The Ford Mustang debuted with help from Disney.
The iconic American car was formally unveiled at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City, where it was featured in the Ford Magic Skyway attraction.
The ride was designed by Disney and featured real Ford cars being pulled along a track through dioramas depicting a journey through time.
Several Mustangs were included that were later sold to the public as road cars. One of the survivors has now been inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register, which is a partnership with the Library of Congress to chronicle noteworthy automobiles.
The Wimbledon White over Red convertible is owned by car collector Sam Pack and was fully restored in 2015. It features a 200-cubic-inch straight-six engine and three-speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission.
The car is being digitally scanned, photographed and documented by The Hagerty Drivers Foundation and Ford for the historical record.
“Ford is honored to document this historic milestone in our heritage as part of the America 250 celebration. Ford put America on wheels, and the Mustang is the soul of that legacy,” Ted Ryan, Heritage Brand Manager and Archivist at Ford, said in a news release. “Its induction into our nation’s library ensures that the Mustang’s rich cultural impact will inspire generations to come.”
The Mustang will be on display at Washington D.C.’s Union Station as part of the Ford Driving America Forward exhibit through July 14.
“The Mustang is one of America’s most beloved automobiles, and this car represents its very birth – unveiled not in a showroom, but on the grandest stage imaginable, carrying tens of thousands of people through a vision of the future at the New York World’s Fair,” Casey Maxon, Director of Heritage, Hagerty Drivers Foundation, said.
“It was an immediate, undeniable hit. The public didn’t just notice the Mustang, they fell in love with it on the spot. As we mark 250 years of American history, it’s worth remembering that for nearly half of that history, the automobile has been woven into the fabric of this country’s identity. What better way to honor that legacy than with this Mustang convertible, one of the most iconic enthusiast cars ever produced.”
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The World’s Fair car will be joining another Mustang on the growing list of 38 vehicles. The 1968 Mustang GT 390 hero car from the Steve McQueen film “Bullitt” was added in 2018, shortly after it came out of a decades-long storage hidden from the public. The car was displayed on the National Mall and toured the U.S. before it was auctioned in 2020 for $3.85 million to a still-anonymous buyer and never seen again.
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