 (Photos by Rene Conde)
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| NUMERO UNO Most people think that Dearborn, Metuchen, and San Jose were the only Ford assembly plants for first generation Mustangs. Truth is, Mustangs were also manufactured in Mexico during the first half of 1965, the Netherlands starting the second half of 1965, and Venezuela and Peru in 1967. The South of the Border Mustang Registry website accounts for 115 of these cars scattered in different countries, including the USA and in Europe. The fact that Mustang Number One in the U.S. was a white |
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convertible sold in Canada to airline Captain Stanley Tucker is well documented. Recently, "Numero Uno" from Mexico surfaced. It was the first Mustang produced outside the U.S. The owner, Rene Conde, stumbled across his find, a daily driver, in the Guadalajara, Mexico newspaper ads. Rene noticed the "Hecho en Mexico" casting on the intake and the original Mexican door tag. The title confirmed the car's Mexican heritage and Rene closed the deal. The Mustang coupe had been repainted in the same original silver blue color. It has a 289 2V engine, 3-speed manual transmission, and an 8-inch rear with 3.00:1 gears. |
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Production date is February 19, 1965, at the Mexico City assembly plant. Ford de Mexico assembled 2,753 Mustangs in 1966 and a similar number for 1965. The speedometer registers in kilometers, one of the many differences between the U.S. and the Mexican cars. Mexican Mustangs were also built without a heater; the hole in the firewall has a delete plate instead. Air-conditioning was a dealer-installed option, but rarely ordered. The first Mustang assembled outside of the USA is currently undergoing a complete restoration to its original condition. |
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Mustang Monthly is published by Source Interlink Media and can be reached at: Mustang Monthly Magazine, 9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619 or by E-mail to mustang.monthly@sourceinterlink.com. Recent Back Issues are available through: Primedia Back Issue, 2900 Amber Lane, Corona, CA 92882, by phone at (866) 542-2679 (U.S. Only, Toll-Free) or online at http://www.primediabackissues.com. | ||||