The Historical Significance
of the Mystichrome Cobra
Chapter 2
How to Properly Celebrate a Milestone
Building a Heritage
1964–1979
With an understanding of the Mustang’s past since 1964 and fast-forwarding to 2004, how should Ford celebrate the original Pony’s 40th birthday? By issuing a special edition? What should it be? A whole separate model, an options package, or an appearance package? Much thought and planning must go into any proposed car’s introduction, but ultimately, it is a choice dictated by several constraints including budgets, funding, and availability of various resources. Whenever possible, economies of scale are utilized to spread production costs across a full line, namely in using the same parts across an entire line without the need for dedicated budgeting and funding just for excessive customization on a small batch of vehicles. At the same time, it must be a special edition that captures the hearts and minds of prospective buyers, one they cannot imagine living without.
One month after the Mustang debuted, the new car was chosen to pace the Indianapolis 500, and this honor presented Ford with its first opportunity to offer a limited-production, special-edition vehicle. Although the official Indy 500 pace cars were white Mustang convertibles, the Indy 500 Pace Car Replicas were coupes painted in the same Wimbledon White with a blue triple-stripe that ran down the center of the car over the hood, roof, and decklid. The special cars’ interiors continued the white-and-blue color scheme: Parchment (off-white) vinyl seats, headliner, door and quarter panel trim, and lower dashboard trim; and Blue carpet, upper dashboard trim, and front seatbelts (optional on regular-production Mustangs). Other standard features on the replicas, that were otherwise optional, were exterior reverse lights, Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission, and the 260-cid V8. It is estimated that Ford produced between 180 and 190 examples of the Indy 500 Pace Car Replica, and most were built in April with another ten vehicles built in May.
Below: An official press release photo of the 1964½ Indy 500 Pace Car Replica. There is only one difference between this photo car and the real-life examples: All Replicas wore plain wheel covers, and official event cars wore spinner hubs.
The Pony’s first, true milestone came in early 1966 when Ford produced its 1,000,000th Mustang due to fierce demand since Day One. Ford chose to modestly celebrate this sales milestone by issuing a limited run of Mustang coupes coated in special Anniversary Gold metallic paint, which was not a regular-production color choice. It is assumed that interior colors were limited to the choices already available on regular-production cars yet still complemented the gold paint, such as Black for sure, maybe Palomino (tan), and Parchment with either Black or Palomino appointments. Not much is known about these cars after half of a century, other than a few surviving examples having serial numbers a few units apart and being built in March 1966 at Ford’s Milpitas Assembly Plant in San Jose, California. It is known that the cars were built to “reward” each sales district’s efforts in helping to make the Mustang such a marketing and sales hit with the public, and it is speculated that each district sales office must have received at least one special vehicle to sell, which would therefore assume a total build of around fifty such examples of the One Millionth Mustang special edition.
Below: One of a few remaining examples of the 1966½ One Millionth Mustang commemorative edition, restored in its original Anniversary Gold metallic paint.
It is generally considered lacking in good taste to celebrate five, ten, and fifteen years. Thus, no official anniversary editions were made to commemorate those milestone anniversaries. However, Ford introduced the Mach 1 and Boss 302/429 for 1969, the redesigned Mustang II for 1974, and the completely redesigned Fox Mustang for 1979. The Mustang was once again chosen for Indy 500 pace car duties in 1979, and Ford decided to build a limited run of Pace Car Replicas again, much like it did in 1964. However, the automotive scene and its consumers had changed immensely in fifteen years’ time.
The energy crisis of the ’70s resulted in gasoline rations and the infamous “gas lines” by 1979. As a result, all of those wondrous, gas-guzzling, high-performing V8 engines from a decade earlier had lost favor to more economical “four-banger” and six-cylinder engines. Thus, engine choices for the redesigned 1979 Mustang consisted of an 88-horsepower 2.3-liter four, a German-built 2.8-liter V6 (which carried over from the Mustang II) rated at 109 horsepower, a 3.3-liter inline-six (which replaced the 2.8L V6 at midyear) rated at only 85 horsepower, and a 5.0-liter V8 rated at only 140 neck-snapping horsepower. Keeping in line with current performance trends, Ford offered a turbocharged version of the 2.3L four, boosting power output to 132 horsepower. Although this engine option was $30 more than the 5.0L V8, it promised better fuel economy and near-V8 performance.
