Mustang Unbridled & Mustang By Design 2 Book Set

Deep-dive into the full story behind Ford’s beloved pony car in this high-octane history.

Mustang Unbridled delivers the most comprehensive account of Ford’s Mustang ever published, a thrilling ride through six decades of continuous production that reveals one of history’s greatest automotive success stories.

Author Robert M. Kennedy begins before the beginning, outlining the evolution of Ford Motor Company from its founding through the early 1960s, delineating the key events that set the Blue Oval on a performance-car path.

From there, Kennedy steers the reins of Mustang’s story through each of its generations, detailing the impacts of internal and external politics, engineering decisions, advertising campaigns, competitive models, racing endeavors, pop culture, and world events, on its unprecedented success. Henry Ford II, Lee Iacocca, Don Frey, and other Ford staff set the stage, joined by a host of key outside influencers, including Carroll Shelby, Steve Saleen, Jack Roush, Vaughn Gittin, Jr., and many more.

From the V4-powered Mustang prototype of 1962 to the fire-breathing, world-beating Boss and Shelby versions of the late ’60s and early ’70s; and from the Mustang II and Fox body cars to today’s high-performance Dark Horse and GTD supercar, Mustang Unbridled offers an unequaled examination of Ford’s legendary pony car.

“Robert M. Kennedy’s dogged research and ability to uncover truths that have been vetted with Mustang notables gives Mustang Unbridled some eye-opening viewpoints that may leave fans re-thinking what they thought they knew about Ford’s steel steed.”

—John M. Clor, Enthusiast Communications Manager, Ford Racing

“In Mustang Unbridled Robert M. Kennedy weaves the waves of national and global change into his Mustang historical narrative. Kennedy brings a fresh perspective and ‘youthful’ enthusiasm to a car that has always been about the fun and joy of youth.”

—Donald Farr, Editor, Mustang Times

When Ford launched the Mustang, it created an automotive revolution. Award-winning designer and stylist Gale Halderman was at the epicenter of the action at Ford, and, in fact, his initial design sketch formed the basis of the new Mustang. He reveals his involvement in the project as well as telling the entire story of the design and development of the Mustang.

Authors and Mustang enthusiasts James Dinsmore and James Halderman go beyond the front doors at Ford to get the real, unvarnished story. Gale Halderman offers a unique behind-the-scenes perspective and firsthand account of the inception, design, development, and production of the original Mustang.

The process of taking a car from sketch to clay model to prototype to preproduction and finally finished model is retraced in insightful detail. In a gala event, the Mustang was unveiled at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The Mustang received public accolades and critical acclaim, and soon it became a runaway hit. After the initial success, Ford designers and Gale Halderman designed and developed the first fastback Mustangs to complement the coupes. The classic Mustang muscle cars to follow, including the GT, Mach 1, and others, are profiled as well.

The Mustang changed automotive history and ushered in the pony car era as a nimble, powerful, and elegantly styled sports coupe. This is the remarkable and dramatic story of how the Mustang came to life, the demanding design and development process, and, ultimately, the triumph of the iconic American car.