By Colin Date. Published by MBI £16.99. 4th December 2009
Layout:
The book was originally released as as a hardcover book in contains six chapters and a few forwards:
- Forward
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1. Mustang Primer: Understanding the Basics
- Chapter 2. The details: sweating the small stuff
- Chapter 3. 1964 1/2
- Chapter 4. 1965
- Chapter 5. 1966
- Chapter 6. The Shelby Mustangs
- Index
This is currently out of print, and second hand good condition copied can cost up to £90 from various online book stores or eBay.
Information
Wow. That should be a give away for this book more like an encyclopaedia. The amount of research that has gone into this book is phenomenal. The photo’s are crisp, there are extra little boxes that explains the base models, options available, accessories and their costs, codes, VIN codes, production numbers etc.
A total of 128 pages of sumptuous information for the 64-66 years. For those that say there was no 1964 1/2 this book proves otherwise and I have a detailed book from Ford factory that also confirms that there WAS an official 1964 1/2 model.
This book covers things like door cards, gas caps, wheels, dash, exhaust, under the hood, tags, etc. All the subtle things and the not so subtle like air cleaners.
Close up detailed photo’s and clear explanations is the key here. This book does not tell you about how to restore a car or give you ‘how to guides’ to repair these cars. It’s a book to show the differences as per the book’s the title which surpasses those expectations by a long way. In fact if I can find a good quality hardcover copy I may well purchase it again as a coffee table conversational piece.
The book also covers the much coveted Shelby Mustangs as well, in detail. A bonus for those of us who want want one, but sadly won’t ever have one.
Summary:
I have many Mustang books, but this is something a little different. It isn’t really aimed at giving the history of Ford or the Mustang brand from its launch. What it does do is take a look at the years 64-66 and tell the differences. Many dealers may try and pass some 65s of as a genuine 64 1/2. This book arms you with the information you need to tell if it is genuine or not.
Just on the information alone I highly recommend this (reference) book. If you want to know the general history then this is a little top specific. But if you want in depth information on these cars then this is it.
There is such a thing as the Marti Reports. These reports start from 1968 onwards and provide detailed information on what was made, where and the options at the time of assembly.
Why is there no 1964-1966 Marti Reports? Well the records were destroyed by a fire, or simply disposed of in the late 70’s due to no storage space. The true story depends on what you read for what actually happened to those lost records. That’s why there is such a lack of information on these ‘first gen’ cars as they are sometimes referred to. The only way to tell what was on your car is the original build sheets or the door tag if it’s original. If you have the original build sheet for first gen cars it will significantly add provenance and value to your car.
For the reasons of lack of information this is an important book. It won’t tell you what was on your individual car, but it will tell you what should or could have been on your car.