The 1979 Mustang was available in only two body styles: a two-door notchback and a three-door hatchback. Since Ford had produced its last Mustang convertible in 1973, the actual pace cars and replicas were hatchbacks, and the actual pace cars had custom T-roofs with removable glass panels. The replicas could have the optional sunroof. All were painted two-tone with the bumper line and wraparound rub strips as the dividing line: special Pewter Metallic over Black paint. Completing the exterior look, the cars had garish, orange-and-red striping and graphic decals; unique, black front grille with lower air dam and Marchal fog lights; black trim over the reverse-style, hood scoop; wide, black band over the roof to simulate the pace car’s targa look; matching orange/red pinstripes on the black, wraparound rub strips; and a ducktail-style, rear spoiler. The special cars were also outfitted with the optional Cobra performance package, which included the metric TRX aluminum wheels and the TRX suspension. The black interior had special Recaro buckets with a distinctive, checkered pattern; leather-wrapped steering wheel; and engine-turned, aluminum dashboard trim. All other comfort and convenience options were available. Buyers could choose from either the Turbo 2.3L or the 5.0L V8, and the SelectShift automatic transmission was only available with the V8. Ford produced 10,478 replicas, of which 5,970 had the Turbo four, 2,402 had the V8 with the four-speed manual, and 2,106 had the V8 with the SelectShift automatic. Considered as a separate model with a unique code in its serial numbers, all Indy 500 Pace Car Replicas were built between April and July 1979.
Below: The 1979½ Indy 500 Pace Car Replica, like the official event cars, were given a Pewter Metallic/Black two-tone paint treatment with orange and red stripes and graphics done in a creative ’70s style.
Learning From Mistakes
1980–1995
By the dawn of the ’80s, the energy crisis and stringent CAFE standards caused the Mustang to stray from its performance roots. Stagflation, a sputtering economy, and a recession did not help in bringing customers with deep pockets. Gradually watered down, the mighty 302-cid V8, which was first offered in 1968 and discontinued only for the 1974 model year, went on another short hiatus for 1980 and 1981, leaving only an anemic 4.2-liter (255-cid) V8 with 119 horsepower as the sole “performance” choice. Things were starting to look bleak for the Mustang, and Ford realized that they were losing their performance customers to crosstown rivals. So, for 1982, Ford boldly proclaimed in its ads that “The Boss is Back!” with its newly reintroduced Mustang GT with a high-output 5.0L V8 pumping out 157 horsepower and 240 lbs-ft of torque. (The Mustang GT was discontinued after 1969, as the Mach 1 had quickly taken its place as the primary performance Mustang.) Even though the 5.0L H.O. V8 was available in any trim, the new GT came with the engine and a five-speed manual as standard with other performance and handling goodies. With a 0–60 mph time of 6.9 seconds, it was a start!
The biggest news for 1983 was the return of the Mustang convertible. Ford built its last droptop Mustang in 1973, and the Mustang II was only available as a two-door coupe and a three-door hatchback. Ending its ten-year sabbatical due to a safety stigma placed on convertibles, Ford brought the Mustang full-circle to one of its original body styles. The Mustang was always supposed to be a symbol of freedom, and there’s nothing freer than the feeling of driving an open-air muscle car.
Just as things were looking up, Ford made a couple of blunders during the 1984 model year. Their first misstep came in the form of the 1984½ Mustang SVO. During the ’80s, Americans were falling in love with anything that had a European flair. Yuppies and social climbers drove quick, nimble, and expensive BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche sports cars. To capitalize on this trend, Ford formulated a Mustang hatchback that could cater to this crowd with an exclusive moniker (SVO was the abbreviation for Special Vehicle Operations, a precursor to Special Vehicle Team, or SVT), a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder with 14 psi of boost and 175 horsepower, a sports suspension with Koni adjustable shocks, blacked-out trim, aero-styled front end and side skirts, and a base sticker price of $15,585 (about $6,000 more than a GT hatchback with its bulletproof V8). Clearly, Ford did not understand their Mustang customer as only 9,837 were built over three model years, which was immensely short of the 10,000-unit goal that Ford had set just for its first model year.
