For most teenagers in the 1960s, getting a brand new car as a Christmas present was just a nice dream. However, for one 16-year-old named Edsel Ford (and yes, he’s the great-grandson of FoMoCo’s founder), on Christmas day in 1964, the dream became reality when he found a very special Ford Mustang fastback in front of his house.
Featuring a pearlescent white finish with slim blue racing stripes over the top of the body and along the rocker panels, the 1964 Mustang fastback sported details like a functional hood scoop, chrome trim on the three gills in the headlamp buckets, and fender-mounted rearview mirrors similar to Mustangs sold in Europe at that time. The custom interior featured blue leather with aluminum trim.
One unique detail, albeit more subtle, that told the story of this particular Mustang was the “EBF II” lettering on the rear fuel filler cap. Those initials stood for Edsel B. Ford II, great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford. The car was prepared by Ford Motor Company CEO Henry Ford II as a gift for his son’s 16th birthday, which fell on December 27, 1964.
“I came downstairs that Christmas morning with my sisters, and my father indicated I should take a look outside. This amazing Mustang was sitting in the driveway, and I immediately grabbed my coat and shoes and went outside to check it out,” recalls Edsel Ford, Ford Motor Company director.
“The rumble of the high-performance 289-cubic-inch V8 was always intoxicating. I only drove it for a few minutes that first day because there was snow on the ground, but as soon as the roads were cleared, I drove it almost every day,” he adds.
He used the Mustang as a daily driver as he finished high school and went off to college, but it was sadly destroyed in an accident in 1968 when a friend borrowed it. Fortunately, the car was photographed for the Ford archives before the crash and you can admire it in the photo gallery below.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
