[DC Pony]

I just bought a 66 fastback and while I was a gas station, a stranger said to me...66 right? I said yes and he said you can always tell the difference between a 65 and 66 by the rear end. I'm 64 years old and was 21 when these came out...you'd think I'd know that but in studying pictures, I can't find anything different between the two. I always thought the only way you could tell was by the difference in the grills. Is there any truth to his statement or do you think he might have been refering to the difference between 65 and 66 vs 67 and 68 of which we all know are obvious.

[smokeshow]

I'd be curious about that, too. It's easy to tell a 67 versus a 68, but since I don't think the 65/66 fastbacks came with the decorative c-scoop trim, I don't have any good way to tell them apart.

[66Sprint200]

I think he got it a bit messed up. The only way to tell the difference between the 65 & 66 is this. The grille was different, if the 65 was standard (not GT) then it had a horizontal bar speedometer, the 65 had fender scripts that said Mustand 2+2, and if the car was equiped with styled steel wheels. In 1965 the styled steel wheels had a chrome rim. In 1966, the styled steel wheels had a black rim, and they had chrome trim rings to cover it. So, I think he was thinking the difference between 66 & 67.

[sandmountainsli]

Maybe he was talking about the gas cap?

[66Sprint200]

Oh, that is possible too, unless he did to his fastback what the previous owner did to my coupe. My car is a 66, but when I got it the previous owner had put a 65 gas cap on.

[Veronica]

Hello. The only external differences between a 65 and a 66 fastback are the grille and the gas cap, as has been mentioned. If you take a 65 and a 66 that both came with the GT package and pony interior They would be identical from the rear and from the sides, and wouldn't miss it by much from the front. If you swapped out the grille and the dash pad, the 65 would look pretty much exactly like a 66 that someone painted the motor the wrong color on.

[DC Pony]

That's interesting because mine is a '66 GT so he must have been confused with 67-68. It sounds like the only way you could tell what year mine was is by the speedo and the non-existence of the 2+2 badges. BTW, that's not my car that's posted next to my name.

[Veronica]

Hi again. A 65 that came with the GT package or pony interior had the same speedo and badging as yours. They really are virtually identical.

[danielf]

Body style doesnt make a differance. The diff between '65-'66 is the grill in '65 had cross bars and the '66 didnt. The interior on the 65-66 are diff like the gauges and door panels, etc. Then theres the hubcaps and like stated earlier, the gas cap.

[Mike Larsen]

I thought the most obvious difference from a glance was the badging and 66's had back up lights and 65's dont

[Kyle1966]

my 66 has the 2+2 badges... so are yall saying that 66 isn't supposed to have those?

[DC Pony]

I "Googled" 65 mustang and some of them have backup lights.

[66Sprint200]

Originally Posted by Mike Larsen

I thought the most obvious difference from a glance was the badging and 66's had back up lights and 65's dont

On 1964.5 and 1965 Mustangs back-up lamps were optional. In 1966 ,IIRC, the backup lamps along with the 4-way flashers became standard.