m05fastbackGT

I was actually going by what you posted, as in post #217 of this thread along with Dan (wildsailor) posts..

So now we find out according to the GT registry that some March 89 build dates had 25th dash emblems and then some before March that also had them..

Seems to me these sources are contradictory, meaning one says one thing and the other something entirely different.. Or perhaps Ford just decided to randomly select which cars were and were not going to get the 25th Anniversary badges, so who really knows for friggin sure one way or the other

m05fastbackGT

Very true Rob lol. Anyway, I'm just curious and still hoping that somebody can get to the bottom of this mess concerning which Fox body was really the 25th Anniversary edition.. Is it the 1989 or 1990 model

m05fastbackGT

So why didn't Ford just title the car as a 1964 model then

m05fastbackGT

I totally understand where your coming from and I do not disagree with you, as I do value all your research that you've documented in this thread..

I'm just trying to rationalize this entire mess and make some sense out of it, but am still coming up empty

boss02

Out of all the stupid things Ford has done maybe this one makes sense.

The car was new not a model year variant and as such making it a '64 would take away from the new part so they decided to make it a '65 IMO and as I said cars can't be titled as a 1/2 yr anyway.

I was a kid when it came out but I can remember it was well known for a long time and I seem to recall talk of it coming out sooner, Sept. or even Dec. of '64, but in the end the decision was April and as a 64 1/2 but titled as a '65. As in today most of that, when it's going to hit showrooms, was probably marketing hype to build anticipation/excitement vs not being ready to produce it until '64. My dad was all about it, we had a '55 Merc he ended up trading in the fall of '63 for the then new Dart(before the new models were officially introduced), and my cousin bought a new 'Stang in April. I don't know if my dad got tired of waiting or what but April wasn't going to happen because the Merc developed a tranny issue and instead of fixing and waiting we got the Dart, but who new back then what the 'Stang would end up being

wildsailor

My dad had company cars back then...huge Plymouths that you could fit 20 kids in the trunk..LOL. I remember sitting in the back seat and not being able to see out over the top of the door panel. Kid seats? What?

He brought home a Mustang as his next company car and had it for maybe a week. Nope, he hated it. It had a 6 cylinder (where is his V8???) and there was not enough room in the trunk for all of his work stuff. To us kids it was more our size but our opinion did not matter...off it went and back to the next Plymouth!

boss02

This: ""However, there were also six GT's with a *March '89* build date and a handful before March even that *DO* have the emblem on the dash." is from post #217.

Like I said Ford at some point did decide to make all cars 25th anniv. even to the point of sending badges out to sold cars owners that didn't get them on the line and IDRC if an owner had to request it or they just sent one. I do seem to recall we got some to put on the cars still in inventory. That's why some have them and some don't and I can imagine some dealers not bothering with putting them on or just giving them to customers at the time the car was sold and if the customer didn't put the badge on that car didn't have one either.

Suffice it to say all '89's were eventually supposed to have a 25th badge.

What eventually became known as the 7-up car was conveyed at the time to us as THE 25th Anniv. car is now not completely recognized as such. As I said in my first post that we received a green conv. in Dec and verified by the statement that I quoted, Ford had some at the Dearborn plant in Dec of '89.

As I said, me personally, I have always and will continue to consider the green '90 the "official" 25th anniv. car.

As far as the 64 1/2, yes there's a 64 1/2 car but legally it's a '65 and I seem to recall that Ford couldn't get it into production early enough to make it a '64 and in order for it to be titled as a '65 they had to wait to a certain point in the model year to do so. April would also coincide with The New York World Fair so it became a half model year titled as a next model year.

It's like Drag Pack cars. There weren't any Drag Pack cars before IIRC a date in 2/69, you could order the cooler, shaker, and 3:91 or 4:30 gears up to then. If your ordered the parts they had to have a gear reducer on the speedo. In 2/69 the individual parts became the Drag Pack Package and could be ordered as such and at that point they didn't have the gear reducer anymore they came with different speedo gears in the tranny instead. Does that mean there's no Drag Pack cars pre-2/69 technically yes but cars were made with the parts of what became the Drag Pack Package so in one sense there were.

Technically there aren't any 64 1/2's but yet there are and they are different from the 65's

I'm not going to over any of it anyway, it's all just part of the Mustang story.

All revisionist history aside that's what I'm sticking with.

m05fastbackGT

According to the source links that were posted ! It doesn't appear to be hearsay, however it would be nice if somebody from Ford could actually chime in to clear all this confusion up once and for all..

There are 2 people from Ford that come to mind.. Edsel Ford II and Bill Ford

SONICBOOST

Wouldn't that be something if they chimed in :-) I wouldn't hold my breath.

m05fastbackGT

I know ! As it was just wishful thinking on my part, but both of them were around when the original car was launched.. So they would definitely know for sure

m05fastbackGT

You and I are probably around the same age ? As I was also a kid when the original Mustang debuted..

At any rate, what we do know for certain is this.. Up until the 50th Anniversary 2015 edition ! All previous anniversary models were produced by Ford in years ending in 4 and 9 rather than years ending in 5 and 10 per decade as it should had been from the very beginning..

