US Automaker Marks 50 Years of Classic Mustang

VOA News
17 April 2014 (7:30AM)

Ford Motor Company is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its iconic Mustang sports car by staging a recreation of the model's famous debut.

The U.S. automaker displayed the original version of the Mustang on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, 86 floors above the New York City skyline, when the city played host to the 1964 World's Fair. Ford would go on to sell nearly half a million Mustangs in its first year of production, and the car would evolve as an enduring symbol of American culture.

On Wednesday, Ford unveiled a special edition of its 2015 Mustang convertible at the exact spot, as part of the annual New York International Auto Show. George Samulski, an executive with the automaker's design section, says technicians faced some special challenges in getting the car up to the top of the landmark building.

The Ford Mustang is the first -- and only -- automobile to be displayed on the observation deck of the Empire State Building.

Ford only plans to build 1,964 of the special edition 2015 Mustangs.