After 52 years, Ford Mustang muscles into the British car market

Story highlights

The Ford Mustang is now officially for sale in the UK

The original Mustang was unveiled in 1964

1,000 Mustangs have been delivered, and thousands more are on order

CNN  — 

It’s taken more than 50 years, but British drivers are finally able to experience the all-American Ford Mustang.

A UK-spec Mustang is now officially on sale for the first time in the muscle car’s history. Most importantly for Britain, where motorists drive on the left-hand side of the road, Ford is also building its first right-hand drive cars.

Sales success

The original Mustang was unveiled on April 17, 1964 at New York World’s Fair. The iconic car is now in its sixth generation, and more than nine million cars have been sold.

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“There’s never been a better time to introduce this iconic car across Europe,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe.

“This all-new Ford Mustang is the most technologically advanced and forward-looking model in the history of the marque.”

Ford says demand has been greater than expected and, so far, more than 1,000 UK customers have received their new Mustangs, while thousands more are on order.

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The Mustang in pop culture

While the Mustang is only now hitting UK roads, the car has been an international pop icon for decades. In all, it’s estimated that the Ford Mustang has featured in more than 500 movies, and hundreds of TV shows.

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Driving a highland green Mustang GT, Steve McQueen famously tore up San Francisco in the classic 1968 thrillerBullitt”; as James Bond, Sean Connery drove a 1971 Mustang Mach 1 down an alleyway in “Diamonds Are Forever”; and Farrah Fawcett’s car of choice on “Charlie’s Angels” was a Ford Mustang II Cobra II.

Recent big screen appearances include “Gone in 60 Seconds”, “I Am Legend”, and “Need for Speed”.

Check out the gallery above for more moments from Mustang history.