Ford Mustang Nominated For Postal Stamp
17 April 1998
Ford Mustang Nominated For Postal Stamp; Voting Begins May 1
DETROIT, April 17 -- Thirty-four years after Ford Mustang was
introduced at the New York World's Fair, the U.S. Postal Service is
considering creating a commemorative postal stamp of the original pony car.
The Mustang has been nominated for a stamp along with other historical
images from the 1960s, as a part of the Postal Service's Celebrate the
Century(TM) commemorative stamp program.
Mustang will compete against 29 other proposed stamps from the '60s. The
public can pick up ballots at Post Offices around the country or at
participating Ford dealers starting May 1. Consumers will have until May 30
to vote for their favorite selections from the '60s. To vote online, the web
site is: http://stampvote.msn.com.
"We're honored to have Mustang nominated," said Ross Roberts, Ford Motor
Company vice president and general manager of Ford Division. "As
one of the most widely acclaimed and popular cars of all time, we'd like to
encourage automotive enthusiasts everywhere to vote for Mustang."
Mustang was recommended as a candidate on the ballot by the Citizens'
Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), a panel appointed by the Postmaster General
to review all stamp suggestions and make recommendations for future stamps.
The '60s images that receive the most votes will be announced in July. If
Mustang is selected, the special stamp will be issued in June 1999 -- two
months after Mustang's 35th anniversary.
Sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, Celebrate the Century(TM) is a new
stamp program designed to give Americans a chance to vote on the most notable
events, people, places, and trends of the 20th century. Subject matter for
the first five decades (1900s to 1940s) was recommended by CSAC, while subject
matter from the '50s to the '90s is voted on by the American public. Ford's
1909 Model T is the only car thus far that has become a stamp.
Other '60s icons nominated include: "The Peace Symbol," "The Motown
Sound," "Man Walks on the Moon," "I Have a Dream," "Barbie Doll Steps Out,"
"Star Trek," and "The Beatles." Categories include: "People & Events," "Arts
& Entertainment," "Sports," "Science & Technology," and "Lifestyle."
Mustang was introduced April 17, 1964, at the New York World's Fair.
Although Ford only expected to sell 100,000 Mustangs the first year, dealers
took 22,000 orders the first day. Mustang went on to sell 418,812 vehicles,
surpassing the first year record previously held by the 1960 Ford Falcon.
Customer enthusiasm in the spring of 1964 was overwhelming. The baby boom
generation was just coming of car-buying age, and they wanted cars that were
different from those of their parents - cars with two bucket seats, a four-on-
the-floor and eight high-performance cylinders under the hood.
Mustang fever spread from showrooms and car-hops and Mustang tales spread
through barbershops, diners and service stations on Main Street USA:
* A Ford Dealer in Chicago locked the doors of Mustangs in his showroom
because he feared for the safety of people trying to crowd into them.
* In Garland, Texas, 15 customers bid on the same car and the successful
bidder insisted on sleeping overnight in the car until his check cleared the
bank in the morning.
* In Pittsburgh, a restaurant advertised "Our hotcakes sell like
Mustangs."
* Parents purchased 93,000 Mustang toy pedal cars during the 1964
Christmas season at a price of $12.95.
* Nearly 500 Mustang clubs formed in the first two-and-a-half years.
Mustang sales are up more than 30 percent through the first half of the
1998 model year, and it has been the best-selling car of its kind for 12
consecutive years.
Nearly 7.5 million Mustangs have been sold since its debut 34 years ago
today.
More than 350 Mustang clubs are in existence worldwide with approximately
30,000 combined members. Six magazines are dedicated solely to Mustang.
Mustang also has appeared in dozens of movies, including James Bond's 1964
classic "Goldfinger," 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever," the 1988 hit "Bull
Durham," and 1994's "Basic Instinct."
SOURCE Ford Motor Company