Stay with me, this gets complicated. The first model year Ford created the Mustang for was 1965. But, just as with most new model years, it was unveiled and largely produced the prior year. In this case, this 1965 Ford Mustang was unveiled on April 17, 1964, though production started on March 9, 1964. About 4 months after it was unveiled, on August 17, 1964, production ended for what we now call the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang. After that, slight changes were made, and these are called 1965 Ford Mustangs.

To be clear, there are no 1964 or 1964 1/2 Ford Mustangs, officially. The first Model year was 1965, hence the 45th anniversary should have been the 2010 Ford Mustang, not the 2009. However, due to the collectibility of the first run of Mustangs, a distinction is made amongst people in the trade.

Below are the stats on the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustangs:

Production began March 9, 1964 and ended August 17,1964
There were only coupes and convertibles, no fastbacks
Instead of alternators, these had generators

Engines Displacement & Code
170 cubic inch 6cyl 1bbl "V"
260 cubic inch 8cyl 2bbl "F"
289 cubic inch 8cyl 4bbl "D"
*289 cubic inch 8cyl 4bbl "K"
* Available in June of 1964

Exterior
The Gas Cap has no retaining wire.
The edges of the Hood have stiffening skirts ( bevels) on its lower left and right side
The Grill panels have corresponding bevels to the hood skirts
The Mustang lettering on the front fenders is 4-3/8", later lengthened to 5"
Windshield Wiper shafts bases are pot metal and have a threaded escutcheon

Interior
Door Locks are color-keyed to interior, changed to chrome in later production
Owners Manual states 170 C.I. six cylinder, and the 260 low compression V8

Trunk
Tail lights have 3 wire pigtail assembly
Mat is grey burtex in hardtops, and speckled grey rubber in convertibles
Spare tire hold down is slotted for anchor bolt

Hi-Performance 289 V8
Instrument Cluster has red GEN light (Generator), later models had red ALT light
Heater blower is two speed with OFF position located in center
Carpet had color-keyed rubber heel pad, no toe pad, as in later models
The fresh air vent on the drivers side is marked with a White "A"
Door handles and Window cranks are held by concealed spring clips, not allen-head screws
Carpeting stops at inner rocker panel, with color-keyed vinyl under door sill plate
Front Seatbelts are secured with an eye bolt, later changed to hex-head bolt
Passenger seat was not adjustable
Smaller "T" handle on automatic transmission cars

Engine Compartment
Hood Bumpers have recessed phillips screw to hold bumper to stud
Radiator Core support has air vents/louvers in front of batter box for cooling
Horns are larger than on later models and mounted on the frame behind radiator
Coils is mounted flat on intake manifold
Brake switch ( 2 wires) is mounted on the master cylinder
Engine has a road draft tube, with /without a PCV valve
Small flip open oil cap on distributor base
Generators are installed, have black rubber shroud
Oil dipstick is on passenger side and very long
Oil filler tube is on front cover of engine, not valve covers

The 1968 Shelby EXP-500 Prototype 428 CJ Conelec EFI was a rare 1-of-1 beauty nicknamed, "The Green Hornet".
It has independent rear suspension, fuel-injection, and was powered by the 428 Cobra Jet engine.
The Green Hornet was a factory-experimental beast with four-wheel disc brakes, with all this modern technology packed into a 1968 legend. It had a stripe on the front quarter panel that read "EXP500".

The EXP-500 came to be as Carroll Shelby needed a testbed machine for his new fuel-injection unit and IRS (independent-rear-suspension), but the "Lil Red" 1967 hardtop he was going to use was used at performance displays and frequently driven by Shelby's friend, Bill Cosby. Ford shipped him a Lime Gold 1968 hardtop with a 390-ci engine, which was immediately yanked and replaced with the experimental 428-CJ.

A former Bendix engineer named Dave Long developed a Conelec EFI that was going to be used in full-sized Ford and Mercury cars due to the more stringent 1970 emissions regulations. This test bed still featured a 9-inch rear, coil springs, lateral links, and a rear anti-roll bar. A truck-spec C6 transmission was installed to replace the factory C6. The handle the big-beef they also swapped out for a Lincoln torque converter and a cast-iron truck shaft.

Shelby of course modified the body as well and slapped on a functional ram-air hood and different tail-panel to hold 1965 Thunderbird tail-lights. Three coats of Gold Luster Green were shot on the body by legendary painter Sonny Fee. He also covered it with gold metallic mica which were hand-rubbed in and topped with clear. Likely due to his friendship with Bill Cosby, the one-off custom car was quickly nicknamed "The Green Hornet".

It bolstered 0-60 times in the 5.7 second range with a top speed around 157 mph. That was accomplished with just a 3.0:1 ratio, and weighing a hefty 3,500-pounds. The Conelec fuel injection and IRS never made it to production. Until now, most believed that the Green Hornet had been destroyed.

Actually, it made it to Ford's Employee and Auction Resale Lot in Dearborn, MI. Unfortunately it was stripped of many parts such as the IRS and the EFI. The lot owner bought it for a mere $3,000, knowing it was the only Shelby notch-back like it. Though he sold it 6 months later saying that it had too much power to be a family car.

