Mustang VIN 001 Was Mistakenly Sold Three Days Before Official Launch
VIN 001 was a pre-production car that never should have been sold. However, it was, and it took Ford two years to get it back.
The Ford Mustang. An automotive legend. It is the best-selling sports car on the planet. The Mustang is an American icon. It is up there with baseball and hot dogs. So, naturally the first ever Mustang, VIN 001, was sold to a Canadian. Eh? That’s right, a Canadian airline pilot by the name of Stanley Tucker was the first person to ever purchase a Ford Mustang. Ah, that’s OK, it turns out Tucker was as excited as everyone else over this new model from Ford.
He was so excited in fact that he somehow convinced George Parsons Ford in St. John’s, Newfoundland to sell him the car on April 14, 1964. Mustang historians will know that the car was not officially launched until April 17, 1964. Tucker must have been pretty persuasive. He sounds like the kind of guy that can talk his way into a GT500 for MSRP today.
How did Mustang VIN 001 find its way in the hands of Tucker? Matt Anderson, Curator of Transportation at The Henry Ford Museum explains in a video posted to the Henry Ford Museum YouTube channel. The first Mustang was one of 180 pre-production cars that had been built to familiarize the assembly team with the new model. These cars were shipped to Ford dealers all over the U.S. and Canada.
The idea was to have one for display for people to see when the car was launched. The first cars built were shipped to the dealers that were furthest away. That is how VIN 001 landed in Newfoundland, about 2,000 miles from where the car was built. Tucker loved what he saw and managed to buy the car. At that moment Tucker could say he was the only person in the world to own a Ford Mustang.
Tucker was happy with his choice. He drove the car for two years. During those two years the Mustang went on to become a smash hit. Ford soon realized that the Mustang is going to be an important car, so they went on a hunt for VIN 001. They contacted Tucker and he was not enthusiastic about selling his beloved Mustang. Finally, Ford made an offer that Tucker could not refuse.
They offered him a new 1966 Mustang in exchange for his car. Not any new 1966 Mustang, but the one millionth Mustang built and with any options he wanted. When presented with the option sheet, Tucker did not bother checking individual option boxes. He simply put a large “X” on the whole sheet to indicate that he wanted everything. He ended up with a 1966 Silver Frost Mustang convertible.
Ford Motor Company finally had Mustang VIN 001 back. They then donated it to the Henry Ford Museum. So, it has been in the care of the museum for its entire life except for the first two years. A museum is the rightful place for the first Mustang ever built. Tucker also got a good deal, so all is well. The first production Mustang to be sold went to a then 22-year-old teacher named Gail Wise. She still owns the car to this day. Mustang owners have been a loyal bunch since the day the cars rolled off the assembly line. This is likely to continue for as long as Ford continues to build them.
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