Ford Mustang Returns to Site of its 1964 Debut in New York City

DEARBORN, Mich., May 24 -- Ford Motor Company is bringing America's favorite car to New York City -- and the scene of its public debut in 1964 -- on May 30 and May 31, 2004. New York is part of a 40-city tour to celebrate Mustang's 40th anniversary, along with an entourage of the Mustang's most devoted fans and their classic cars.

The centerpiece of the tour is the newest incarnation of the Pony Car icon -- a 2005 Ford Mustang GT. It will be accompanied by Ford's 300 millionth car -- a 2004 Mustang GT Convertible -- local Mustang car-club enthusiasts, and a troupe of some 50 drivers and their Mustangs who are crossing the country in "The Great American Pony Drive II" to celebrate the anniversary and welcome the new model.

On Sunday, May 30, the 40th Anniversary Tour will participate in a Mustang car show hosted by the Garden State Region Mustang Club. Media are invited to the show, which will be held at the All American Ford, 320 Riverstreet, Hackensack, NJ, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. It is expected that over 100 Mustangs of all vintages will be on display, and more than 200 Mustang club members and enthusiasts will greet the 40th Anniversary Tour.

On Monday, May 31, the Mustang tour will visit the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Here, Mustang fans will pay homage to the birthplace of their favorite car, which made its world debut at the World's Fair on April 17, 1964. It is expected that over 100 Mustangs and their owners will arrive en masse to the park.

The 2005 Mustang is joined by former Brooklyn resident Hau Thai-Tang, chief engineer for the 2005 Mustang. The task for Hau Thai-Tang was to utilize all the modern technological marvels while keeping Mustang true to its muscle-car and pop-icon roots. The result artfully combines all-new, fully modern architecture with all the soul that makes a Mustang a Mustang -- bold style, a brawny engine and rear-wheel-drive excitement.

"The greatest pressure is recognizing that there are 8 million people out there who have bought new Mustangs since 1964," said Thai-Tang. "These people have a personal connection with Mustang -- and very definite ideas of what a Mustang must have."

Thai-Tang was 5 years old when the USO imported a couple of Mustang fastbacks to his native Vietnam to boost the morale of homesick American troops. The sight of a white 1970 Mach One turned the little boy into a Mustang maniac. The prospect of owning a Mustang seemed remote even when Saigon fell five years later and his family fled the chaos, eventually settling in Brooklyn, New York.

"For me as a boy my aspirations were pretty simple, just to own a car," he said. "So having a chance to work on Mustang, of all things, has exceeded all my wildest dreams."

As a result, the Mustang meant far more to Thai-Tang than a guaranteed date on Saturday night. "To me, the Mustang represents all that is great about America -- strength, freedom and a sense of inclusiveness. That's why I think the Mustang is and always will be America's car," he said.