So he sold it to Don Darrow, owner of the Ford dealer franchise in Cheboygan, Michigan. The new owner added a white vinyl top, 14-inch styled steel wheels with GT caps, and white-stripe Michelins. He only put on about 30,000 miles. The new owners had no idea what kind of special car they owned for 20 years. The brought it to the original builder and started getting it restored.

Martin Euler of Classic & Muscle Mustang Restorations in Midland, Michigan took over the project. With help from Goodell, the original builder, they restored it as close as they could to what Shelby intended it to look like from the start. The Green Hornet is now part of Craig Jackson's select collection of ultra-rare muscle cars--a lone Ford in the Barrett-Jackson Auction magnate's private garage full of ultra rare one-of-one high-optioned GM and Mopar muscle.

Engine
Type: OHV V-8, iron block and heads
Displacement: 428 cubic inches
Bore x Stroke: 4.13 inches x 3.98 inches
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 355 @ 5,400*
Torque @ rpm: 420-lbs.ft. @ 3,200rpm*
Valvetrain: Pushrod operation, hydraulic valve lifters
Main bearings: 5
Fuel system: Conelec electronic multiport fuel injection, electric fuel pump
Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump
Electrical system: 12-volt
Exhaust system: Dual exhaust

Transmission
Type: Heavy-duty Ford C6 three-speed automatic with Lincoln torque converter
Ratios 1st: 2.46:1
2nd: 1.46:1
3rd: 1.00:1

Differential
Type: Ford 9-inch center section
Ratio: 3.00:1

Steering
Type: Recirculating ball, power assist
Turns, lock-to-lock: 4.0
Turning circle: 37 feet

Brakes
Type: Four-wheel disc, hydraulic activation
Front: 11.3-inch Kelsey Hayes vented discs
Rear: 11.3-inch Kelsey Hayes vented discs

Chassis & Body
Construction: Unit-body construction
Body style: Two-door coupe
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive

Suspension
Front: Independent, upper wishbones, lower control arm with drag strut, 0.94-inch anti-roll bar, coil springs, telescoping shock absorbers
Rear: Fully independent; lower control arms; coil springs; telescoping shock absorbers; lateral links; anti-roll bar

Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Shelby aluminum 10-spoke
Front: 15 x 7 inches
Rear: 15 x 7 inches
Tires: Goodyear Polyglas
Front: F60-15
Rear: F60-15

Weights & Measures
Wheelbase: 108 inches
Overall length: 186.6 inches
Overall width: 70.9 inches
Overall height: 51.6 inches
Front track: 58.0 inches
Rear track: 58.0 inches*
Curb weight: 3,450 pounds**

Capacities
Crankcase: 5 quarts
Cooling system: 23.5 quarts
Fuel tank: 17 gallons

Calculated Data
Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.83*
Weight per bhp: 9.71 pounds*
Weight per c.i.d.: 8.06 pounds*

Production
This Shelby Mustang was a prototype unit for component testing and was not sold through regular dealer channels. It is the only one in existence.

Performance
0-60 mph: 5.7 seconds
0-100 mph: 11.4 seconds
Top speed: 157 mph

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* indicates information on (or extrapolated from) a stock 1968 Shelby GT500; prototype data unavailable

** according to previously published sources

1968 was the only year the J-code Mustangs were available. J was the engine code indicating the new 302-cubic-inch engine was under the hood. They were the only 302-ci, 4-barrel, 230 HP available that year.

J-code Mustangs with the GT option had a 9-inch rear differential. All other J-codes had the 8-inch rear-end. Other Mustangs with the 9-inch were the 390 and 428CJ.

The 1967 motors, the 289 4-barrel and the 289 High-Performance were dropped from the Mustang powerteam selection at the beginning of the 1968 model year. The 289 2-barrel lasted until mid-year before being replaced by the 302 2-barrel. Two hi-po engines were offered for the 1968 Mustang: a 302 High Performance and a 390 horsepower 427 - both were very limited production.

The 289 4-barrel and the 289 High-Performance are the 1967 "A" and "K" codes, respectively, but they did not reappear in 1968.

As far as production numbers in 1968 (J-code and other engine codes):

63A Fastback standard model = 33,585
63B Fastback deluxe model = 7661
63C Fastback bench-seat model = 1079
63D Fastback deluxe bench-seat model = 256
65A 2door Hardtop Coupe Standard = 233,472
65B 2door Hardtop Coupe Deluxe = 9,009
65C 2door Hardtop Coupe bench seats = 6,113
65C 2door Hardtop Coupe Deluxe bench seats = 853
76A Convertible Standard = 22,037
76B Convertible Deluxe = 3,339

1968 Total = 317,404

Special Mustangs (included above):

Mustangs with 390 = 11,475
428 Cobra Jet Mustangs:
Fastbacks = 2,253
Coupes = 564
GT Mustangs = 17,458
California Special Mustangs = about 5,000