1965 Ford Mustang Coupe K-Code Four-Speed

Ford general manager Lee Iacocca chose “Mustang” over the planned name “Cougar” because “it had the excitement of wide-open spaces.” And Ford’s small, quick wild pony captured the imagination of the buying public like no automobile before or since: it was simply the greatest new car launch in history. When introduced on 17 April 1964, the Mustang was available in coupe or convertible versions with either six-cylinder or V8 power. But beginning in June 1964, Ford added the K-Code option, with a 289 V8 producing 271 horsepower (41 above the base V8), a standard four-speed manual transmission, 3:89 axle ratio, and the Special Handling Package.

Only 7,273 K-Codes were produced in the 18 month 1965 model year that saw a phenomenal production of 680,968 Mustangs, divided among coupes, convertibles, and the later fastbacks.