Here's How Ford Introduced The Very First Mustang, 50 Years Ago

The Mustang will turn 50 years old in April, and Ford is already getting ready to celebrate.

As a throwback, the automaker's press team has re-published the work of its predecessors: the press kit for the very first Mustang.

The 27-page document shows that when it comes to revealing new cars, not a whole lot has changed in the auto industry.

Journalists are still sent a pile of information about styling, engine specs, and optional features.

Car introductions are still accompanied by waves of advertising, though the newspaper and magazine ads of old have been mostly abandoned for social media campaigns.

While there's always a lot of hype around big new cars, the Mustang is one car that lived up to its promise, becoming one of the best American vehicles of all time.

It's fun to see how it all started: With three transmission choices, four available engines, two bucket seats, and "nylon-rayon deep-pile carpeting."

The original Mustang press kit is available here.

Here's the first page. You can tell the kit came as a spiral bound notebook:

Some notes on the car's styling:

And the original Mustang spec sheet: