Introduced in 1964 the Ford Mustang has been a staple to the automotive industry. Its iconic image has been known not just throughout the automotive world but to any individual. Ford created a vehicle that when you see it on the street you recognize and know that is indeed a Ford Mustang. Ford Motors throughout the production of the Mustang did a great job presenting the vehicle, message, and brand to the people. They used advertisements to push their message and gain the people’s trust that the Ford Mustang is a strong representation of yesterday, today and tomorrow which is what Ford Motors strongly stands by today. By bringing this iconic vehicle to the market they managed to do just that, making the Mustang one of longest vehicles to stay in production. That being said as being one of the longest vehicles to stay in production the Ford Mustang has become one of the most accessorized and customized “pony car.”
Now as we refer to “pony car” we are not just talking specifically Ford Mustang. A “pony car” is necessarily an American car classification for affordable, compact, highly styled coupes or convertibles with a sporty or performance-oriented image. Common characteristics include rear-wheel drive, a long hood, a short deck lid, a wide range of options to individualize each car and use of mass-produced parts shared with other models. The popularity of “pony cars” is largely due to the launch of the Ford Mustang. Currently produced “pony cars” are the Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Challenger, yet out all of these produced “pony cars” only one managed to stay in production since its initial launch in 1964 and that would be the Ford Mustang.
Throughout the years Ford introduced numerous generations of Mustangs that overtime changed having to manage keeping up with the different eras. The use of advertisements played a big role on introducing the newest generation of Mustangs to the people. Each advertisement that Ford used displayed a different approach they had to use in order to gain the audience’s attention. Keeping up with the current trend throughout those periods of times must have been a challenging task to overcome as the style of vehicles changed drastically since 1964. It is interesting to see how far the infamous “pony par” has come changing significantly over time, but by also managing on keeping its memorable iconic look.
Take a look at some classic advertisements that have been used throughout the years displaying the Ford Mustang all the way to advertisements used today. Note the style of advertisements used for each particular period in time.
