Car of the Month – July, 2026

1965 Ford Mustang K-Code Convertible

The Ford Mustang was debuted as a 1964 ½ model with much fanfare at the 1964 New York City World’s Fair and simultaneously at showrooms across America where almost 22,000 of them were immediately snapped up by buyers. The 1965 K-Code Mustang Convertible was a very special and rare car in the Mustang lineup.

Each 1965 K-Code Mustang had a special badge on its front fender that read “HIGH PERFORMANCE 289”. No doubt about it, the 1965 K-Code Mustang was all performance with a 4-speed manual transmission. Carroll Shelby even put this engine in his Shelby GT350 Mustangs, including the first Shelby Mustang race car and the Shelby GT350R. They were not available with air conditioning or power steering. The car also came with a shorter warranty than the typical 65 Mustang. K-Code cars had only a three-month or 4,000-mile warranty instead of the standard 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty.

The K-Code Mustang engine also differed from the standard Mustang 289. The engine featured upgraded pistons, cylinder heads, carburetor, lifters, heads and connecting rods. It was rumored the1965 K-Code Mustang Convertible was really a Shelby GT350 convertible without the Shelby badging.