Canadian airline pilot Capt. Stanley Tucker purchased Mustang VIN 1 from a dealer in Newfoundland. He later said he regretted parting with the car, which he did in exchange for Mustang No. 1,000,001.
By now you’ve likely heard the story of Ford Mustang VIN 1 and how it ended up in the hands of a persuasive Canadian airline pilot who purchased the very first unit of the now-iconic vehicle. But what you may not know is that Capt. Stanley Tucker regretted parting with the now-iconic vehicle.
Tucker, then a 32-year-old bachelor from Newfoundland, Canada, was one of four million people to visit a Ford showroom during the Mustang’s introduction week. He bought the car at the local Ford dealer in St. John’s, Newfoundland before its April 17, 1964 debut, making him the only “Mustanger” in the southeastern Canadian province for at least six months by his account, and he loved the notoriety it brought.
“It felt great,” he told the Associated Press during the pony car’s 25th anniversary in 1989. “The car was stopping traffic on the streets. People would come over and say ‘what in Heaven’s name is that?’ ”
Ford was eager to speak with Tucker, as well, after realizing he had been given the keys to a display vehicle of significant importance. After several attempts, Ford was finally successful in reacquiring the first Mustang in exchange for a well-optioned 1966 Mustang convertible in conjunction with the production of the one millionth Mustang.
Tucker lamented relinquishing the first Mustang, which had just 10,000 miles on the odometer and was as much a pleasure to drive as an airplane was to fly, he said.
“If had any brains, I would’ve put it up on blocks and let it appreciate,” he told the Associated Press in 1989.
As for Tucker’s Silver Frost convertible – Mustang No. 1,000,001 – his relationship with his second milestone Mustang also was short-lived, as he reportedly sold it a few years later.
The first Mustang ever built – complete with its Newfoundland license plate still attached to the front bumper – now resides at the Henry Ford in Dearborn, where the former salesman who made that first transaction in Mustang history was briefly reunited with the car last year.
Gail Wise, a former schoolteacher from Chicago, is credited with making the first retail Mustang purchase.
In honor of the Mustang’s 56th anniversary on Friday, April 17, we invite you to share your favorite memory in the comments section below!
