Can You Guess the Mustang Year from an Image?

Robin Tyler

Image: WikiCommons via Alexandre Prévot

About This Quiz

The original 'Pony car,' the legendary Ford Mustang has been going strong for more than half a century. Can you guess the model year when you see one? Good luck!

Mustangs are considered by many to be the most iconic American cars around. That's not saying that Dodge, Pontiac, Chevrolet or Plymouth haven't produced some incredible cars in the category. It's just that when people say 'Pony car' (and sometimes even 'muscle car'), the first image that springs to mind is that of the 'Stang.

Today, the motoring (and the motorhead) public appears to love the Mustang just as much as when it was first introduced, with the 1965 model smashing sales figures well beyond Ford's wildest expectations. In fact, the demand was so high that Ford struggled to keep up.

Even though the Mustang started life on the front foot (or is that the front wheel?), it's not all been roses for the legendary car. The second generation was not as well liked as the first, simply as it was underpowered. Technically, this was not Ford's fault, the second generation just came along at the wrong time - the oil crisis in the Middle East was on in full swing. That means that gas-loving V8 monsters were put aside for more fuel-efficient models.

So now the question is, could you identify the year of a Mustang model by simply looking at an image of it?  Let's test your knowledge of a quintessential American muscle car!

Let's begin: This Pony car is from which year in Mustang history?

Arguably the most iconic muscle car ever, the Mustang was first released in 1965. It proved to be one of the most popular debuts ever and within a year, 400,000 units had been sold, which quadrupled Ford’s sale estimates.

The Challenger Special Mustang was only released in Mississippi. What year was it first available?

The Mustang Challenger Special was only available to Ford dealers in Mississippi. It aimed to allow owners to get more power out of their 'Stangs for an affordable price.

This Mustang, commonly called the 'Boss 9' was released in what year?

The Ford Mustang Boss 429 was a high-performance version of the vehicle, released in 1969 and built through 1970. It is commonly called the 'Boss 9.'

This Ford Mustang Mach 1 was produced in which year...?

Released in 1970, the Mach 1 was powered by a 5.7-liter V8 engine which produced just over 300 brake horsepower.

A Ford Mustang police car, when did the SSP model first enter service?

Bee baaw! Bee Baaw! The Ford Mustang SSP was actually designed for use by police departments around the United States. It first entered service in 1982.

This car was produced in the last year of the first generation of Mustangs. Do you know when that was?

The 1973 was the last year Ford created their high luxury and power Mustangs. The oil crisis forced Ford to produce cars that were built for the current market.

The SVO, a 3-door liftback Mustang model was released in what year?

The Mustang SVO was produced between 1984 and 1986. This 3-door liftback was powered by a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine.

The first Mustang with fastback styling, the GT, was released in what year?

A real beauty, this was one of the first Mustangs to include fastback styling.

This Mustang was only marketed in California. Can you tell the model year?

A limited-edition Mustang, the GT California Special saw 4,118 units released and marketed in California only.

This sporty RTR Mustang came with many dealer extras. Do you know when it was made?

First marketed in 2011, the RTR Mustang is a special vehicle with a range of dealer added items, including tires, stickers, mats, shifter knob and many others.

The first Shelby Mustang, this GT-500, was released in....?

Powered by a 7.0-liter engine, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500 Fastback produced 355 brake horsepower along with 420 lb-ft of torque. Who wouldn't want one of these?

When was the super rare Mustang McLaren L81 first released?

Often called the rarest Mustang ever made, the McLaren M81 was the first car released under Ford's Special Vehicle Operations.

Which year was this hardtop Mustang released?

A select few Mustangs from 1966 were released 6 months before Ford's usual release date, as part of a successful marketing scheme.

This futuristic Mach 1 concept car is older than it seems. What year was it designed?

Another Mustang experiment, many of these Mach I design concepts were used in the Mach models available to the public starting in the late '60s and early '70s, in addition to many other Mustang models for years to come.

A special edition Mustang, sold at auction for charity, do you know which year the SR-71 Mustang was released?

This special edition Mustang, of which only one was built is based on a Mustang GT. It was modified and sold at auction to raise funds for the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh youth education program and was styled to look like an SR-71 Blackbird aircraft.

In what year was the Ford Mustang 40th Anniversary model released?

Released in 2004 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first-ever Mustang model made available to the public, the 40th Anniversary edition had certain visual cues and parts setting it apart from other models.

This is a tricky one: It was actually the first Mustang model to bear the name, but only one was ever made. Can you guess the year?

