On April 17, 1964 Ford placed a new Mustang on top of the Empire State Building, and ran ads on all three of the major TV networks simultaneously. The marketing blitz worked, and the next day dealerships were overwhelmed by people eager to get an up close look at this new sporty car, and in some cases, be the first to own one of them.

It all started with the Mustang 1 prototype two-seat, mid-engine speedster in 1962. However, there would be several modifications to the design over the next few years before it was finally released to the public in mid-1964 as an America sports car, with a backseat. It was the first of the new breed of Pony Cars that all other automakers would copy and compete with on the track and in the showroom.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Mustang. And, of the more than 9 million that have been built to date, several of these Ponies have become legendary.

Do you have a favorite that you think should be included in the top 26 most historically significant and iconic Mustangs of all time? If they aren’t in the below photos, contact us. If we have a photo of your Mustang choice, we’ll expand our gallery of iconic Mustangs to include it.

1962 Mustang I (Prototype) -- a two-seat, mid-engine sports car, was the first concept car in the development of the Mustang. A lot was to change before going into production.

1963 Mustang II (Prototype) -- Ford's second concept car in the development of the Mustang. This car has the traditional front-engine, four-seat layout design with the long hood and short deck that would become the trademark of the new breed of Pony Cars.

1963 Mustang Short Wheel Base (Concept Car) -- One of ten pre-production chassis built that looked more like the final production Mustang, but in a two-seat version. Although it never went into production, it was an interesting design exercise.

1964 1/2, the one that started it all -- the first Mustang to roll off the production line. Serial No. 5F08F10001. For more photographs of this car, click on the above photo.

1964 ½ Mustang Convertible -- Indy 500 pace car w/special Holman Moody prepared 289 engine and upgraded suspension.

1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 -- the first Shelby GT350 produced by Carroll Shelby's shop.

1965 Shelby GT350R -- Winningest Mustang ever. Driven by Charile Kemp to 17 straight wins from 1968-1969. Clocked at 184 mph at Daytona, highest known speed for a 289-powered Shelby, including Cobras. Sold recently at auction for $984,500.

1966 Mustang SCCA Group II Racer -- Number 12 of 16 specially prepared Notchback Mustang equipped with a Shelby 289 competition engine. Multiple race winner and lap record holder at Lake Afton SCCA National in 1968 for a coupe. Sold recently at auction for $400,000.

1967 Shelby GT500 'Eleanor' -- Customized Mustang driven by Nicolas Cage in the movie 'Gone in 60 Seconds' sold at auction for $1,000,000.

1967 Shelby Super Snake -- the only Mustang built by Shelby American with the legendary 427 full-race engine ('light-weight'). At $1,300,000, it is the most expensive Mustang sold at auction.

1968 Bullitt Mustang -- a replica of the famous Highland Green 390 GT Mustang Steve McQueen drove in the Movie 'Bullitt,' one of the most iconic movie Mustangs of all time.

1968 428 Cobra Jet Drag Car -- One of the 8 legendary 135-series 428CJ drag cars driven by Gas Ronda at the 1968 Winternationals. At the event, Al Joniec's Cobra Jet came out on top in the Super Stock Eliminator final, beating Dave Wren in one of Mopar's best cars.

1968 Shelby EXP 500 Green Hornet -- A one-of-a-kind Mustang used by Carroll Shelby as an experimental car to develop new technologies, like independent rear suspension and fuel injection. For more on this special car click on above photo.

1968 Shelby GT500 KR -- the legendary 'big block' GT500 KR (King of the Road). This Shelby KR is dressed in Presidential Blue, not often seen in this color but certainly a great looking Mustang.

1969 Mach 1 -- in 1969 Ford introduced a new Mustang body style and a new model called the Mach 1. This Stang has the 428CJ shaker hood scoop, along with the iconic flat-black hood common to all '69 Mach 1s.

1969 Boss 429 -- first introduced in 1969, the Boss 429 was the Big Kahuna Mustang with the semi-hemi NASCAR inspired engine. Only 858 were built, and this is the first Candy Apple Red Boss sold to the public.

1970 Boss 302 -- in 1970 Ford captured the overall championship for SCCA Trans Am racing with a team of two Boss 302s driven by Parnelli Jones (above) and George Follmer. Photo provided by Wild About Cars

1970 Super Boss 429 -- two specially modified (suberchaged) Boss 429s were built and shipped to South Vietnam in support of our troops. To find out why only one returned and more, click on the above photo

1971 Boss 351 -- the last of the small block Mustang muscle cars and the first year of the "long nose" body style. Added to this list of great Stangs for @MiketheCarGuy1.

1976 Cobra II -- this blue striped white Mustang was made famous by co-starring with Farrah Fawcett in the TV series 'Charlie's Angels.'

1979 Mustang Indy Pace Car Edition -- this is the 1st year for the 'Fox Body' and only the second year Mustangs paced the Indy 500 race. The first year was 1964.

2000 Mustang SVT Cobra R -- a limited race-ready Mustang sold directly from Ford. Arguably the best example that Ford was serious about returning to the performance world.

2012 Shelby 1000 -- first year for the ultimate Shelby Mustang with 1000 hp on tap.

2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra -- a one-of-a-kind special Mustang built jointly by Ford SVT and Shelby American as a tribute to Carroll Shelby.

2014 Need for Speed Mustang -- A modern movie star Mustang built specially for the film 'Need for Speed,' starring Aaron Paul.

2015 Special Edition Mustang -- a special edition Mustang to be offered by Ford to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pony Car.