Stanley Tucker
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Capt. Stanley Tucker | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 12, 1931 Newfoundland |
| Died | June 10, 2008 (aged 77) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Spouse | Beryl Small (m. 1970) |
| Children | 2 |
Captain Stanley Tucker (May 12, 1931 – June 10, 2008) was a Canadian airline pilot for Eastern Provincial Airways of Newfoundland, Canada. Tucker was the first person in the world to purchase a Ford Mustang, and was the original owner of two milestone Mustangs built within the car's first two years of production.
Before the car officially hit the sales floor on April 17, 1964, thousands of Mustangs had already been rolling off the assembly line for the previous five weeks and getting shipped out to dealerships all over. The car was one of approximately 180 pre-production cars built at the Rouge between February 10 and March 5, 1964. These initial cars served two purposes: 1.) They eased Ford into full production by familiarizing workers and supervisors with the build process, and 2.) They formed a batch of production cars that could be shipped to every major Ford dealer for the April 17 launch. Logically, the first cars built were sent to the farthest dealers—hence Serial Number One wound up 2,180 miles (3,508 km) from Dearborn in St. John's, Newfoundland. (Twelve of these pre-production cars, incidentally, went to the New York World's Fair for use in Ford's Magic Skyway ride). Mustang Serial Number One was painted Wimbledon White with serial number 5F08F100001. The first-ordered Mustang was shipped to the Ford of Canada sales district and was taken on a nationwide tour of Ford dealer showrooms all across Canada ending at George Parsons Ford, a dealership perched on the eastern edge of the continent in St. John's.
On April 13, 1964, Tucker was driving past the Ford dealer when he noticed a big crowd in the dealership on introduction day and stopped in to see what the commotion was about. By the time he finished dinner that evening, he decided that he had to have that car.
On April 14, 1964, Tucker walked into the showroom. Mr Parsons, the owner of the dealership, wanted to retain the car for a few days because it was the only Mustang he had in stock, but Capt. Tucker persuaded his young salesman, Harry Phillips, to break street date and make it available three days before April 17, when Ford officially released Mustang to the world.[1] A deal was reached and a check was written on the spot. Tucker took serial number 5F08F100001 home and, for a short time, was the general public's only Mustang owner. At the time, he had no idea he had purchased the first Mustang ever ordered. "For a long time, I was the only Mustang owner in Newfoundland. It was quite an experience" Capt. Tucker recalled. "Many times another motorist would force me to the side of the road to ask me about the car -- what it was, who made it, how I like it and how much it cost?"[2]