
Ford marked production of the 10 millionth Mustang with celebrations at its headquarters and at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant where the iconic sports car is made.

A parade of Mustangs from 1964 to the present day rolled into the parking lot at the Dearborn headquarters before making the 30-minute drive - complete with police escort - to the Flat Rock complex.

There the 62 cars were parked to spell out '10,000,000' with the commas represented by the first Mustang produced and the 10 millionth - a 2019 Wimbledon White GT V8 six-speed manual convertible.

The 62 cars were parked to spell out '10,000,000' with the commas represented by the first Mustang produced and the 10 millionth

The 10 millionth Mustang produced was this 2019 Wimbledon White GT V8 six-speed manual convertible

The first Mustang to ever be sold, bought at the Johnson Ford in Chicago on April 15, 1964, by schoolteacher Gail Wise

It debuted in the spring, at the 1964 New York World's Fair, far before other companies announced their latest offerings in the fall

Henry Ford II poses with the Mustang at the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens in New York, on April 17, 1964

Mustang is the best-selling sports car of the last 50 years in the U.S. and the world's top-selling sports car for three years in a row, according to company analyses.

'Today, when we say the word, 'Mustang,' isn't it amazing that you don't think of the horse? You think of the vehicle,' Ford CEO Jim Hackett said at the Dearborn gathering after strolling through the lines of sports cars.

'It's changed the perception because of its popularity.'

During its 54-year production history, the Mustang was built in San Jose, California, and Metuchen, New Jersey, as well as at the original Mustang production facility in Dearborn. These days, Flat Rock is the home of the Mustang.

Employees Rose Boylan, left, and Michelle Cotter stand next to the 2019 GT Mustang, the 10 millionth Mustang

A 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 that was one of the cars participating in the parade

The Shelby GT350 Mustang with white racing stripes parked in a driveway

Ford Mustang GT Fastback from 1966 parked outside, Wimpole Hall, Cambridge, Britain

The 1973 Falcon-platform Mustang featuring a sleek chassis design and a white stripe down the side

A 1985 Ford Mustang is driven outside the the Flat Rock Assembly plant as part of the celebrations

The 1978 Ford Mustang King Cobra with a decal bearing the model's name and painted with red racing trimming

A Ford Mustang Mach 1 at 1968 car show at the New York City Coliseum

A 1976 Ford Mustang is driven outside the the Flat Rock Assembly plant as party of the 10 millionth celebrations

Technically, the car's first home belonged to Gail Wise, who holds an important place in Mustang lore.

'Ford says that I am the first person to buy a Mustang,' the Park Ridge, Illinois, resident said while standing next to her prized possession outside Ford's office complex.

Then a 22-year-old school teacher, Wise strolled into Johnson Ford in Chicago on April 15, 1964, and left the owner of a brand-new car - one that still resonates with so many.

'Fifty-four years ago I bought a car, (and) we're still talking about it,' said Wise, who bought the baby blue Mustang for $3,447.50. 'I said I feel like a movie star at 76 as well as I did at 22.'

American film star Steve McQueen drove a Mustang in the thriller Bullitt - cementing the car's cool factor

Roger Moore drove a 1980s model of the Mustang in James Bond film A View To Kill in 1985

An older Mustang had a memorable scene in an earlier Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever in 1971, when it was driven sideways

A sleek yellow model featured in 2007 Quentin Tarantino movie Grindhouse

A customized 1971 Ford Mustang Sportsroof codenamed 'Eleanor' was one of 48 cars that had to be stolen in the 1974 version of the film Gone in 60 Seconds. The car was wrecked in a chase (pictured) but a new one was acquired

Then-U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1994 sits in a 'Playboy Pink'-colored 1967 Ford Mustang owned by Bob and Rochelle McNeal (laughing in the background) during a visit to Motor Speedway in Charlotte

Sylvester Stallone is proud of his pimped Mustang as he shows off the tuned-up engine to his friends in Los Angeles in 2010

Antonio Banderas signs a MustangStarlite Gala in Marbella, Spain, in 2017

US President Barack Obama gets inside a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 car as he tours the 2012 Washington Auto Show at the Washington Convention Center in January 2012

Rapper Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges poses with Ford Mustangs at the Maxim late night party with Ford Mustang Customizer on February 26, 2012 in Los Angeles, California

The original 1965 Mustang was not meant as a muscle car intended to attract those who gravitate to fast wheels.

It was in fact one of the original so-called 'pony cars' - a smaller, affordable, practical sibling of flashy sports cars intended to appeal to young professionals, including women.

But the Mustang became an icon almost from the start, in no small part thanks to marketing that would rival a modern-day iPhone launch.

It debuted in the spring, at the 1964 New York World's Fair, far before other companies announced their latest offerings in the fall. It was hyped up in advance and automotive industry journalists were on hand.

Replacing the Boss 429 and Boss 302, the 1971 Boss 351 Mustang featured a competition suspension package and a potent 351-cubic-inch Cleveland engine

A man smiles from the inside of his Ford Mustang, which has been tagged with various peace and antiwar messages, in Bethel, New York, on his way to the Woodstock music festival

Ford Mustang I Concept Car - Mid-engine V4 - Troutman-Barnes. Air intakes at at the side of the car; air is ducted to two individual radiators (via two electric fans that automatically cut out when not needed), than exhausted out grilled vents in rear panel

Ford MustangSpecial Falcon was the codename for the secret car project led by Lee Iacocca before Ford management approved the Mustang

A yellow 2018 Ford Mustang was one of the 62 cars in the celebrations, one of the newest cars on show

The 1966 Mustang GT 350H driven at a car show at the time, with other high-powered cars in the background

The 1971 Mustang featured an oddly blocky rear and front mudflaps, seeming to still have its original paint

Ford Mustang22,000 Mustang orders were placed the first day, with 419,000 cars sold the first year. This was one of the first magazine commercials for the car

Mustang owner Sean Kiernan driving his original 1968 Mustang that starred in the movie Bullitt starring Steve McQueen

A Ford Mustang2004, Mustang Anniversary edition, and 1965 Mustang with P-51

With an average length of 15.6 feet, 10 million Mustangs parked end-to-end equates to 29,545 miles - enough to circle the world with 1,200 miles to spare

Automotive historian Bob Merlis, at the time a teenager, witnessed the World's Fair launch. 'It was almost like pandemonium. People were so excited about this car,' he said.

'It was sort of a counterpoint to the very square, staid station wagon ethos that Americans grew up with in suburbia. It represented some kind of a freedom vehicle. It embodied that.'

Wilson Pickett immortalized the car in Mustang and Sally, a rhythm and blues classic of 1966.

Two years later, the American film star Steve McQueen drove a Mustang in the thriller Bullitt - cementing the car's cool factor.

At this year's Detroit auto show, the company unveiled a new limited-edition Bullitt Mustang, along with McQueen's restored original.

Ford sold only about 81,000 Mustangs in 2017, a mere 0.5 percent of the North American car market, according to Autodata, bu sales are growing overseas in countries like Germany and China.