Interview with Ken Sobel, classic car enthusiast who was chosen to take the Mustang for a spin one week before it’s release on April 17th 1964. Here is his story:



MM: Were you contacted by Ford How did this come about?


KS: I was shopping for a new car and went to a Ford dealer in Hollywood, CA, to look at the Falcon V8 with a 4-speed transmission.


The salesman took me into the back of the dealership to show me a car that I would probably be very interested in. It was at night and the lighting wasn’t great in that corner of the dealership’s lot. There was a car under a tarp and when the salesman removed the tarp he revealed a car that I had never even heard of. It was a dark blue, white interior Mustang! WOW!

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He told me that Ford wanted to get some public input about the vehicle and that I should take it for about an hour and drive with my girlfriend back and forth down Hollywood Boulevard.



MM: What was your reaction? What were other people’s reactions to seeing this car on Hollywood Boulevard?

KS: Well, imagine driving a totally unknown vehicle on Hollywood Boulevard for an hour during Cruise Night! People were almost falling out of their cars trying to get a better look at the Mustang! I was duly impressed.

I got back to the dealership and immediately ordered a Mustang coupe (even though I live in Southern California, I’m not a convertible person). The order included the 271 horsepower high-performance 289″ engine, 4-speed transmission, limited-slip differential, etc. I was ready to rock!


MM: That’s awesome!

KS: In retrospect, the residual value of the Mustang is out of this world! The styling is classic and the looks that one must get must be pleasing to their owners. Today, my weekend car is my 1934 Dodge with its 82 horsepower flathead six! Things sure change.

To all your readers - Keep the old cars running. Take them out often and share them with others. Everywhere I go with my old Dodge I must add extra time to talk about her with the public. You should do so with your cars too!

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madam@mustangmadam.com