Mustang Owners Clubs of America and California put on a show this weekend in Van Nuys. In addition to the part where there’s a lot of Mustangs collected and shown off in one place, the First Mustang Ever Made was there. Now I can die happy.

Hertz used to rent Mustangs … they were returned with bald tires.

Carroll Shelby’s signature

The first Mustang ever made. It rolled off the press March 5, 1964. It’s Caspian Blue.

Tomato red. 1964 and a half. My grandfather set out once to buy a practical car and came home with something that looked just like this. Mustang has been in the genes ever since.