Ford’s Mustang: the endlessly hip American dream machine

Fifty or so years ago the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.

Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car to send home. Yet it was okay to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.

Any rare Mustang that did land on our shores would not be destined to pose on Auckland’s trendy Queen St on Friday nights. It would most likely be found in the ands of a well-known racing driver on the starting grid at a local motor racing track.

Any rare Mustang that landed on our shores wouldn't be for posing around Auckland but more likely found on the