Yes, just as the Ford Mustang’s distinctive look would influence virtually every muscle car produced in its wake, it seems the iconic vehicle was not an original ground-up creation. In fact, in its infancy, the Ford Mustang was quite literally built on the Ford Falcon’s platform.
That fact, of course, helps explain the similarities in the layouts of the two vehicles, and it should go without saying that recycling the Falcon’s platform for the Mustang was a smart money-saving move that even allowed Ford to utilize a wide array of the parts and components that were also used in producing the Falcon. Shared parts and platform aside, if you’ve ever been behind the wheel of a 1960s-era Mustang, you know the similarities to the Falcon essentially stop there, with the ‘stang offering a 289 cubic inch V8, enhanced handling packages, and a vast range of options that made it uniquely personalizable, save its distinctive body styles, which were customizable primarily in a buyer’s choice of paint color.
Nonetheless, sharing components with the Ford Falcon helped keep the price of a new Mustang surprisingly low for a sports car, with base models selling for about $2,300. But those combined elements helped transform the Ford Mustang from a cleverly realized production car into a full-fledged legend in the annals of American automotive history. That fact is made all the more fascinating with the knowledge that Mustang attained those heights on the back of the humble Ford Falcon.
