Built to order

For such an affordable car, the Mustang had an enormous list of options ranging from a tissue holder to an automatic transmission all the way up to three separate V8 options. First was a 164 horsepower (122 kW), 260 in³ (4.2 L) version with two-barrel carburetor based on the 221 in³ (3.6 L) "Fairlane" engine introduced in 1962. A 210 horsepower (157 kW), 289 in³ (4.7 L) version with four-barrel carburetion was the middle choice with the top-of-the-line engine being a thundering 271 horsepower (202 kW), 289 in³ engine with a four-barrel carburetor and solid-lifter valvetrain. At a cost of nearly $700, this high-performance 289, or "Hi-Po" as it came to be nicknamed, was the single most expensive option available on the Mustang. The option list added to the car's popularity since it could be ordered from "mild to wild," depending on the buyer's taste and budget. The most popular drivetrain combination in the car's first two years would prove to be a 200 horsepower (149 kW), two-barrel "Challenger" version of the 289 introduced at the start of the 1965 model year backed by a three-speed "Cruise-O-Matic" automatic transmission.