THE MUSTANG TURNS 50: Here Are 11 Moments That Made It The Ultimate American Car

Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of Ford unveiling the first true pony car — the Mustang.

Here's a look back at 11 key moments from the past 50 years that helped make the Mustang the ultimate symbol of the American car.

1964: In April, the very first Mustang, the 1965 model, made its debut at the World's Fair in New York City. It was a smash hit from the start: Ford took 22,000 orders the first day, and had sold a million within two years. Price: $2,368.

1964: Later that year, the Mustang made its film debut in "Goldfinger," driven by villain Tilly Masterson. It loses out to Bond's Aston Martin DB5 after a chase through the Swiss Alps.

1965: In 1964, Ford asked Carroll Shelby to create a performance version of the Mustang that would also be street-legal. The result was the 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350, a fastback model whose 289-cubic inch V8 engine produced 306 horsepower.

1968: Steve McQueen hopped behind the wheel of a 1968 Mustang GT390 for one of the most famous car chase scenes in cinema, a 10-minute nail-biter through the streets of San Francisco, in "Bullitt."

1971: The Mustang hits peak size, ending up a foot longer and 600 pounds heavier than the original.