Ford Mustang celebrates a birthday as the soon-to-be last surviving muscle car. : While muscle cars fade into the sunset, America's favorite pony is undergoing a technology transformation. At age 59 on Monday, the iconic Ford Mustang is making a play for younger buyers while keeping the current Mustang fans in the stable. (We'll explain how shortly.) The mechanical engineer learned to drive a stick shift in a Mustang GT at age 16, growing up in Livonia. She traveled with her father to Ford Performance race team events, meeting drivers.