The New York Times had a nice piece about the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Mustang and people who have owned a first-generation model since it rolled out of the dealership.

The earliest cars off the assembly lines have a special place in Mustang lore. Officially, they are titled as 1965 models, but enthusiasts draw a distinction between cars built before August 1964 and those built later, calling the early cars ’64 1/2 models. There is reason for this: The car was revised after a few months of production with trim changes, different engine options and a reset of the vehicle identification number sequence.

Among the fans who will be celebrating the Mustang’s 50th birthday will be some owners who bought the car when it first went on sale. Here are the stories of some early buyers who could never let go.

Somewhere deep in a box of family photos there’s one of me next to my first Mustang, a 1965 silver 2+2 bought used in April 1969 from Brondes Ford of Toledo.  It was supposed to be shared between me and my older brother and sister, but since they were both away at college, I drove it the most.  It was the car I took to college in 1971, and we kept it until the summer of 1973 when my dad convinced me that because Ford sold so many, it would never be a collectible.  Dad, I love you, but you were wrong: a restored-to-original 1965 2+2 goes for ten times the 1965 sticker price.

1965 Mustang 2+2

I’m on my third Mustang now and don’t have any plans to trade it in.  I don’t think a 2007 convertible will be a collectible any time soon, but I still love driving it.

PS: I get asked this on occasion: where the did the nickname “Mustang Bobby” come from?  Here’s your answer.