General Information
The first Ford Mustang was one of the most successful new model introductions of all time. Ford division president Lee Iacocca had conceived it as a ‘personal’ car in the vein of the original Thunderbird, the passing of which was still lamented by many. Using the platform of the Falcon economy car saved costs, and its compact size lent itself well to a sporty body design that still allowed for four seats. The result was a good-looking, sporty car that was still practical and affordable enough to appeal to a broad range of buyers. The marketing and timing of the vehicle were perfect in more than one sense. The general atmosphere of the car-buying public was changing because the Baby Boomers were reaching car-buying age and they wanted exciting cars. More specifically, the Mustang was introduced in the middle of the year as a 1964 1/2 model, which meant that there were no other new models coming out to compete for attention. It was a huge success. 23,000 were sold the day it went on sale, April 17, 1964, and 681,000 were sold over the extended 1965 model year.
Sonny and Cher broke onto the music scene in 1965 with their hit single “I Got You Babe”. Ford decided to capitalize on their popularity by giving them a pair of special Mustang convertibles, presumably because having Mustangs in the public eye would help sales. Two nearly identical 1966 models were taken from the San Jose production line and given to customization guru George Barris, who had made a name for himself building a number of famous TV and film cars, including the original Batmobile and the Munsters Drag-U-la as well as many celebrities’ personal cars. Barris set about creating a pair of cars that would reflect the onstage personas of Sonny and Cher. Both cars got a bifurcated front grille with rectangular headlights, shaved and repositioned door handles, simulated hood scoops, and Thunderbird taillights, but there were a number of detail differences between the two cars. Interestingly, Sonny’s Mustang was equipped with the 4-barrel, 225-horsepower version of the 289 V-8 while Cher’s had the 2-barrel, 200-horsepower unit. His was painted Murano Gold with a brown suede side cove, a material that also appears on the door panels. The seats are covered in antique buff leather with bobcat fur inserts. The carpet is 3-inch long gold Moulton fur and the grille insert is an egg crate pattern. Having been seldom driven, the car has very low mileage. A full cosmetic restoration has recently been done to get them back to their 1966 appearance, and the work has received the full and enthusiastic approval of George Barris. This Mustang, along with its similar 'Cher' counterpart, is a truly unique car with a connection to a well-known celebrity, which makes it a favorite of collector Tammy Allen.
