Accent Stripe

One of the key features of the Sprint was the Accent Stripe with Quarter Trim Delete. These stripes were available in three colors:
White [Ditzler # 8378]
Black [Ditzler # 9300]
Red [Ditzler # 71528]
It was also rumored that there was a blue accent stripe, but I haven't found evidence of one yet.

Former Sprint Registry owner, Rick Mitchell, published the following article in the Mustang Times describing the dimensions.

Here's a picture provided by current Sprint Registry owner, Tony Kovar, of an original  Metuchen convertible:

Notice the start and stop locations highlighted in the following photos. They match those found in Mitchell's Mustang Times article.

If you compare these locations to some of the period ads provided in some of my other posts here, you'll see that the start/stop points are slightly different - stopping short of the headlight bucket and under the Mustang emblem. I'm not sure if this was a function of what plant did the pin-striping, what assembly line worker was performing the work, or what time of the production year the car was produced - but Tony also had a picture of a red Dearborn convertible with start/stop point similar to those pictured above. I would suggest a careful inspection of your current pinstripes to determine their originality, and then duplicating them. If your car has had the pinstripes painted over (like mine) perhaps a careful paint stripping in these key areas will uncover the correct start/stop points for your car.

Tune Ups for the 6-Cylinder

I acquired the attached Sun Electric tune-up card the other day. It has complete specs for the 200 cu. in. engine - with and without Thermactor.

Motor Trend Road Test

Sprint’s were, in many ways, exactly the same as any other 1966 Mustang. Here is a copy of a June 1966 Motor Trend article comparing a GT 225 hp A-code with a standard 6-cylinder.

Some observations from the comparison:

• 6- cylinder wheels are 4-lug, while the 8-cylinder wheels are 5-lug
• 6-cylinder brakes are 9”, while 8-cylinder brakes are 10”
• Pony interior is more comfortable than the standard interior
• Front tread track on the 6-cylinder is .6” smaller (55.4”) than the 8-cylinder (56”)
• Stopping distance was surprisingly better for the 6-cylinder with 9” drum brakes as compared to the 10” disc brake GT. At 30 mph it was 36’ and 45.5’ respectively, and at 60 mph it was 153’ and 163’.
• There was a 320 lb. lighter difference in curb weight
• Average fuel economy for the 6 was about 20 mpg.
• OEM tires were Firestone Deluxe Champions. Size 6.95x14; 4 ply-rated; white-sidewall rayon
• Speedometer error at 60 mph showed 2% faster than actual speed for the 6-cylinder and 4% faster than actual for the 8-cylinder.

April "Millionth Mustand Success Sale"

Here are a few sales ads from the April "Millionth Mustang Success Sale" I've managed to find on  the internet. You may ask yourself how a dealer could sell a new Mustang Sprint below the Suggested Retail Price of $2,416.18?

Well.... $2,416.18 was only the "Suggested" Retail Price. Below is a Price List from March 16, 1966 that shows Wholesale Delivered Prices for Mustangs and their Regular Production Options. And while I don't have the wholesale price of the Sprint package "A" or "B", the retail prices of those options were $39.63 and $163.40 respectively. Conceivably, a dealer's cost for a baseline Sprint Package A Coupe would have been around $2,000.00, and this included their 2% holdback!

Sales Invoice

Here’s a sales invoice I came across on the internet from Dunton Ford in Santa Ana, California for a San Jose built Sprint 6R07T154149. The color of this coupe was Wimbledon White with standard blue trim. Estimated delivery date was 1/28/66. The only other option besides the 3-speed manual Sprint Package A was the white sidewall tires.

Price of the car and options was $2,495.19

List price of the baseline coupe was $2,416.18

Sprint Package A was $39.63

Tires were $33.31

For a total of $2,489.12

This did not include factory freight. Presumably, the car was discounted from list slightly so that the total with tax and license would equal a round number of $2,650.00.

Millionth Mustang Sale Ad

One of the most common ads kicking off the Limited Edition Sprint was the Millionth Mustang Sale ad depicted here. The copy I have looks like a full-page magazine format and measures about 10-3/8" x 13-5/8". It showed the Sprint 200 in the three body styles: coupe, convertible and fastback.

Caption read:
"Mustang! Fastest first million a new car ever had. And here's the sale to kick off the second million. Hardtops, convertibles and fastbacks, V-8's or sixes ... all with your personalized nameplate. Also included are specially priced, specially equipped Limited Edition Mustangs with a lively 200 cubic inch six, special wheel covers, distinctive accent-stripe, center console, engine decal, chrome air cleaner. Want to talk horse sense? Come in and talk Mustang!"

The personalize nameplate they are talking about there was a small brass plaque with a Ford crest (picture below). Size: 13/16" high x 3-5/8" long. The factory shipped it in the glove box, and the dealer was supposed to engrave the buyers name on it. It was then installed on the dashboard by the adhesive strip backing.

Picture - courtesy of Tony Kovar

Window Sticker

I've manage to collect some items related to Sprints, and continue to do so. The picture below is for a Sprint convertible window sticker.
Besides showing how the package was itemized and accounted for, you'll notice that this Sprint has a rare Interior Decor Group (Pony) interior. Most came with the standard bucket seat interior.
The Package A price has been rounded to $40.00 list, instead of $39.63.
The car was built at Metuchen and would have had a scheduled build date of about July 19th.