The 1965 Ford Family of Fine Cars
Ford, Ford Falcon, Ford Mustang, Ford Fairlane, Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Comet, Mercury, Lincoln Continental
A great year to go Ford
There were many Ford-built series and models in two divisions in 1965. With eight separate car lines came the selection of 64 different types.
Mustang was 6 months old at the beginning of the regular 1965 production, and a sporty Fastback 2+2 model was added to the line. Falcon and Fairlane had a slight, mostly unnoticeable price and marketing repositioning to stay in the running. Thunderbird continued with its three body styles from the previous year with a late winter addition called the Special Landau.
The really big news for the year was the total and dramatic restyling and re-engineering of the full-size Ford. It was called the most-changed Ford ever. A new super series was introduced, called the Galaxie 500/LTD which brought luxurious interiors and standard equipment not previously seen in any traditional low-price car. The LTD name, of course, was to live on for decades in the Ford series roster.
That extensive full-size Ford makeover was applied to the full-size Mercury models, too. With three series and two station wagons, Mercury cars took a firm foothold in the medium-priced market. A host of new options and accessories were available like power door locks, power vent windows, power antenna, tilt steering wheel, and automatic headlamp dimmer - features not available on the lesser Ford line.
Mercury Comet continued its extensive presentation of being a durability champion in several proving runs. The Cyclone was the sporty, high-performance image Comet; a woodlike-paneled station wagon called Villager was also available.
Lincoln Continental sales were doing well, albeit with still a relatively small percentage share of the luxury car market. The Continentals appealed to a mostly more conservative, sophisticated buyer. The world's only 4-door convertible continued in the model lineup. A special Executive Limousine was also available, custom built by Lehmann-Peterson of Cincinnati.