1966 Ford Mustang Sprint 200 Limited Edition

Several special edition Mustangs and packages were sold in 1966. The Sprint 200 Limited Edition was part of the Millionth Mustang Success Sale initiative.

On March 2, 1966, the one millionth Mustang, a white convertible, drove off the assembly line and opened the door for Ford to ramp up its sales operations to a new level with a Millionth Mustang Success Sale. In addition to the sale prices, Ford made the bait on the potential Mustang customer’s hook more enticing by offering special Mustang models throughout the year.

Midway through the 1966 model year, the limited-edition Sprint 200 package began to be promoted due to the overwhelming demand for the 289 c.i.d. V-8, which Ford was running short of. What Ford was not running short of however was the 200 c.i.d. six cylinder; a direct result of the dismal sales of the newly-redesigned Falcon for 1966 (which also used this inline six as its standard engine). In order to give the six cylinder a nice sales boost, Ford offered a special Sprint 200 option package.

The Mustang Sprint 200 was a Ford promotion that would avoid a production slowdown in which the readily-available 200 six would be dressed up with a chrome air cleaner with a special decal and a chrome oil-filler cap.  Two transmission packages were offered; “A” signified the car having a manual transmission, while “B” cars had automatics.

Known as the The Sprint 200, the package was offered mid 1966 and was marketed as a sporty package specifically designed for the base 200 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine. Sprint options included center floor console; painted side accent stripes (color matched with the car’s interior); deletion of the chrome rear quarter ornaments; a set of deluxe 48 spoke, blue center wire-style wheel covers; and a “Sprint 200” decal on the engine’s chrome air cleaner cover.

It is estimated that of the total number of Sprint 200 Mustangs built in the 1966 model year that 75% of them were package “B” automatics.  Further enhancements would be made both in the interior as well as the exterior with the interior center console with courtesy lights, side accent paint stripe (color matched with the car’s interior), and the deluxe wire-style wheel covers.

The Sprint name was rarely used in Ford advertising; the package was sold mostly under the guise of three distinct promotions, offered only as “Limited Edition” Mustangs. A number of convertibles and fastbacks were offered under these promotions as well, but it seems as though their availability was never advertised. While most Mustangs with the Sprint 200 label were primarily sold in the early months of 1966, some were built as early as November 1965 and some as late as August of 1966.