How a Newfoundland pilot became the first Mustang owner by accident
Published on Oct 03, 2025 at 4:21 PM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Oct 03, 2025 at 7:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The story of how a Newfoundland pilot became the first Mustang owner by accident is the stuff of Ford legend.
Captain Stanley Tucker was the Newfoundland pilot who made history – twice.
Tucker was driving past his local Ford dealership when he wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
And it would end with Tucker becoming the first Mustang owner by accident.
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Captain Stanley Tucker buys the first Mustang by accident
The first Ford Mustang ever built would hit the showroom floor on April 17, 1964.
It had been advertised for weeks beforehand, and a huge buzz was generated.
The first Mustang was one of 180 pre-production cars, made to ease Ford into full production and to appear in every dealership prior to the launch.
Serial Number One wound up making its way to Newfoundland, Canada.
It ended up at George Parsons Ford as a display piece to build the anticipation.
And build interest it did, with big crowds showing up to view the Mustang.
But it was a passerby who would end up owning the first Mustang by accident.
Captain Stanley Tucker had been driving past the dealership on April 14th when he saw a crowd starting to form.
Curious as to what had caused such a scene, Tucker decided to check it out for himself.
As soon as he saw the first Mustang, Tucker knew he wanted to buy it.
The following day, he walked into the dealership, where he found they weren’t too keen to part ways with it.
Tucker, with a written check, convinced the dealership to make the car available three days early.
He would unwittingly end up making history.
Unbeknownst to Ford and to Tucker, the Newfoundland pilot had just bought the first Mustang.
“For a long time, I was the only Mustang owner in Newfoundland. It was quite an experience,” 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.”
Newfoundland native makes history for the second time
In the winter of 1965, Ford approached Tucker to buy the first Mustang back from him.
This wasn’t the first time the company had tried to buy the car back, but he hadn’t gone for any of its previous offers.
With 10,000 miles on the clock, it didn’t look like Tucker had any plans to part ways with it.
But the Blue Oval came back with an offer that would prove too good to turn down.
Tucker could have a brand-new 1966 Mustang with any options of his choosing.
Remember how we mentioned that the Newfoundland man made history twice?
Well, this is where Captain Stanley Tucker made history for the second time.
Tucker went for a Silver Frost Ford Mustang convertible with a TV set placed in the dashboard.
And this turned out to be the 1,000,000th Mustang ever built.
The first Mustang ever built now resides in the Henry Ford Museum.
Sadly, on the other hand, nothing is known about the fate of the 1,000,000th Mustang.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