Ford’s next blunder was its first attempt at celebrating a Mustang milestone anniversary, which ended up a legal failure. The Mustang’s 20th year of existence came in 1984, and to mark the special occasion in April, Ford decided to offer the 1984½ GT 20th Anniversary Limited Edition, much like the first 1964½ model (even though they were all titled as early 1965 models). The Mustang GT was available in two flavors: a GT with the 5.0L H.O. V8 now rated at 175 horsepower, and a Turbo GT with the 2.3-liter EFI four-cylinder rated at 145 horsepower. Production of the 20th Anniversary Limited Edition GT was 5,260 units, of which there were 3,900 hatchbacks (3,333 GT V8 and 350 Turbo GT for the U.S. market) and 1,360 convertibles (1,213 GT V8 and 104 Turbo GT for U.S. customers). Of the total build, 245 were exported to Ford of Canada and fifteen were reserved for Ford executives, and of these 260 units, an unknown mix of V8 and Turbo GT consisted of 217 hatchbacks and 43 convertibles. All were painted Oxford White with Canyon Red cloth interiors and special dashboard-mounted, horseshoe-shaped emblems and serialized identification badges.
Things went awry when Ford decided to affix Shelby-style tape stripes and “G.T. 350” identification on the rocker panels of these special-edition cars. Not being an official “Shelby” Mustang, Carroll Shelby took Ford Motor Company to court over the illegal use of his trademarks without any prior, communicated permission. Shelby and Ford had a major falling-out fifteen years earlier over the increasing difficulty to produce svelte Shelby Mustang racers with the Mustang’s ever-growing proportions and creature comforts, the ever-tightening restrictions on corporate-sponsored racing, and the suffocating safety restrictions imposed by the federal government thanks to Ralph Nader’s infamous book Unsafe At Any Speed. In the lawsuit, Ford claimed to have certain rights over Shelby Mustang trademarks, but a court sided with Mr. Shelby and found Ford was negligent in obtaining permission properly. Thus, the Mustang’s 20th anniversary ended up a dismal legal failure for Ford Motor Company, costing them an undisclosed sum to cover legal fees and an award for damages to Mr. Shelby. Interestingly enough, Ford and Carroll Shelby eventually mended their fences by the mid 2000s, when they joined forces to plan for the SVT Cobra’s successor, the modern Shelby GT500 which debuted for the 2007 model year.
Below and right: The 1984½ 20th Anniversary Limited Edition GT was painted Oxford White to simulate the first Mustang’s Wimbledon White paint. Instead of black accents, the special edition had a white convertible top with Canyon Red exterior striping, velour-cloth interior, and convertible boot.
However, Ford learned to never completely ignore a Mustang milestone year, and they learned this lesson the hard way in 1989 when they failed to commemorate the occasion with a Silver Anniversary edition. Once again, Mustang enthusiasts wrote of their utter disappointment to Ford, but like a spouse who forgot his wedding anniversary, Ford eventually responded with the belated 1990½ Limited Edition LX 5.0L convertible, which has now been comically referred to among Mustang fans as the “7-Up Edition” because of its color scheme (Deep Emerald Green Clearcoat Metallic with a white vinyl convertible top and white leather interior) being similar to the beverage brand. Produced between January and April 1990, Ford’s original plan for 2,000 units was met with enough interest to extend production to 4,103 units, of which all were outfitted with the 5.0-liter V8 and the GT’s turbine-style wheels; 2,743 were ordered with the four-speed automatic overdrive transmission, and 1,360 were equipped with the five-speed manual. The vehicles also had chromed “25 Years” pony badges adorned onto their dashboards, but in reality, all Mustangs produced between March 1989 and April 1990 received this commemorative badge.
To celebrate thirty years, Ford introduced the redesigned 1994 Mustang, a modernized take on the aging Fox body and platform with all-new sheetmetal and interior. However, no official 30th anniversary edition or package was made available. At the time, Ford felt that the introduction of a restyled car was good enough to mark the occasion, but diehard enthusiasts rebuked Ford’s half-baked effort for an anniversary celebration.
