Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got behind the wheel of a black Ford Mustang convertible on July 27 and drove across the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, marking the span's opening to vehicle traffic between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

It’s a fitting car for the job. The Mustang Whitmer drove was assembled in Michigan with a 5.0-liter V-8 engine assembled in Windsor, Ontario — and the model has been tied to Canada since almost the beginning.

In April 1964, three days before Mustang's official launch, a Newfoundland pilot named Stanley Tucker walked into a St. John’s dealership and bought one before the public debut. (At the time, vehicles were delivered to the farthest dealership first, which is why Tucker has his claim to fame.)

Ford later bought it back, and it's been part of company lore ever since as the “first Mustang ever sold.”

Sixty-two years later, a Mustang made a different kind of first crossing — this one linking two countries by way of a bridge years in the making. Whitmer called driving the iconic, Michigan-assembled vehicle across the bridge “really cool” and pointed to the bridge’s economic stakes for both sides of the river: faster auto production, eased trade, better-paying jobs.

Assembled in Michigan and powered by an engine from Windsor, the Mustang was the obvious choice.

Said Deep is a member of the Ford Communications team and a lifelong Mustang enthusiast.