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2015 Mustang debuts atop the Empire State Building

2015 Mustang debut comes exactly 50 years after the original pony car was revealed at New York World's Fair back in 1964. Only 1,964 examples of the 2015 mustang anniversary edition will be built by Ford. 

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John Minchillo/AP
Ford Motor Company introduces the all-new 2015 Mustang convertible on the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building during the New York International Auto Show, Wednesday, April 16, 2014, in New York.
  • By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Guest blogger

Ford’s new 2015 Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition may not be listed as a 2014.5 model, but it comes exactly 50 years after the original pony car was revealed at New York World's Fair back in 1964. This time Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] is using the 2014 New York Auto Show to present the latest chapter in its muscle car’s legend but the automaker also has a whole list of other celebrations planned including the recreation of a 1964 stunt where a Mustang was taken to the roof of the Empire State Building.

Only 1,964 examples of the 2015 Ford Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition will be built, all of them based on the V-8-powered Mustang GT fastback coupe. The cars are all fully-loaded, meaning the only choice for buyers is one of two exclusive colors (Wimbledon White or Kona Blue) and either a manual or automatic transmission.

DON'T MISS: 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible: 2014 New York Auto Show Live Photos

To the untrained eye it may just look like a regular 2015 Mustang, but to the faithful the car is brimming with design cues that link it to the original. For example, the Wimbledon White color was used for the Mustang bearing chassis number 001. The car, a convertible, was a pre-production version that was accidentally sold to airline pilot Stanley Tucker. He was later kind enough to give it back to Ford which has displayed it in the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
There is also some new chrome trim, with the shiny stuff featuring on a retro Mustang badge in the grille and bezels surrounding the base of each of the three tail-lamp blades. Both take inspiration from the original 1962 design proposal for the Mustang penned by Gale Halderman.
The car also gets a replica gas cap badge on the rear fascia where “50 Years” has been added to the GT designation, and in addition to these there are louvered rear quarter-windows. Unlike the external louvers on the quarter-windows of the original, the new windows are comprised of layered sheets of glass built with a construction technique uniquely developed for this car. It won’t feature on any other Mustang, Ford promises.

Inside the cars, the normal aluminum trim panel that spans the double-brow instrument panel gets an axel spin finish different from other 2015 Mustangs, plus a special serialized “50 Year Limited Edition” badge on the passenger side. Each badge will be individually etched at Flat Rock Assembly Plant where the Mustang is built.
Other special touches include a cashmere-stitched, leather-wrapped steering wheel. The stitching is also used on the instrument panel, shifter boot, center armrest, door inserts, seats and floor mats. The seats feature exclusive two-tone cashmere and black leather upholstery, and a Mustang 50th anniversary logo on the seat backs. Buyers will also get a unique owner’s guide that will come in a  leather portfolio.

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No changes are made to the powertrain, which means all 2015 Mustang 50 Year Limited Editions will come with the stock 2015 Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter V-8, which Ford says will deliver “more than” 420 horsepower and 390 pound-feet. The cars do get the 2015 Mustang’s available performance pack, however, which adds six-piston Brembo brakes in the front and 19-inch alloy wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires. Those wheels, by the way, were also inspired by the chromed steel wheels on the original Mustang.
The 2015 Ford Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition will go on sale this fall, but if you’re interested you had better get on the phone with your local Ford dealer right now as the cars aren’t expected to last.
For more of our 2014 New York Auto Show coverage, head to our dedicated hub.

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