Mass-produced for one

America went nuts when Ford launched the Mustang in 1964. During its first 12 months on sale it shattered every sales forecast, rocketing from an estimate of 100,000 to beyond 400,000. That’s even more incredible when you consider that the two men behind it, project manager Lee Iacocca and engineer Donald N Frey, took the car from idea to fruition in 18 months.

With American roads being invaded by agile, compact sport cars from Europe, Iacocca decided that the time was right for a major American manufacturer to enter the market. The Mustang was small by the country’s standards, it looked sexy and sporting, and was powerful thanks to its 4.7-litre V8 – though part of the marketing genius was in offering many options, from colour and trim to a range of engines, including a budget-conscious straight-six. It kicked off – and lent its name to – the American ‘pony car’ movement, defining a new class of car.

But while