In which Canadian city was Mustang Serial Number One sold in April 1964?

Mustang Serial Number One was sold in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, on April 14, 1964. It was delivered through the George Parsons Ford dealership before the Mustang’s official public debut at the New York World’s Fair.

The car reached Newfoundland because Ford distributed early production cars to distant dealers ahead of the launch. The vehicle was not intended to become a famous historical artifact: dealer customer Captain Stanley Tucker bought it as a regular new car.

Ford later learned that the first serialized Mustang had been sold and approached Tucker about getting it back. He eventually agreed to exchange it for a newer Mustang, allowing Ford to preserve Serial Number One. The car is commonly identified by its early production serial number, 5F08F100001.

This story is sometimes confused with the Mustang’s New York introduction, but the first car’s sale happened in Canada three days before the April 17 public unveiling. That unusual timing helped create one of the model’s best-known origin stories.