First Mustang Owner, A Chicago Teacher, 'Felt Like A Movie Star'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Ford Mustang, one of the company's most iconic models. The first Mustang production model ever sold was bought by a Chicagoan.
WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports teacher Gail Wise was a new teacher just looking for a convertible to make the commute to her suburban school, but the only convertible the salesman at Johnson Ford had on the lot was a brand new model that was still under wraps.
"The salesman said, 'You know, I'm really not supposed to sell it tonight' – it was Wednesday, April 15th, 1964 – because it was not going to unveiled till Friday the 17th of April, by Lee Iacocca [who engineered the Mustang], but for some reason he sold me the car that night," she said.
Chicagoan Became First Mustang Owner 50 Years Ago
Wise, then 22, fell in love when she saw the new Skylight Blue Mustang, and it got her plenty of attention.
"When I drove it out of the showroom, I realized what I had bought, because everybody was waving at me, and giving me high fives, and asking me to slow down so they could look at the car," she said. "It was real exciting. I felt like a movie star. I was young, single. It was a good time."
She and the family drove the Mustang for 15 years. It has since been restored and has been making the classic car rounds with its proud owner.
Wise was in Charlotte on Thursday for the Mustang Club of America's five-day celebration of the car's 50th anniversary at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
