In April of 1964, Ford made Motor City history with the Mustang. In August the company followed up with Act II of the Mustang saga, the fastback 2+2 version. 

It’s one of the great marketing stories of the Detroit auto industry, and we’ve shared it before here at Mac’s Motor City Garage: At the New York World’s Fair on April 17, 1964, the Ford Motor Company unveiled the 1965 Mustang, smashing every new car sales record on the books and inventing a whole new vehicle category called the pony car. For the spring launch there were two body styles available, a coupe and a convertible. In August the Dearborn carmaker followed up with a third model, a sleek fastback called the Mustang 2+2.

As this original Ford film illustrates, the 2+2 shared all the popular elements that made the original Mustang a hit: long hood/short deck styling, sporty cockpit, and a generous array of engine/drivetrain combinations. The 2+2 added the sweeping roofline and rear glass, C-pillar cabin exhaust vents, and a folding rear seat. With the seat up, the rear passenger area could accommodate two children, maybe. With the seat down, there was a roomy and stylish cargo area lined in carpeting with elegant chrome trim. At $2,589, the 2+2 was priced at $207 more than the base Mustang coupe, and it was popular from the start, outselling the convertible by a few thousand units that first year. All the details, including the spiffy cabin exhaust vents, are included in the video below.