Looking nothing like the first-ever Mustang model, the Mustang 1 concept car was first devised in 1962.

This Mustang Warrior model is only for U.S. armed forces personnel. Which year did it start production?

Tuned up by Roush, the Warrior Mustang is only for sale to U.S. Armed Forces personnel.

A Mustang with some Italian flair, this Giugiaro Ford Model is from what year?

A concept car designed by Fabrizio Giugiaro, this model is based on the fifth generation Mustang. It debuted at the 2005 LA Motor Show.

This year saw the release of the sixth generation Ford Mustang. Can you guess when it was?

In 2015, Ford released the sixth generation of the Mustang with a more modern look. And it sure is beautiful.

Do you know the year that Ford released the Mustang Shelby GT350R?

Got $60,000 lying around? Then you can own a modern Shelby Mustang. This Mustang is powered by a 5.2-liter V8 Ford engine that propels it to 60mph in just 3.7 seconds.

Any idea when the Mustang Boss 302 was released by Ford?

Only brought back for two modern models in 2012 and 2013, the Boss not only was straight in a fast line but could handle the corners as well, something for which muscle cars were not known.

A Mustang with a little more oomph. When was the Ford SVT Mustang Cobra first marketed?

The Mustang SVT Cobra, released in 2000, had a 4.6-liter V8 that produced 320 horsepower.

This Mustang model, a refresh of the third generation, is from what year?

The Mustang received a style refresh in 1987 and retained both coupe and fastback versions.

This one's a little tricky: This concept Mustang was first seen in ______?

The Ford Mustang FR 500 concept was first released in 1999. With a top speed of 281 mph, it led to a full-blown racing model.

The Mustang in this image was introduced in ______?

The Cobra II model of the second generation Mustang introduced a number of bigger engine options, so missing from that generation. These included V6s and V8s.

Which year was this GT Ford hatchback released?

Some might wish that Ford had discontinued the Mustang instead of producing these decidedly chunky, '80s-looking models during the third generation. After one more year, Ford abandoned the quad headlights.

What about the year on this one?

Were you paying attention to the clue about quad headlights in the last question? If so, congrats — you probably got this right!

The V8 engine in the Mustang GT was phenomenal. When did Ford first market the model in the image?

With a big 5.0-liter V8, 2011's GT produced 412 brake horsepower.

Which year was this fourth-generation Mustang released?

The fourth-generation Mustangs had a major redesign. It was the first one in 15 years and introduced in 1994.

A once-off Mustang, the AV8R was sold at auction in ____, the same year it was produced.

The AV8R, a special edition Mustang, of which only one was built is based on a 2009 Mustang GT. It was modified and sold at auction to raise funds for the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh youth education program.

The Mustang in this image was released in ____?

A fresh, new style greeted Mustang lovers in 1969 with the release of the Mustang Boss 302.

With power from a 6.4-liter V10 motor, when was this concept car, the Mustang Shelby GR-1, first shown by Ford?

This concept car was shown to the public at the North American International Auto Show in 2005. The Shelby GR-1 is powered by a 6.4-liter V10 motor.

This rare Mustang was only available for servicemen in Germany and was called the T-5. In which year was it released?

This 1965 Mustang, the T-5, was produced in the United States and put on sale in Germany specifically for U.S. servicemen. The Mustang name could not be used as this already belonged to a truck model in the country.

When was the third generation of the Mustang released?

It didn't take long for Ford to release the third generation but this time, the car was smaller while staying with a coupe-based shape.

Do you know what year this Mustang was first marketed?

With Carroll Shelby on board, this Mustang model, the GT350, was released in 1965 and featured a number of performance mods and a tuned-up engine.

We saved the best for last: Another concept Mustang that never quite came to fruition, this Ford Mustang Avanti fastback dates to _______?

One of the concept designs used by Ford even before the original Mustang was released, the Avanti fell by the wayside.

A one-off Mustang, the AV-X10 was sold at auction in ____.

This special edition Mustang, of which only one was built, is based on a Mustang GT. It was modified and sold at auction to raise funds for the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh youth education program. It is modeled on the North American P-51 Mustang, a fighter from World War II

Do you know when this second-generation Mustang was released?

The first of the second generation of Mustangs, this vehicle came out in 1974.

Can you tell us what year this Mustang is from?

A 50th anniversary celebration of the film, "Bullitt," sees Ford release the 2019 Mustang Bullitt. It is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine that produces 480 brake horsepower and is available only in black or highland green (like the original car).

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