Ford Mustang

The Mustang is a sports car marketed by Ford since 1964. It is one of Ford's most famous models and has been used in motorsport and in film. Many special version of it have been made. The Mustang was origingally conceived as an aerodynamic sports car, but was shortly later turned into a coupe. It formed the basis for the name "pony car", refering to any smaller muscle car.

## First Generation

The Mustang was introduced as competition to the Camaro and based on the Ford Falcon. It was first used as a grand tourer, with the fastback coming a few years later. The Shelby Mustang also came during this generation. After a few years the Mustang was entered in Trans Am to compete with Chevy. The Falcon had already been competing in Trans Am. The Mustang was instantly competitive, and became one of the top sedans in the upper category. The car was also known for its sequential turn signals, where the bars would light up individually on the indicated side.

## Second Generation

The Boss was introduced. Since Trans Am had a maximum five liter displacement limit, the 302 was introduced for SCCA competition. It was an instant success and the Boss Mustang became an iconic version of the model. The sequential taillights were dropped.

## Third Generation

This version became longer, thinner, and wider as designs changed. It continued to compete in SCCA racing and IMSA competition later. Shelby versions were introduced for this generation.

## Fourth Generation

The "Mustang II" was introduced as the true second generation. This came during the infamous Oil Crisis of the mid seventies, forcing it to have a smaller engine. Regardless It continued to compete in SCCA and IMSA. Shelby introduced the "King Cobra" version, which donned a Pontiac Trans Am like cobra design on its hood.

## Fifth Generation

As the Oil Crisis ended, the Mustang became sportier and more competitive in IMSA and SCCA racing.

## Sixth Generation

The Mustang was given recessed headlights much like the Camaro and was based more on the Escort. It lost its iconic tri-bar taillights and Mustang logo. This was, however, about the time IMSA introduced the Mustang-powered GT Prototype. The car also became edgier.

## Seventh Generation

The recessed headlights were dropped. The car became less edgy.

## Eighth Generation

The car became more curved and sportier. The tri-bar taillights returned, albeit horizontal rather than the original vertical. The Mustang logo returned, but this time only the horse without the stripes behind it. Later on, the car became edgier, and eventually the taillights became vertical. The Bullit edition was introduced.

## Ninth Generation

The Mustang was redesigned with a retro-inspired look. The sequential taillights returned. The Boss version was reintroduced as a 302. This version was used in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with a Trans Am Series homage livery.

## Film

The Mustang was famously used in the film *Bullitt*, which features one of the most famous car chases in cinematic history. Bullitt-edition Mustangs have since been created. A remake of the film was also made, using a more recent Mustang as recent generations have been designed based on the first generation.