1966 Ford T5 (Mustang)
Several special edition Mustangs and packages were sold in 1966. The T-5 was the least interesting from a customization perspective but the coolest story for sure.
Sometime in the early 1950s a German truck manufacturer, Krupp, introduced a large general purpose truck and named it the Mustang. They were issued German copyrights to the name Mustang and continued to build this truck for many years. This truck was built in several configurations including a dump truck and a fire engine. This then was the situation with the name Mustang that Ford faced when they tried to sell their successful pony car in Germany. Rather than simply buying the name from Krupp for a reported $10,000 they chose instead to change the name of all Mustangs exported to Germany to Ford T5s. T5 has no specific meaning but it was the original project name for the Mustang in the early 1960s.
In the early models, 65 and 66, several modifications were incorporated to change the car from a Mustang to a T5. The 65s received modified hub caps with a plain black centre; both model years had the word Mustang removed from the horn ring, rear gas cap and a few other minor changes. Other than the branding, the mechanical changes to T5, as well as to Mustangs for other countries, were mostly limited to replacing the exterior lighting to meet European regulations, as well as some suspension tuning changes and installation of the shock tower brace from the Shelby GT350 to better suit continental roads. The Mustang Pony Interior package included a wood steering wheel. In most cases Ford T5s with Pony Interiors received the standard steering wheel with the word Mustang deleted. Ford did design new emblems for the front fender to designate the cars as T5s.
Mustangs or T5s were one of the most popular American cars with German nationals, although the exact numbers are not known, many were sold directly to Germans and remained in Germany. The Krupp copyrights to the name Mustang expired in December 1979 and all Mustangs exported to Germany after that date were called Mustangs.
