40th anniversary of Mustang to be celebrated in Nashville

The event will include open track events, entertainment and vendor displays at the Nashville Superspeedway. About 3,000 cars are expected to be on display and the event may attract up to 100,000 people.

The opening ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, will include a fly over by a P-51 Mustang, a legendary World War II fighter plane.

Ford officials, including designers, will join John Force of the National Hot Rod Association to discuss the car.

The Mustang made its debut in April 1964 at the World’s Fair in New York. Since then, about 8 million people have owned a Mustang.

It was devised by Lee Iacocca, then Ford division chief, and product manager Donald Frey. The early models cost about $2,400 and were little more than a Ford Falcon with a different body, but the car’s image sold it.

Analysts say the Mustang succeeded because it was an affordable performance car and deftly marketed. Today’s Mustangs have a sticker price of about $18,775 and up.

The Mustang is one of the auto industry’s best-known names. It has appeared in movies more than 500 times, including the 1968 police thriller “Bullitt” in which Steve McQueen roared through San Francisco in a Mustang GT 390.

Early registration for the Tennessee event begins Wednesday.

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