How Much Did the First Ford Mustang Cost in 1964?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The 1964 Ford Mustang price started at $2,368 when Ford introduced it on April 17, 1964. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $25,821 in September 2026 money, roughly 10.9 times the original price.
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Ford Mustang at a glance
- US launch price
- $2,368
- In today’s money
- ≈ $25,821April 1964 to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US release date
- April 17, 1964
- Where it was designed
- Dearborn, United StatesDeveloped by Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.
- Category
- Cars & transport
- Price source
- en.wikipedia.org
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
What $2,368 bought
The cheapest Mustang was the hardtop with a 170-cubic-inch six-cylinder engine from the Ford Falcon and a three-speed manual gearbox. Ford’s design brief was a car that seated four, had bucket seats and a floor-mounted gear stick, weighed no more than 2,500 pounds, was no longer than 180 inches and sold for less than $2,500. Options pushed the price higher.
The 1964 Ford Mustang price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 1964. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original 1964 Ford Mustang price of $2,368 works out at about $25,821 in September 2026 money, around 10.9 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what the Mustang sells for second-hand.
Where was the Ford Mustang designed?
Ford developed it at its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, sharing its platform with the Ford Falcon. Production started in March 1964, and it was introduced as a hardtop and a convertible, with a fastback following in August 1964.
Ford Mustang facts you might not know
- Its long bonnet and short boot created a new class of car, the “pony car”, and rivals soon copied it.
- Ford expected to sell about 100,000 in the first year. It sold more than 400,000.
- The first generation lasted until 1973, and the smaller Mustang II arrived for 1974, just as the oil crisis hit.
- In January 2020 the Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the film Bullitt sold at auction for $3.7 million.
Frequently asked questions
How much did a 1964 Mustang cost new?
The first Ford Mustang started at $2,368 for the hardtop with a six-cylinder engine when it was introduced on April 17, 1964.
How much is $2,368 from 1964 worth today?
Adjusted for US inflation, the Mustang’s starting price is about $25,821 in September 2026 money.
What is a pony car?
A small, sporty and affordable car with a long bonnet and short boot. The Ford Mustang created the class in 1964.
Want to compare the 1964 Ford Mustang price with other launch prices? See what the original Barbie cost, browse more famous launch prices, or play this question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.
- Company archive: Ford Motor Company, “Mustang Launch: The Grand Introduction” (Ford From the Road)
- Wikipedia: Ford Mustang (first generation)
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
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