Even though there was no official 30th Anniversary edition, the redesigned Mustang was once again chosen for pace car duties at the Indianapolis 500 for its third and final time. (To recognize its centenary, Oldsmobile was contracted to be Indy’s series-engine provider for event vehicles from 1997 to 2001, and Chevrolet has had an exclusive contract to supply event vehicles since 2002.) Specifically, the 1994 SVT Mustang Cobra was chosen for these honors with its high-performance 5.0L V8, now rated at 240 horsepower and 285 lbs-ft of torque. New for 1993, the first SVT Cobra was a hatchback based on the outgoing Fox-bodied Mustang. The redesigned 1994 Mustang was available in only two body styles: coupe and convertible, and to celebrate its Indy 500 honors, Ford built the first SVT Cobra convertible. (Regular-production 1994 SVT Cobras were only available as coupes, and SVT Cobra convertibles were offered from 1995 through 2004, with the exception of 2000 and 2002.) The official pace cars and resulting Indy Pace Car Replicas were SVT Cobra convertibles outfitted in Rio Red Tinted Clearcoat paint with Saddle leather interiors and matching Saddle convertible tops. The special cars had Indy decals affixed down the sides with “winged-wheel” logos embroidered on front seatbacks and emblazoned on the chrome decklid badge in lieu of the usual, chrome SVT decklid badge. Ford produced a total of 1,000 examples of the 1994½ SVT Mustang Cobra Indy 500 Pace Car Replica.
The Mustang continued into 1995 virtually unchanged except for color palette changes. However, great changes were right around the corner. For whatever reason, Ford was always eager to celebrate every Thunderbird milestone. Advertisements hailed the 1965 Special Landau as the unofficial tenth anniversary car. Brochures for the 1975 Thunderbird had big “20th Anniversary” script lettering on the front cover, and Ford offered copper, silver, and jade luxury groups to celebrate. Late in the 1980 model year, Ford introduced the Silver Anniversary Thunderbird, and their pride was conveyed in its glossy sales brochure. The 1985½ 30th Anniversary Thunderbird was a top-of-the-line model coated in Medium Regatta Blue Clearcoat Metallic with a matching, blue velour-cloth interior. For its 35th anniversary during 1990, Ford issued a Thunderbird Super Coupe with a unique, two-tone paint treatment (Black Clearcoat over Titanium Clearcoat Metallic) and a matching cloth-and-leather interior. Early in its life, the Mustang was billed as the poor man’s Thunderbird, but clearly, Ford needed to change its attitude about the Mustang, as the car’s immense fan base continued to grow with pride and enthusiasm.
Below and right: The 1994½ SVT Mustang Cobra Indy 500 Pace Car Replica was given the same paint color, interior, and decals as the actual pace car.
Getting Back On Track
1996–2003
The ’90s ushered in great technological change to the world. Modern-day gadgets like personal computers and cell phones were still new and on the cutting edge. The economy was bustling with activity, thanks in part to something called the Internet, where companies could literally set up shop and be up-and-running in a matter of days. Yes, the “dot-com” era had exploded onto the world scene, bringing forth new ways of getting things done using smarter technology.
New technology started trickling into the automotive industry through the use of smarter robots and sophisticated computer systems to handle mundane tasks. Refinements and increased build quality were direct results of all this new technology. Even engine technology advanced with better management systems, such as OBD I (and eventually OBD II) overtaking the archaic EEC systems. Engines were burning cleaner and handling waste bi-products better. An example of this was Ford’s new modular V8 first introduced in the 1992 Crown Victoria (and Mercury Grand Marquis) and the 1993 Lincoln Mark VIII. With 4.6 liters (or 281 cid), its overhead cam configurations (single and dual) and lightweight aluminum block were a vast improvement over the aging 5.0L V8, which used technology from the ’60s. Thus, the biggest news for 1996 was the Mustang’s new modular V8 powerplant, which truly exhibited its power potential in the SVT Cobra with 305 horsepower and 300 lbs-ft of torque!
Ford restyled the Mustang for 1999 using its New Edge design philosophy and commemorated the milestone properly with a 35th Anniversary Limited Edition Package available only on GT coupes and convertibles. With a crowd of racing fans gathered around, Ford introduced the new special edition alongside the forthcoming 2000 SVT Cobra R at Charlotte Motor Speedway in April 1999. Color choices included Performance Red Clearcoat, Black Clearcoat, Crystal White Clearcoat, and Silver Clearcoat Metallic, and the Dark Charcoal interior featured Silver inserts on the door panels and leather seats. Rounding out the package were special 17-inch wheels, black honeycomb decklid appliqué, raised hood scoop at the end of a wide black stripe, and full side scoops that would eventually be used again on the 2001–2004 Mustang GT and the Terminator Cobra. Ford produced 4,628 copies of this special edition, of which there were 2,318 coupes and 2,310 convertibles. Months after purchase, Ford mailed each new 1999 Mustang owner a 35th Anniversary Courtesy Package that included a letter explaining the gift, a commemorative decal, leather keychain fob, leather CD holder, a collection of music CDs, a Maisto 1/18-scale replica of the buyer’s Mustang including body style and color, and a hardcover copy of the book Mustang Chronicle by Jerry Heasley. Ford truly made an effort to celebrate the Pony’s milestone in style, and the 35th Anniversary Limited Edition was Ford’s first, true, and successful special edition offered in Mustang history.