Therefore the current 50th Anniversary edition seems to coincide with the model year of the original (1965) Mustang along with ending in year 5 of the decade despite the fact it was introduced on April 17th of 1964 as an early production 1965 model.. IIRC, this was also the very beginning of the 65 model year, if I'm not mistaken..

So I'm pretty much going to stick with what I've been posting

KC3333

At the advent of the 50th anniversary, I don't think what Ford did for badging between the Mustang's 1st year and its 50th matters much. The 50th is a huge milestone, and is one meant to set course for the brand for years to come. This from Mustang Monthly (sorry if repeated):

'We're amazed at the misconceptions ahoof about those early classic Mustangs; those classified ads worded "For Sale--1964 Mustang..." or enthusiasts boasting about their super-rare '64-1/2. Truth is, there has never been a '64 Mustang, ever. And honestly, whom are you kidding? The '64-1/2 Mustang isn't any more rare than one of its '65 counterparts. In fact, there are no '64-1/2 Mustangs at all; that title was coined by enthusiasts. The '64-1/2 Mustang is simply an early-production unit without the refinements that came later.'

Who knows ultimately why Ford went with '4' and '9' years for some anniversaries. Does it really matter? Why did they start to take orders for MY 2013 in January of 2012? 2015 represents a reset on many fronts, including back to more traditional MY build dates. I think the manufacturer gets to decide to serialize and title their product, and we should roll with it. Ultimately it's options, colors, badging and production numbers that make a particular run exclusive, not the literal date of production. Ford's telling us the '15 is the 50th. The first production Mustangs were built in calendar year 1964 and were called '65's. The 6G's were first built in 2014 and called '15's. Close enough to 50 years apart on both fronts, for me.

m05fastbackGT

Yes, it does really matter ! It matters to me and I'm sure it also matters to those who still own their 2005 Mustangs which technically should had been the real 40th Anniversary editions, but thanks to Ford they kept the outgoing 2004 models in production beyond the April 17th launch of the original 65 Mustang which therefore resulted in the 2004 models becoming the 40th Anniversary editions instead..

And the reason ? it was Ford's way of boosting sales for their outgoing SN-95 platform aka corporate marketing and nothing more.. So then fast forward 10 years later and all of a sudden Ford decides to do a 360 degree turn around and for the very first time launches their all new platform on the anniversary of the original 1965 Mustang in which btw should had been done for every past anniversary model in the exact same way from the very start..

I guess Ford wasn't really concerned in regards to boosting sales for it's outgoing platform this time around were they ? Otherwise the last of the 2014 models would've ended up as the 50th Anniversary editions rather than the new 2015 models

SONICBOOST

I was hoping reverse psychology would get them to chime in lol

m05fastbackGT

Same here Adam

m05fastbackGT

The reason is because the '15 is the 50th.. As for the first production Mustangs are concerned although they were built in calender year 1964, they were also built during the early stages of the "1965" model year which is exactly why those first production Mustangs were titled as "65" models by Ford to begin with, as Ford goes by model year, not calender year..

wildsailor

Here is a good research project for you if you decide to accept the assignment - when was the 2012 'model year' Focus introduced in the US?

If that one proves interesting for you, then look up 2015 'model year' Focus and compare that introduction.

The 'model year' has nothing to do with the 'calendar year' in the automotive world.

m05fastbackGT

Not only did I accept your project assignment, but according to my research findings.. The Euro Focus was introduced in the U.S in 2011 and began production in late 2010..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus
Third generation (2011–present)[edit]
Main article: Ford Focus (third generation)

Ford Focus Sedan (North America)
In 2010 Ford decided to reunite both international and North American models by releasing the international Mk3 worldwide. The previous North American version was discontinued, and the new model was launched simultaneously in North America and Europe in early 2011, both having started production late in 2010.[5][6]

Ford unveiled the 2011 global Ford Focus at the 2010 North American International Auto Show. The car shown was a 5-door hatchback model, also debuting a new 2.0L direct injection I4 engine. A 5-door estate will also be available at launch.[7] The new generation launched simultaneously in North America and Europe in early 2011, with production having started in late 2010.[6] Production in Asia, Africa, Australia[8] and South America was scheduled to follow later but the plan for Australian production was later dropped and that market and New Zealand were supplied, along with Asia, from a new factory in Thailand where output began in June 2012. This new generation of Focus incorporates a redesigned cabin with improved materials and new entertainment technologies. A 2015 model for the Ford Focus has been exhibited on the Ford website. Its chassis design is much like the 2013 model, but the front has been facelifted with elongated and darkened headlamps, and a grille that is designed to look like the Fusion, or C-max. It will be available early 2015, according to Ford.[9]

The 2015 Focus is refresh of the current 2011- present model, therefore no platform changes at present..

Model year has everything to do with calender year in the automotive world, otherwise the first production Mustang would had been titled by Ford as a 1964 model and not as a 1965 model when it was introduced on April 17th of 1964 which also btw began the start of the 1965 model year

3point7

I like biscuits!

Mustang Freak

I hate biscuits!