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USA TODAY car
- The Ford Mustang debuted in 1964.
The iconic Ford Mustang might have come into the world under the Cougar brand instead.
But that wasn’t the case. The galloping horse logo won out and the rest, as they say, is automotive history.
The Mustang was born in 1962 as an idea for a sports car styling program and debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
Sixty years later, this car still resonates.
That’s the idea behind American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience (and the source of the history lesson above).
memorable mustang
This isn’t your standard museum exhibit, but it also features memorabilia and never-before-seen photos related to the filming of the classic “Bullitt” chase scene with Steve McQueen and the Mustang.
Also featured are some notable TV and movie Mustangs.
- 1967 Ford Mustang “Eleanor” from “Gone in 60 Seconds” (2000)
- 1973 Ford Mustang Convertible from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-1977)
- 2005 Ford Mustang Saleen S281, from “Transformers” (2007)
- 2008 Ford Mustang GT, from “Kick-Ass” (2010)
Rather than a room of display cases lined with items documenting the Mustang’s history and evolution, this is designed to immerse visitors in changing colors and scenes, using projection technology to depict different eras of the Mustang’s existence. At one point there is an effect of the floor rotating.
Visitors will also watch a short film featuring notable fans, including comedian Jay Leno, actor Anthony Mackie, and Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford, talking about the car and its impact.
Inside the Mustang Immersive Experience
The exhibit is currently housed in a repurposed warehouse at 539 S. Mission Road in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. It is just steps away from the Los Angeles River concrete channel, a popular location for television and film filming.
Reporters and photographers from the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, were given a tour, so to speak, and an optional “4D” thrill ride that resembled video game-style missions with smells, water mist and even swaying seats.
The experience opens to the public on November 8th and runs through early February. Ford spokesman Mike Levine said the project has been in the works for about a year and a half and will be a traveling show. The Petersen Automotive Museum provided several cars for the show.
On a recent Free Press visit Saturday, Jerry Aguirre, 35, and his wife Evelyn Aguirre, 34, also stopped by after about an hour’s drive from Ontario, Calif., but their son Jeremiah, 1, chose to skip the thrill ride because of his age.
The Acquires said they loved the experience so much that they would do it again. Mustang was an intimate part of their lives. Their house has one made in 1966, the time they got married.
The experience is closed on Tuesdays. Regular tickets are $34 and thrill rides are $5. Children 5 and under are free. For more information, please visit https://mustangimmersive.com/los-angeles/.
Parking on the day of the Free Press visit was $10.
Purchasing a ticket to the experience can also get you $500 off the purchase price of a new Ford in Southern California, Levine said.
Eric D. Lawrence is senior auto culture reporter for the Detroit Free Press. If you have any tips or suggestions, please contact us at elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