Below: The 35th Anniversary Mustang GT debuted alongside the forthcoming 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R at Charlotte Motor Speedway in April 1999.
The dawn of a new millennium brought a renewed sense of hope and pride, but things took a dramatic turn in late 2000 when the “dot-com” bubble burst, causing panic on Wall Street. The unfolding events of 2001 posed more challenges. A recession, the Enron scandal, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks curbed consumer spending and magnified distrust in humanity and corporate America. Amidst all this, Ford finally debuted the retro-styled 2002 Thunderbird, which had been hyped in a pre-9/11 world of conspicuous consumption and which now seemed irrelevant. Ford needed to act quickly to diminish the downward spiral of disinterest and non-spending. William Clay Ford, Jr., was named CEO in late 2001, and he formulated his plan titled “The Way Forward,” a blueprint for implementing more new technologies, refreshing or introducing more relevant vehicles, and sustaining corporate responsibility while remaining financially sound.
Excitement was building at Ford Motor Company as the company neared its 100th birthday in 2003. Founded on June 16, 1903, Ford commemorated their milestone with Centennial Anniversary special editions of the Mustang, Focus, Taurus, Explorer, and F-Series Super Duty trucks. According to Ford’s press release, echoing the words of its founder regarding the availability of the Model T, the customer could have any Centennial Edition car “in any color as long as that color is black.” Again, utilizing economies of scale, all Centennials were outfitted with whatever tan-colored interior was available for each respective model. In the Mustang’s case, it was a Medium Parchment interior with leather seats in a special, two-toned design (parchment with brown inserts) made of Verona-grain, Imola hides; the official Ford Motor Company centennial logo was prominently embossed in the middle of the front seats. The Mustang Centennial Edition Package was available only on the GT, and the vehicles came equipped with everything in the Premium GT package including the 17-inch American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels (first offered on the limited-production 2001 Mustang GT “Bullitt” edition), anti-lock brakes with traction control, power driver’s seat with lumbar support, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and the Mach 460 stereo system with six-disc CD player. All Centennial Editions received special, exterior badges with the Ford centennial logo, and on the Mustang, these badges were affixed to each front fender and on the decklid. The Centennial Edition Package was an extra $995 on the Mustang GT Premium, and Ford built 2,040 examples — 717 coupes and 1,323 convertibles. Interestingly, there were more convertibles made of this special edition than coupes by nearly 2 to 1.
Below: The sleek Mustang Centennial Editions were GT coupes and convertibles painted in Black with Ford Centennial badges in place of the usual GT ones.
The 2003 model year marked yet another occasion — ten years of SVT offerings. Although originally started in 1991, SVT wanted to observe ten model years of vehicle offerings, dating back to the first SVT Mustang Cobra and SVT F-150 Lightning, both introduced for 1993. As SVT was now simply dominating the competition with their newly-released Terminator Cobra, to celebrate the milestone, SVT offered the 10th Anniversary Cobra late in the model year. Available on both coupe and convertible body styles, the special Cobra was available in Ebony Clearcoat, Torch Red Clearcoat (a color choice on early-2003 builds, replaced at midyear with Redfire Clearcoat Metallic), and Silver Clearcoat Metallic; the 10th Anniversary interior was Dark Charcoal with Red accents on the leather seats and door panels. Like all other Terminator Cobra convertibles, the 10th Anniversary droptops were outfitted with the same canvas-cloth, folding top used on the 2002–2005 Thunderbird and the Jaguar XK8/XKR convertibles. Regardless of exterior color, the 10th Anniversary convertible top was black because of the available paint choices and the interior color scheme. (On regular-production Cobras, the convertible tops were color-keyed to the Cobra’s suede seat inserts; thus, the black top was paired with the Medium Graphite inserts, and the parchment top was paired with the Medium Parchment inserts.) The special-edition interior also included carbon fiber-look trim on the steering wheel, shift knob and boot, and hand brake handle and boot covering. Rounding out the package were special 17×9-inch wheels with seven, argent-painted spokes and a machined-surface rim. The 10th Anniversary Package (order code 375A) was $1,495 extra. To match the 2003 model year, Ford built 2,003 10th Anniversary SVT Mustang Cobras — 1,003 coupes and 1,000 convertibles. All were produced between May and July 2003.
