Ford Mustang goes from a dashing James Bond car to a record-setting track machine.
First unveiled on this day in 1964 at the New York World’s Fair, the Ford Mustang became an instant sensation.
The popular pony car redefined the American sports car segment and securing its place as an icon in not only that country, but around the globe. And each year since 1964, Ford enthusiasts come together to honour this legendary vehicle on 17 April for world Mustang Day.
“The Mustang is one of the most iconic, recognisable and revered cars in the world. The original model was conceived as an affordable coupe combining luxury and performance in a compact sporty design, and these continue to be the defining attributes of the latest seventh-generation Mustang,” says Sunil Sewmohan, director product at Ford South Africa.
Over the past six decades Mustang has been an unrivalled success. In America, a record 418 812 Mustangs were sold in 1964. It then topped the one-million mark a year later and surpassed 10 million sales in 2018. Ford The Mustang has consistently led the sports car segment in America since launch and held the accolade of being world’s best-selling sports car globally for more than a decade.
Ford Mustang in South Africa
Excluding the private left-hand drive imports, the sixth-generation Mustang was officially launched through locally in 2015. This was made possible being the first generation produced in right-hand drive for global markets. The Ford Mustang range included standard models and limited-edition versions such as the Bullitt, Mach 1 and California Special. These are in high demand among automotive enthusiasts.
More than 4 200 Mustangs have been sold in South Africa to date. This includes the seventh-generation Mustang GT. This latest version of the Mustang features the now fourth-generation 5.0-litre Coyote V8 powertrain. The new model incorporates an edgier yet timeless exterior design along with the most technologically advanced, driver-centric cockpit of any Mustang to date. A more track focused Mustang, the Dark Horse, was also introduced last year.
On the big screen
From its classic fastback silhouette to its unmistakable growl, the Ford Mustang has remained a cultural touchstone. It appeared in countless films and television series. It first roared onto the silver screen in 1964 and appeared in some of Hollywood’s most memorable chase scenes.
One of the earliest box office appearances of the Ford Mustang was in the James Bond classic Goldfinger. In a memorable chase scene, Bond drives it over winding Swiss mountain roads. It became known as the “64-and-a-half” Mustang convertible.
More recently, Gone in 60 Seconds featured Nicolas Cage behind the wheel of a gunmetal grey 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500, known as Eleanor. The film sparked a cult following among car enthusiasts and street racers. It sparked an entire industry dedicated to recreating Eleanor clones from standard ’67 Mustangs.
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GTD sets a new record
With the introduction of the 2025 Mustang GTD as a limited-production, ultra-high-performance vehicle Ford is taking the challenge to the world’s best sports cars. Designed in collaboration with Multimatic, the Mustang GTD features advanced aerodynamics, a semi-active suspension system, and a rear-mounted eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle for near-perfect weight distribution. Powered by a supercharged 5.2-litre V8 with around 600 W on tap, it is the most powerful street-legal Mustang ever.
The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD made history as the first American-brand vehicle to complete a lap of Germany’s renowned Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes. Driven by Multimatic Motorsports driver Dirk Müller, the 600kW Mustang GTD achieved an officially certified lap time of six minutes 57.685 seconds. According to the Nürburgring’s official records, this marks the fifth-fastest time ever recorded by a stock production sports car. And it makes the Mustang GTD only the sixth vehicle in its class to break the seven-minute barrier.
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Ford Mustang delivers on GT3 promise
The Mustang legacy continues in motorsports, with a comprehensive racing programme developed for the current model. These include some of the world’s most competitive and iconic events and series. The Mustang GT3 claimed victory in one of the most demanding endurance races in motorsports, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, securing its first global GT3 win in January this year.
Ford has a storied legacy at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Mustang claimed its first 24-hour race victory here in 1967 and now boasts 10 total wins. It includes events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing on the podium first time out in 2024.
