Ask
a male chauvinist Indian about women drivers, and a majority says women are the
worst drivers in the world. But according to a press statement from Ford, as
customers, designers, race car drivers, engineers, marketers and journalists,
women have been an integral part of the Ford Mustang story for 50 years. Yes, the same Ford Mustang any Indian male
would love to drive, even if it’s for a fleeting moment!
Mustang
has built a dedicated audience thanks to its authenticity. From the first
retail customer to a successful race car driver to a journalist with a lifelong
love for the pony car, these aficionado are but a tiny sample of the millions
of women around the world whose stories have contributed to the iconic status
of Ford Mustang.
For
50 years, women have helped to establish the iconic status of Ford Mustang, and
they will continue to be a part of the story for future generations, including
with the all-new 2015 Mustang that goes on sale later this year, noted the
release.
In
1964, Gail Brown was a freshly graduated Chicago schoolteacher who made history
when she became the first Mustang owner in America. She still owns the car
today. What makes this example unique is that Wise bought her Mustang on April
15, two days before the car was set to go on sale. A mix-up at the dealer
resulted in her making the very first retail purchase of a Mustang.
Wise
recalls with a great deal of fondness those early days of Mustang ownership
when she was a young teacher. “There was a middle school attached to our
elementary, and the boys fawned over the Mustang,” she remembers.
Mustang
had its public debut at the World’s Fair in New York in 1964. A class field
trip to that event was life changing for another woman who has played a key
role in the Mustang story. Mary Jean Wesche, editor of the Mustang Times for
Mustang Club of America, was a visitor to the World’s Fair and still remembers
seeing the Mustang debut display for the first time.
“I
absolutely fell in love with the car, right then and there,” recalls Wesche,
who had recently begun working on cars with her father. She continues to work
on cars today in her spare time at home in Florida. Wesche also served as
managing editor of Mustang Monthly and then 5.0, before spending the last
decade of her career as the editor for Mustang Times. She is constantly on the
road, visiting shows and meeting with Mustang enthusiasts.