Below: The 10th Anniversary SVT Mustang Cobra wore a subtle badge on its decklid and front floormats, proclaiming the vehicle’s special-edition status.
Above: The official Indy 500 Ford Mustang pace car was piloted by Benson Ford, the youngest son of Edsel Ford. His passenger was Tony Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, who began the tradition of launching the event with the now-famous command, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”
Below: A photo op with the press shows the number of official event cars that Ford built strictly for the 48th running of the Indianapolis 500.
The International 500-Mile Sweepstakes,
known simply as the Indy 500,
held its 48th running for the event
on Saturday, May 30, 1964.
Above: Ford executives celebrate as Mustang number 1,000,000 rolls off the line at Dearborn Assembly Plant on March 1, 1966.
Below: Ford achieved this milestone in sales, marketing, and production thanks to the hard-working employees and line workers at plants in Dearborn, Michigan; Metuchen, New Jersey; and San Jose, California.
Below: The beefy 1969–1970 Boss 302 and Boss 429 Mustangs, as well as the eventual 1971 Boss 351, added more clout to the Mustang’s performance coup, but times were changing. The ’70s brought an oil embargo and energy crisis, giving birth to the Mustang II, which lasted from 1974 through 1978.
Below: The redesigned 1979 Ford Mustang was chosen for pace car duties at the 63rd Annual Indianapolis 500 held on May 27, 1979.
Above: The Indy 500 pace cars and replicas were outfitted with a spartan, black interior with unique Recaro bucket seats.
Lower left and below: Ford used the Mustang’s Indy 500 fame and honors to take advantage of marketing hype to attract customers into their showrooms with fun promotions like the kids’ pedal car made to look like the adult version.
Above: The 1982 Mustang GT hailed a return to true V8 performance and Ford’s commitment to the diehard enthusiast.
Below: Reintroduced for 1983, the Mustang convertible signaled a return to the Pony’s original formula for carefree, driving pleasure and freedom.
Below: The 1984½–1986 Mustang SVO was Ford’s “European” answer to the ever-growing, yuppie penchant for sporty, expensive German imports.
The 1984½ GT 20th Anniversary
Limited Edition was a hit with
Mustang collectors and enthusiasts.
Below: The 1990½ Limited Edition LX 5.0L convertible is jokingly referred to as the “7-Up Edition” because of its green-and-white color scheme.
Below: The 1994 Mustang GT was given all-new sheetmetal and interior design, but Ford neglected to offer an actual 30th anniversary edition.
Below: The 1994 SVT Mustang Cobra was chosen for Indy 500 pace car honors, and this is the reason why Ford began producing Cobra convertibles.
Above: The 1996 Mustang GT with its modular V8 was rated at 215 horsepower at 4,400 rpm and 285 lbs-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm.
Below: The SVT Cobra’s hand-built, naturally-aspirated, modular V8 showed potential in being the firebreathing beast it became in a few short years.
Below: The 35th Anniversary Limited Edition GT wore unique machined-face wheels and black exterior accents. The interior had silver inserts on the leather seats and door panel trim, as well as silver embroidery on the running pony logo.
Ford Motor Company observed
its centenary milestone with great fanfare
on June 16, 2003.
Below: Posing with a Model T, Ford offered Centennial Editions in five different models including Mustang, Focus, Taurus, Explorer, and F-Series Super Duty.
Below: The Mustang Centennial Edition’s interior was Medium Parchment with two-toned, Verona-grain, Imola leather seats and embossed Centennial logos.
Below: The 2003½ 10th Anniversary SVT Mustang Cobra was available as a coupe or convertible in three exterior colors and had exclusive, argent-painted wheels. The interior had red inserts on the leather seats and door panel trim, as well as carbon fiber-look trim on the steering wheel, shifter, and parking brake.
Continue to Chapter 3 >