1964 Ford Mustang

A Mustang aficionado would refer to this car as a 1964 and a half model. Confused? Right – pay attention at the back: American manufacturers traditionally released new models every autumn, and always used the following year when naming them. So a Ford Galaxy released in September 1962 is known as a ’63 Galaxy. US manufacturers made cosmetic (and sometimes under the skin) changes to their cars every year, in an effort to encourage people to trade up to the very latest model.

But Ford released the Mustang in March 1964 , rather than September, gradually introducing minor changes up until August that year, before launching the 1965 Mustang in, you’ve guessed it, September 1964. So, Mustangs built before that month are known as 1964 and a half models. You’re right, plain 1964 would have been a lot easier – and we’ll stick with it for the purposes of this listing.

So this one of the very first cars built, prior to September 1964. (The very first was actually sold a day before the official launch date to Canadian airman, Stanley Tucker, in Newfoundland on April 16 1964. Ford eventually persuaded him to part with it and gave him a brand new car, the million and first built, in return.)

Amazingly, this car has only had two owners from new, the second of which looked after it for 25 years. The proprietor of a Midas Workshop in the USA (a large automotive repair chain) he eventually completely restored the car to original specification.

The vendor of this stunning Mustang says: ‘The mileage since the restoration is just 3041 miles. Since then it’s had a new fuel pump, new ignition parts and I’ve also renewed the petrol tank. It’s finished in Wimbledon White with a blue vinyl interior and has tinted glass. It looks great in the pictures, but even better in the flesh – it’s a mint car.’

A lot of American cars just don’t really make sense when transplanted into a European environment – trying to thread something the size of a small Caribbean island along a British B-road can get quite tiring very quickly. But the Mustang is a baby by American standards – this 1964 model is actually considerably smaller than a modern BMW 3-Series, so ideal for the school run really.

White’s a tricky colour to pull off for a car and few manage it as well as the original Mustang (Audi ur quattro maybe?), and the finish on this car was obviously a labour of love for the owner of the automotive workshop who, and this is important, restored it for himself to enjoy, rather than to sell on to a new owner.

Save from some slight stone chipping near the leading edges of the sills we struggled to find any faults with the paintwork at all. And while it would be unrealistic to expect Mercedes like panel gaps on a car that cost $2500 when new, they’re about as good as we’ve seen on a Mustang of this period, and testament to the work put it on the restoration by that dedicated enthusiast.

We always open the bonnet on an American car with a slight sense of dread – the amount of shiny aftermarket parts available for them is staggering, and some owners go for maximum bling, which can make sunglasses mandatory when lifting the steel panel, but there’s nothing to worry about here – it looks perfect. The 289ci small block Ford V8 looks perfectly at home in the engine bay and every detail looks spot on.

If anything the paint finish inside the boot of this car is too good – certainly better than it would have been from the factory back in 1964, but it’s not over restored, just very carefully done, with love. Details such as the sticker on the underside of the boot point to an attention to detail that’s evident throughout the car.

The cabin trim has obviously been replaced as part of the restoration as it’s all in lovely condition, with the deep dished steering wheel finished in the same blue as the rest of the trim. The strip speedo is augmented by a factory fitted rev counter mounted on the steering column and the factory radio still sits in the dash and it works!

The long and bulky Hurst shifter curves purposefully towards your hand and if someone would just straighten that gear knob we could sleep easy in the knowledge that this is about as period perfect as a ’64 Mustang interior gets.

We couldn’t see anything at all under here to worry about; the car’s done just 3000 miles since the restoration and the underside reflects this. Everything looks totally standard, except for the Flowmaster exhaust (the exhaust manifold remains original).

Built on May 8, 1964, this is one of the very first Mustangs built.

Rare factory D code – factory fitted 289ci V8 with four barrel carburettor.

Offenhauser intake, four speed manual gearbox with Hurst lever and shift console.

Options: GT grille, Rally Magnum 500 wheels, dual exhaust, tachometer.

Only 3041 miles since ground up restoration.

The vendor says: ‘I have no information about the first owner, but the second owner ran a Midas workshop for 25 years, and it was him that did a complete restoration job on it. It has perfect sheet metal and the underbody is as good as the upper bodywork. Recently, when he got older, he sold it to a classic car dealer, which is where I bought it from.

‘The car was built at the Dearborn Ford factory in Michigan, on May 8th 1964. This early model Mustang was built in the first two months of production. The rear ratio axle ratio is 3.00:1, and the car retains its original dynamo charging system, which works perfectly.’ [Ford switched to an alternator for the 1965 model year.]

The Mustang came with such a vast range of options that it could pretty much be all things to all people, but if we could go back to a Ford dealer in May 1964 and choose one, these are the boxes we’d tick. And this car can take you back to 1964 (or 1964 and a half if that’s your bag) because it’s period perfect. Do you really want to miss the chance to become the third owner of this fabulous ’Stang?

We estimate for this Ford Mustang to reach anywhere between €32,000 - €40,000.

The Mustang will be available for visits in west Paris.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car is located with the vendor in Argenteuil, France. To arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.