Anniversary Mustang History & Other Ford Facts
The Official 20th Anniversary Mustang Website & Registry

Press Release from FORD - March 16, 1984

  • In the early 1960s, a changing mood drifted through the automotive marketplace...a spirit of youth as members of the World War II baby boom graduated into car-buying adults, thier jalopy days behind them.


  • The Cars they bought were not the cars of thier parents. Instead, the cars came equipped with bucket seats, floor-mounted stick shifts and optional engines. This generation wanted economy and sportiness, handling and performance, all wrapped up in one set on wheels.


  • It appeared that there was a market out there searching for a car. Ford Motor Company committed itself to design that car. It was to carry four people, weigh under 2500 pounds and cost less than $2,500.


  • On April 17, 1964, this dictum became reality as the Ford Mustang was unveiled and too its place in automotive history. It did indeed seat four people, weighed only 72 pounds more than 2,500, and cost a reasonable $2,368. It featured a very tidy 108-inch wheelbase and came equipped with a 170-cubic inch six cylinder engine and three-speed floor-mounted manual transmission. The mustang had a comfortable ride, a good feel for the road and embodied fun and excitement.


  • The Mustang's long hood/short deck styling promised performance and panache. And it offered enough options to fulfill that promise. Buyers could order Mustangs in three models-- Convertible, Hartop or fastback --and could power them with engines ranging from the standard six to a competition-level high-performance 289-cubic-inch V-8 that churned out 271 horsepower.


  • The result was overwhelming. First year sales estimate of 100,00 unite was surpassed in four months. Some 22,000 orders were taken the first day. In just 12 months, more than 417,000 Mustangs were sold, a record then for first year sales. A further indication of Mustang's instant celebrity status was the almost instantaneous cult following that saw 472 Mustang Clubs formed in two and a half years with a total membership of 32,000 afficianados.


  • First-year sales held even more suprises. .As expected, Mustang had an enormous appeal amoung young people, with more than half of the first-year buyers under 34 years old. The suprise was that 16 percent were in the 45-55 age bracket. The Mustang seemed to bridge just about every gap in the market.


  • Young marrieds purchased Mustangs for thier family car just as young singles did for thier sport cars. As many women bought Mustangs as did men. About 50 percent of Mustang buyers owned another car, and over 60 percent were college educated. A majority of buyers ordered thier Mustangs with one of the V-8 engines, power steering, power brakes, Automatic transmission and a radio.


  • Its reception immediatly sparked a host of imitators. The long-hooded/short deck look became the most copied profile in the industry. By 1967, Ponycars accounted for 11 percent of the market, and Mustang was out in front of the herd.


  • Since those early days, there have been Mustang muscle cars, sport cars, and economy cars, but always the Mustang mystique remained intact.


  • Nowhere has that mystique been more evident than on the race track since those early Shelbys ran away with its class in SCCA B Production in 1965, '66, and '67. Mustang also held its own in drag racing and in Trans Am, where it took national honors four out of five years. Names like Mach I, Boss 302, or 351, GT 500 KR, CJ 428 and Cobra all became part of a proud racing heritage that continues today. The Latest addition is the Mustang GTP which last year placed first and third in its IMSA Camel GT debut.


  • Also helping to perpetuate the Mustang legend is the 1984 Mustang SVO - a turbocharged, sleek, road-hugging machine destined for it's own place in ponycar history. All the 1984 Mustangs reflect the spirit of youth, fun and excitement that was there in the beginning. They still combine plush sportiness, economy and performance.


  • Recognizing this auspicious anniversary, Ford Motor Company is offering a Special Anniversary Limited Edition that accuratly recalls the excitement of those early days. They are offered in Convertible and three-door models. Each will feature original Mustang ornamentation, a special commemorative badge, and a serialized plaque engraved with the owners name. Prodution is being limited to 5,000.


  • The cars are white with red striping and red cloth interiors. The famous GT350 racing stripe, reminiscent of the mid-sixties model of the same name, is in the same area as the original. Even the famous galloping horse is back on the front fender.


  • Both 20th Anniversary Mustangs are offered with either the 5.0 litre eight-cylender engine or the turbocharged 2.3-litre four. Standard equipment includes articulated seats, power steering, power front disc brakes, handling suspension, sport steering wheel, air dam and fog lamps.


