Back in 2014, we wrote an article about a young woman named Gail Wise. She had just graduated college in Chicago and landed her first career position as a third-grade teacher. To celebrate her new teaching job, Gail went down to her local Ford dealership to buy herself a convertible.
Upon arriving at the dealership, she was disappointed to find out that there were no convertibles on the lot. Not wanting a disappointed customer, her salesperson lead Gail into the back part of the dealership and pulled a cover off a never-seen-before 1964 Ford Mustang Convertible. Gail fell in love with the car instantly and that is how the first Ford Mustang was purchased on April 15, 1964 for $3,400. The Ford Mustang was set to be revealed to the public at the New York World’s fair April 17th.
Gail and her family enjoyed the car for more than 15 years, but normal wear and tear forced the family to get a new vehicle. The Mustang was almost sold, but her husband Tom convinced her to keep it. Tom wanted to restore the Mustang and upon doing parts research, he found someone claiming to be the very first Mustang owner when they purchased it on April 16, 1964.
Tom knew right away that Gail had bought hers 1 day earlier. They were able to locate the original receipt and sure enough, it showed the purchase date of April 15, 1964. Gail is officially the first person to ever purchase a Ford Mustang. In 2006 Gail’s Mustang got a full restoration.
Fast forward to Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 and Ford is celebrating the 10 millionth Mustang rolling off the production line. The little Pony has been a tremendous success for Ford. It is now sold in over 146 different countries and is the best-selling sports coupe in the USA.
Gail and Tom Wise were invited to attend the ceremony where they were able to meet with Ford CEO and President James Hackett to talk about their 1964 convertible at Ford world headquarters in Dearborn, MI.
Jonathan Klinger, a spokesman for Hagerty Insurance, has estimated the value of Gail’s Mustang to be anywhere between $350,000 to $450,000 for its historical significance. That’s a pretty serious R.O.I. on an original $3,400 price tag!
Check out this great clip from ABC’s World News with David Muir as they cover this historic pony car.