It was slightly after dark on a September night when two buddies and I climbed the fence behind Duval Ford in Jacksonville, Fla. We hopped over with our fingers crossed, hoping no dogs were hanging around back there.
No, we weren’t burglars or vandals. The year was 1964, and we were just three high school kids trying to get a sneak peek at the new Ford Mustang. Every dealership in the country taped newspapers to their showroom windows so you couldn’t see inside, and the new inventory was parked behind the dealerships covered with tarps.
A year earlier, when the ’63 Corvette coupe — the one with the split rear window — debuted, I climbed up the side of a car hauler at a truck stop just to lift the cover and sneak a peek at the front end of the redesigned ’Vette.
Every year, new-car introductions, no matter the manufacturer, were an event — a celebration shrouded in strict security, secrecy and mystery.
Read the full article in F&I Showroom.
