Did you know that the Ford Motor Company is only planning on producing only about 45,000 Mustangs for the 2009 model season? That’s exactly what the Mustang marketing manager, Fritz Wilkes estimated in a recent article.

Of course, the 45,000 Mustangs could be symbolic of the car’s 45th anniversary of the first model. When you think about it, though, it’s probably more likely that Ford is doing this to recognize the momentous anniversary. That’s because Dearborn typically produces more than 80,000 of these popular Ford cars each year. So the 45,000 is just over half of the automaker’s normal production.

The history of the Mustang dates back to 1964 when a Ford product manager – Donald N. Frey – conceived the idea. The person who moved forward with the idea, however, is someone you might recognize – Lee Iacocca – the Ford Division general manager. The prototype for the Mustang had only two seats. But that later turned to a four-seat vehicle. It was also based largely on other popular Ford models, including the Ford Fairlane and the Falcon. The suggested price for the first model year was only about $2,400.

When the 1971-1973 models departed from the original 1964 model, Ford received hundreds of complaints from proud Mustang-lovers who wanted the original specifications back. It just shows how the Mustang’s popularity has always been huge.