As the Mustang generation seemed to be outgrowing the pony, sales hit an all time low of 79,280 for the model year. Ford’s one consolation was that the Pontiac Firebird and the Chevy Camero were doing even worse in sales. Nevertheless, sales were steady if nothing else and the Mustang was still ahead of the pack.

This sales stretch was due, in part, to the Stang’s vintage character. As other cars became more sporty and streamlined, the Ford Mustang remained in a class by itself offering an attitude that was bold and brash, a little sassy and very unique. It was not perfect, but it still held a great deal of appeal to the consumer.

Motor Trend hailed the Mustang’s praises, citing the five speed LX 5.0 hatchback’s “limitless supply of rich, creamy torque at any rpm, and all the wonderful things that it made possible.” This was in response to a “Bang for the Buck!” showdown that featured 16 contestants such as the Plymouth Laser RS Turbo, the Nissan 300 ZX, a 245 horsepower Chevrolet Corvette and even Ford’s own supercharged T-bird.

The Mustang did not perform, per se, as well as its competitors in areas such as acceleration, braking and handling where it only placed as high as fourth, but the rock bottom base price of $12,765 made it untouchable. None of the other competitors could come close to matching the all round performance that Mustang delivered for the money. Motor Trend declared it the winner, adding, “Mustang truly defines the concept of Bang for the Buck. It’s probably the most fun for the money in America today.”

So, you love the Ford Mustang, but just how much do you know about them? These 20 little pieces of trivia contain some fun and informative tidbits that you may not have known about this great American classic. Who knows, you just might learn something.

1.   The Ford Mustang was originally named for the P-51 Mustang, a popular fighter plane. During the development of the car, there were allusions made comparing the car to the horse and the running horse motif became the well-known emblem for the Mustang.

2.   On the first day the Mustang was available for sale; it racked up more than 22,000 sales. In its first two years, more than one million Mustangs were sold.

3.   The running horse emblem on the grill is running in the opposite direction of that of real racehorses on an American racetrack.

4.   In 1966, there was a Shelby that was specially prepared for Hertz Rent A Car that was for rental for weekend drag racers. It was known as the Shelby GT-350H.

5.  When the Ford Mustang made its debut, it sported the super affordable price tag of $2,320.96. This was about half the price of the Chevrolet Corvette.

6.  In 1964, the Mustang finished first and second in class in the international rally race, the Tour de France.

7.  The first motion picture in which a Ford Mustang appeared was a white convertible in the James Bond classic, “Goldfinger.”

8.  At the 1964, 1979, and 1994 Indianapolis 500 races, the Mustang was the official pace car.

9.   In Dearborn, Michigan in 1966, the one millionth Mustang rolled off of the production line.

10.  In 1974, Motor Trend’s Car of the Year was the Mustang II.

11.  There have been 6.9 million Mustangs sold in the United States in the past three and a half decades.

12.  The only year that Ford did not offer a V8 engine in the Mustang was 1974. It was the first year of the Mustang II and there were massive consumer complaints about the missing V8. It was offered again in 1975.

13.  The 1979 to 1993 Mustangs are known as “Fox Bodies” because they were built on the Fox platform.

14.  Racer Tommy Kendall was undefeated for an entire season with his Mustang in SCCA Trans Am.

15.  Ford Motorsport SVO was the original name for Ford Racing Performance Parts.

16.  In 1993, there were only 107 Mustang Cobra Rs produced.

17.  The computer that is in the kick panel of all of the fuel injected 5.0 Mustangs is called the EEC IV.

18.  There were fewer than 500 1995 Mustang Cobras that were built with the removable hardtop option.

19.  The 1966 Cobra ranks second as the fastest American made car. It is a four speed with a 427 V8 and 425-horse power.

20.  Touted the greatest car chase scene of all time, the car chase in the 1968 movie, Bullitt, featured a 1968 Ford Mustang GT and it was driven by Steve McQueen.

There were a few more updates to the Mustang in 1991 even as sales plunged to 98,737. The weak four boasted 105 horsepower due to a new eight plug cylinder head, but no one seemed to care much. Convertibles were given a cool power top that offered a neater appearance as it folded closer to the body. The fed hit automatic transmission cars yet again with a new edict requiring an interlock that meant the shifter would not move out of Park unless the brake pedal was pushed.

The V-8 models were gussied up with pretty five spoke allow wheels that were an inch larger than the previous year – a cool 16 inches in diameter. Tame and compliant 225/55ZR16 all season Michelins graced the LX 5.0, as opposed to the previous rough riding, tough looking bad boys Goodyear Eagle GT+4. The GTs held on to their Goodyears, but offered buyer the Michelins as an alternative at no additional cost.

Sticker prices continued to climb, putting the base price for the LX notchback to a little over $10,000. However, the V-8 convertibles remained just under $20,000. Was America falling out of love with the Ford Mustang, an American classic? The next few production years would tell the tale.