50 years of iconic Ford Mustang

1964 1/2 Ford Mustang: The original Mustang, launched in the same year that the Beatles took over the world, had a similar effect on the US car-buying public that the Liverpool four-piece had on the music scene. People went crazy for both. (AFP)

Updated on: Apr 23, 2014 12:18 PM IST

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1964 1/2 Ford Mustang: The original Mustang, launched in the same year that the Beatles took over the world, had a similar effect on the US car-buying public that the Liverpool four-piece had on the music scene. People went crazy for both. (AFP)

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1968 Ford Mustang: But just like the Fab 4, staying relevant meant constantly changing, and the Mustang started to get wider to accommodate bigger engines and more features. (AFP)

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1970 Mustang Mach One Cobra Jet: At first this just added to its appeal as did special models like the Mach One (pictured) and Boss 302 and Boss 429 developed for clearing the car for racing. (AFP)

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1973 Ford Mustang: However, the car soon stopped being like the Beatles and started being more like Elvis. The car got fatter and fatter and, thanks to the oil crisis plus increasing vehicle safety and emissions regulations, less capable of performing. (AFP)

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1975 Mustang Cobra II: By the mid-70s many thought it had hit rock bottom. The re-design seemed to have removed all of the styling cues that had made the original car special. (AFP)

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1979 Ford Mustang: It looks pretty innocuous by modern car design standards, but the 1979 model was the first step back on the right track for the car. Again its designers looked to Europe for inspiration and if you look closely there are elements of the Ferrari 400 in there. (AFP)

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1985 Mustang: As the 80s progressed, Ford felt confident enough to bring back the convertible version, however, sales continued to be sluggish and the company considered dropping the car in favor of a re-branded front-wheel drive Mazda. (AFP)

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1996 Ford Mustang: Ford did go with the re-branded Mazda idea but launched it as the Probe and decided to redesign the Mustang too. The side air intakes returned as did the sleeker look for the original fastback. (AFP)

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2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 Cobra: Although derided by some purists as cynical, the 2005-2014 Mustang really made the car glamorous and exciting again. Yes it went back to the original designs but fundamentally updated them for the 21st century. (AFP)

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2015 Ford Mustang: The New Mustang is generating almost as much excitement as the original model. More importantly, it will be the first ever Mustang in history to go on sale officially in Europe. (AFP)