My dream car....
Posted on 04/15/2021 4:43:31 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
On this day in 1964, two days before the Ford Mustang was officially supposed to go on sale, one mistakenly left the dealership. The lucky new owner, the first person to buy a Mustang , was Gail Wise, a 22 year old school teacher from Chicago. Her parents let her the money after she landed her new job, but had no way to get to and from the school she was to teach at. She head to a local dealership in search of a convertible. When she expressed her desires she was disheartened to learn no drop tops were in stock. Perhaps seeing her dismay, the salesman told her he had a special surprise and led her to a backroom. Not sketchy at all…
Much to her relief she found a baby blue Ford Mustang convertible. The car had yet to be released to the public, and the salesman knew the sale shouldn’t occur, yet. But what’s a couple days? Gail offered to pay full price for the car, $3,447.50, without even taking it for a test drive. No salesman can say no to that.
Above: Gail’s 1965 Ford Mustang in July 1964 (Wise/Ford). Top: Gail Wise with family and the Mustang in the 1970s. She left to many stares and smiles, as many had never seen the car in concept form or otherwise. It should be said, this was not the first Mustang built, just the first one publicly sold. After the ‘Stang sat for more than 20 years, the car received a full restoration in the early 2000s. Gail, now 78 years old, owns the car to this day.
And they hanged her for it?
Oh....wait....wrong thread.
“Gail, now 78 years old, owns the car to this day.”
Good for her.
Many buyers now envy her.
I thought that $$$ amount sounded really high. But, it was the hot new thing and a convertible. Very sweet car.
In the early 1970s, you could still buy a brand new Volkswagon Bug for under $2,000. That was quite the deal.
That is quite a bit of dough.
I bought a new 67 Chevy II with a 327 and 4 speed for $2300.
kinda wise on her part...
Ah, the good old days, when cars were $1 per pound
Spendin’ Daddy’s money is always easy.
[“Gail, now 78 years old, owns the car to this day.”
Good for her.]
Wow. That car could be worth several million dollars (IMHO).
True, but I was making about $2.75 an hour (which was considered good money at the time IIRC)
If I recall, the Mustang was targeted to the young and newly “liberated” women such as secretaries and stewardesses.
She fit the bill, as a teacher.
I’ll give her double what she paid for it!
According to the interwebs on my computin’ machine, $3,447 in 1964 would be about $29,000 today.
A local man, 85, maintains every car he owned. He takes each for a drive monthly. Only one rough is a 31 A, but it runs with the interior from when he bought it. They are in the barn.
Nice!
Not sure but I think it was Crain’s Detroit Business that had a story a few years ago about the first and second Mustang. some engine evidence showed the VIN for the first one did not match the actual first one, and they believed it was the one in the Henry Ford Museum (which I’ve gone to dozens of times).
I noticed that exhibit was removed a few weeks later.
It may have been the genuine first off the assembly line but not first registered or sold and so on. Wish I had that old article.
Maybe a true car history buff here knows all about it.
I drove my sister’s 1965 model and didn’t like the handling. She should have saved that and thrown out all the junk she did save.
My dream car....
$13K in today’s money. I’m not sure if anyone sells a new car for $13K any more. Went shopping for cars with my daughter and the cheapest Kia on the lot was more than $16K...Kia.
In April of 1963 I purchased an original Mustang in the form of a Falcon Futura 2 dr. HT with a v/8 & all synchro 3 speed stick. It cost $2,250. I went on to drag race that car in various classes for 10 years. It was loads of fun.
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