  • The special anniversary models will be avilable in April, coinciding with the Mustang Anniversary Celebration being held at participating Ford dealers nationwide.
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    The 20th Anniversary Edition Mustang

  • Over the years, Ford has produced a number of Special Edition Mustangs. Mustangs such as the '64 Indy pace Car, '68 GT/CS California Special, '78 King Cobra, and the '79 Indy Pace Car, to name a few. Ford however, was not noted for producing special Anniversary edition Mustangs. The closest Ford did come was the '79 Indy pace Car. This car marked tyhe 15th Anniversary of the introduction of the Ford Mustang along with a brand new design. As the 1984 model year approached, Ford was having trouble making a decision of whether or not to do a Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Mustang. The decision was made quite late into the model year. Ford had a limited amount of time in which to design the special edition Mustang. In order to bring the Limited Edition to market in time, Ford decided to use two versions of the current Mustang. The GT and the Turbo GT. Both models would be offered in Convertible and Hatchback form. Ford wanted to rekindle the same passion that came about with the original Mustang. They drew upon the original design elements that were popular scince the first Mustang rolled off the assembly line 20 years before. The features for the cars were to ba as follows...

    • White Exterior Paint
    Original Style Mustang Badging on the front fenders
    Dark Red GT 350 Rocker Panel Stripes
    Unique White Bumpers and Rub Strip Extensions with dark red stripe
    Distinct dark red SVO type narrow body side moulding
    Canyon Red cloth Articulated Sport Seat Trim
    Special 20th Anniversary Linited Edition Dash Medallion
    Special Personalized Customer Nameplate with Limited Production Number

  • Production began in March of 1984 and continued through the end of April. The cars were built in batches until 5245 untis were completed. However, there were an additional 15 units built in may at the request of several Ford Executives, and 1 Final Convertible Built in June. As stated before, there were two versions of the cars produced. The standard GT and the Turbo GT. Th eTurbo GT was equipped with Fords 2.3 litre four cylender engine that produced 145 horsepower and was only available with the 5 speed transmission. The standard GT was available with two versions of fords popular 5.0 litre 302 cid. V-8 engine. First was the 5.0 litre four barrel H.O. that produced 175 Horsepower. This was only available with the 5 speed transmission. The second 5.0 option available was a last minute addition for 1984. This was the 5.0 litre with Throttle Body Fuel Injection (TBI / CFI)that produced 165 Horsepower. This was available only with an Automatic Transmission.

  • What is unusual is that the 1984 20th Anniversary Edition Mustang with the 2.3 litre Turbo Engine along with the 1984 GT-Turbo and the 1984 thru 1986 SVO models actually out performed thier respective 5.0 litre V-8 Counterparts in Acceleration, Handling and Braking! This was mainly because the Turbo models were approx. 500 pounds lighter then the V-8 Equipped cars. The Turbo models also lacked the "off balance" feel you get when the heavier V-8 engine is under the hood. Both the hatchback and the Convertible were available with all three engine and transmission options.

  • All the options normally available from Ford, were available for the 20th Anniversary models. It was also possible to have dealer accessories installed on the vehicles, i.e... trunk luggage rack and so on. Part of the 20th Anniversary package was the Special Dash Medallion. this Medallion wasen't insatlled at the time the car was built, but was shipped to the dealer for installation at the time of delivery. The second Special Plaque was a Personlized Customer nameplate. Tha application to order this was sent directly to the customer. They were able to fill out how they wanted thier name or names to appear. Inscribed along with the customers name was a special Limited Edition number. This number represented what production number the car was, i.e.... 133 (of 5,261). These numbers were not known to the customer but were known to the company in charge of the special nameplates. Here again, unfortunatly, not all customers sent for or installed thier special nameplates.

  • The 20th Anniversary Edition Mustangs have become one of the more collectible late model Mustangs. It retains one of the most important sedignations. It is the only Mustang that was Produced as an Anniversary model. The '79, '89, '94 models were NOT designaated officially as Anniversary models. There are still quite a number of 20th Anniversary Musatngs for sale today. Pricing can Range anywhere from $2,000 to $12,000. depending on the condition of the car and bodystyle.

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