OPI Products Inc. and the Ford Motor Company have announced a unique collaboration featuring the iconic Ford Mustang. The popular pony car will serve as the inspiration for a line of OPI limited edition nail lacquers that will have their international launch in July.

In the early sixties, Lee Iacocca, CEO of Ford, had teams develop a rival to the Chevrolet Corvette which had been strutting its stuff since 1953. And so on April 17, 1964, the Blue Oval unveiled its new baby as the star of the World's Fair in New York.

The car was called the Mustang, referring to a wild horse from the northwestern United States. The launch garnered unprecedented media hype. With this new sports car, Ford set out to change its image. The result exceeded expectations. There was mass hysteria as motorists flocked to dealerships .

In less than a hundred days, 100,000 Mustangs, coupes and convertibles, were sold. There was no doubt that the Mustang had hit the mark. Ford had developed a 4-seater sports car at a reasonable price ($2.500 at the time) and with a lot of attitude.

For just $10 more than the Volkswagen Beetle, drivers had a vehicle equipped with a six-cylinder 2.8-liter engine. They could also opt for a 260 ci (4.2 l) V8, right up to a 289 (4.7 l) engine in the AC Cobra. It became the symbol of the winds of freedom for a generation that had experienced years of war and deprivation and who now aspired to live life to the fullest. In its first year of production Mustang production surpassed 417,000. A Mustang prepared by Alan Mann won the Tour de France Auto in September 1964.

Placement in movies would quickly accelerate the Mustang's fame. It made its debut in Goldfinger, Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, but it was Claude Lelouch's feature film, A Man and a Woman, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1966, that really put the Mustang on the map.

The Mustang also accompanied the adventures of Steve McQueen in Bullitt as he performed many chase scenes driving a 1968 GT390 model through the streets of San Francisco. Countless appearances have followed, leading up to its next role in "Need to Speed".

“OPI is thrilled to partner with one of the world’s top automotive companies in celebrating 50 years of Ford Mustang,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Co-Founder and Executive Vice President. “For women, cars and nail lacquer offer a way to express personality. This new collection will deliver elements of sophistication, luxury, power and style fitting for both OPI and Mustang consumers.”

The collection’s hero shade, Race Red, is a tribute to one of Mustang’s most iconic colors. “Ford Mustang inspires passion like no other car, and we are excited to be working with OPI on an exclusive collection that captures the spirit of our iconic car,” says Melanie Banker, Mustang marketing manager. “There is no better way to express Mustang’s bold personality and the excitement it creates than through color.”

The Ford Mustang is about to become the newest member of a very exclusive club – vehicles in continuous production for 50 years. Over the last five decades, Mustang has gained worldwide popularity and has become an enduring part of pop culture with more than 9.2 million Ford Mustangs sold and roughly 3,000 appearances on film and TV.

Mustang’s unique combination of style, performance and affordability established an entirely new class of sporty cars, and its next chapter unfolds with the all-new Ford Mustang, its most advanced version yet. The 2015 Mustang features an all-new sophisticated design – clearly inspired by its 50-year heritage – and a host of new innovative technologies and connectivity systems.

Ford Mustang 2015 - Prepare for take-off!