Car enthusiasts, particularly those not steeped in Ford Mustang lore, often overlook the deep historical and cultural significance of this iconic vehicle, largely due to its pervasive presence over 61 years. To counter this oversight and commemorate the Mustang's 60th anniversary, Ford has launched "American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience." This unique exhibit aims to remind attendees of the Mustang's profound impact on American culture and its many achievements.

Crafted by the same creative team behind popular attractions like Body Worlds and the Titanic Immersive Experience, this exhibit moves beyond traditional museum displays. Ford management sought an engaging, multi-sensory experience rather than a subdued collection of artifacts. At its core, it functions as a museum, showcasing rare cars, historic items, and detailed historical lessons. However, visitors are guided through seven distinct rooms, each utilizing advanced video projections—from wall-mounted screens to floor-to-ceiling displays that evoke a Star Trek holodeck. The experience culminates in a dynamic motion simulator thrill ride, complete with wind, smoke, and water effects.

The semi-guided tour commences in Room One, dedicated to "Design." Here, visitors find a waiting area adorned with a timeline charting the development of the original Mustang show car leading up to its 1964 World's Fair debut. The display includes previously unseen sketches, alternate design proposals, and intriguing historical facts.

Room Two, the "History Lesson," features a comprehensive video projected across an entire front wall. This video delves into the Mustang's history from 1964 to the present, featuring not only facts and vintage photos but also interviews with prominent figures such as Ford executive chairman Bill Ford Jr., TV host Jay Leno, movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and Ford archivist Ted Ryan. While celebrating the Mustang's enduring success, the exhibit selectively focuses its narrative, omitting details like the Mustang II and the Mustang Mach-E, though it does address the pivotal moment when Ford nearly replaced the Mustang with the front-wheel-drive, Mazda-designed Ford Probe.

The true immersive aspect begins in Room Three, highlighting "Cultural Significance." As the video in Room Two concludes, doors open to reveal a pristine 1964 Mustang notchback with a 289 V-8, centrally positioned in an all-white room. Projectors then activate, casting computer-animated videos across all four walls and the floor. Initially, visitors are enveloped in captivating graphics and a monologue, before being virtually transported to the original Mustang assembly line in Michigan. The journey continues to the 1964 World's Fair, where attendees stand on a simulated turntable as the fair appears to rotate around them (a sensation that may induce motion sickness, with advice to focus on the car). The experience then transitions through decades in California, narrating the Mustang's profound contributions to American culture.

Upon reaching the year 2025, visitors are escorted into Room Four, the "Road Trip" segment. A brand-new Mustang Dark Horse sits on a turntable, while 360-degree projectors immerse guests in a virtual California road trip. Unlike the previous room, the Dark Horse here turns in sync with the video, creating the illusion of driving along virtual roads, viewed from a chase car perspective. The scenery includes wildly imaginative depictions of California’s Pacific Coast Highway, followed by a jump to a deserted stretch of Route 66 (curiously, in what resembles central Utah, despite the route not passing through the state). The journey then morphs into a high-octane street race in an unidentified city, pitting the visitor against animated Mustangs in a sequence reminiscent of a "Fast & Furious" film, quickly escalating into a Need For Speed-style video game complete with jumps, helicopter chases, and slow-motion effects.

Room Five provides a brief respite from the intense video immersion, focusing on "Movie Cars." This section displays actual vehicles from cinematic history, including those from "Transformers," "Kick-Ass," the authentic Eleanor from "Gone in 60 Seconds," and the car from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Visitors should also note the collage of movie posters and photographs upon entering, which includes previously unreleased original frames from Steve McQueen’s iconic film "Bullitt." Interactive exhibits in this room offer suggested road trips and allow guests to listen to the distinct engine sounds of various Mustang generations.

Room Six, dedicated to the "GTD," offers an up-close encounter with a Mustang GTD, a high-performance variant. Beyond the complete car, multiple displays showcase individual components such as the front and rear suspensions, the active rear wing, the transaxle, and the transaxle cooler housed in the trunk lid. This room also features a timeline of Mustang racing history since the 1960s, illustrating the inspirations behind the GTD. Additionally, a Mustang GT3 racecar is displayed in the lobby of the exhibit building.

The experience culminates in Room Seven, the "Thrill Ride." While not a true GTD drive, this motion simulator ride, likened to Disneyland’s Star Tours, offers an exhilarating experience. Visitors sit in powered seats that lean and tilt in synchronization with the video, simulating a high-speed race through a dystopian cityscape. Fans generate wind to enhance the sensation of motion, smoke billows during simulated burnouts, and water mists the face during virtual puddle encounters. Narrated by Captain America actor and Mustang enthusiast Anthony Mackie, the storyline, reminiscent of a "Terminator" film, casts visitors as resistance agents tasked with extracting an "AI Core" from a ravaged city while pursued by evil robots, flying drones, and de-badged Mercedes-Benz G-Wagens. Despite the GTD's potentially unsuitable ground clearance for a bombed-out urban landscape, its appearance during a "Gone in 60 Seconds"-inspired bridge jump is visually striking. The graphics, while more akin to a video game than a sci-fi movie, provide considerable entertainment.

The "American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience" is scheduled to open on Saturday, November 8, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, just across the river from downtown. It will run through the end of January, with tickets priced at $34. A significant incentive for attendees is the offer of a $500 discount towards the purchase of a new Ford, available to ticket holders who visit a Southern California Ford dealer before January 6. Following its run in Los Angeles, the exhibit will travel to Miami and then Dallas in 2026, with plans for additional U.S. cities in 2027 and potential international expansion in subsequent years.