Insider's Guide To Vintage Ford Literature You Probably Didn't Know About

Meet some behind-the-scenes stuff that’s off most enthusiasts’ radar.

- Tom Shaw

Don’t feel bad if a lot of this is new to you. Many Mustang enthusiasts, even experienced ones, haven’t heard about most of this because much of it was never intended for customers’ eyes. 

Ford Motor Company had a lot of communications with its dealers to school them on the latest models, submodels, prices, promotions, packages, additions,deletions, and sales efforts. If you’re into vintage Mustangs, this makes for extremely interesting reading.

Although this vintage literature was printed 50 years ago, today it is still fresh material to us because it existed behind the scenes. Everybody knows about the good ol’ showroom brochures, but that’s not what we’re dealing with here. This story focuses on the library of printed literature sent regularly to dealerships to inform them about the products they were selling and servicing.

More good news, most of it is not pricey. Because it was printed in quantity and has stayed largely in the shadows, relatively few enthusiasts are aware of it, and therefore, demand and prices are pretty reasonable. But be warned, it probably won’t stay that way. We’re highlighting 10 lines of communications produced by Ford likely to be of particular interest to the classic Mustang buff. There are others, but these are the biggies.

Not surprisingly, the giant online auction site eBay is the best place to find most of these items. A few vintage literature dealers are worth checking with, too. Experienced eBayers know prices can swing wildly. An item that usually goes for $10 can spark a bidding war that drives the price way up. Yet soon after, the same item can be for sale for weeks without a single bid.

To get a realistic idea of market value, check eBay’s record of sold items. Be informed, pick your deal, don’t panic, and have fun. We love looking at cool vintage literature and sharing it with our readers.