If you are a Mustang fanatic then this may be a question that you have asked before – who owns the first Ford Mustang? Now, thanks to Ford, the answer has been made known. It might surprise you to know that the original owner still has it today, and the car is on the road again 49 years later.
In the spring of 1964 a 22 year old school teacher was looking to get her first taste of freedom and purchase a new set of wheels. Gail Brown was living with her parents and teaching at a local elementary school in Chicago at the time, and her only means of transportation was her mom’s 1957 Ford Fairlane 500. She knew that her first car needed to be something special but had no idea what would unfold when she visited the Johnson Ford dealership in her hometown. After looking at every car in the showroom she told the salesman that she just didn’t see anything that fit what she was searching for. The salesman then told her “I’ve got something in the back that’s really new,” and after taking her in a back storeroom he pulled the cover off of a shiny new 1965 Ford Mustang convertible that had not even been shown to the public yet. “That’s me……..that’s what I want,” said Gail. The car was painted Skylight Blue and was equipped with the Rally Pac instrumentation to go with its 260 cu. in V8 engine.
After trading in an old beater and getting her parents to pitch in a little to help her, Gail purchased the car for a total of $3,419. The date was April 15th, two days before the car was unveiled at the New York World’s Fair. Just like that, Gail became the owner of the first retail Ford Mustang known to be sold. Talk about being at the right place at the right time.
Gail recalls all the looks and waves that she got for the first few months as she began driving this all new American pony car. “I was the coolest teacher in school that year,” she recalls, and remembers how all the boys from the nearby middle school would stare as she drove by. “I felt like a movie star everywhere I went.”
Just a couple of years later Gail married her sweetheart, Tom Wise, and they began their family in a suburb of Chicago. The Mustang served the family well and in 1974 it would become Tom’s daily driver even though it was beginning to show some wear. Northern winters were not very kind to this all original car, so after some minor mechanical issues and daily wear and tear, the rusty and tired car was pushed into the driveway after a stolen battery episode in 1979. Four children later as life moved along the car did not and was eventually tucked into the garage where it would spend the next 27 years.
Even though there were times when Gail would hint at selling the car, Tom convinced her to keep it and had plans of his own of restoring Gail’s classic to its original state. After retiring from the Navy he made their dreams come true by beginning to restore the 64 convertible in 2007. It took approximately three years, but the car has been fully restored to its original beauty and is now wowing the crowds again after 49 years.
These days Gail is afraid to drive it much in fear of scuffing her old friend, but Tom enjoys driving it to local shows and sharing this incredible story with other Mustang fans. The Wise kids now have children of their own, and one of the granddaughters has already asked Grandpa Tom if she can have the car when she turns 16. As this classic American sports car nears the celebration of 50 years on the road, it becomes clear to those who own a Ford Mustang that it’s more than just a car…..its part of the family.
Thanks to Gail for sharing her incredible story!
