Ford Mustangs that never were ...

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Ford Mustangs that never were ...

Ford will introduce its revamped 2014 Mustang on Dec. 5, 2013. Here are some examples Ford Motor Co. never developed on the illustrious line of their muscle car.

First introduced to the public in 1964, the Ford Mustang has been one of America's most nostalgic vehicles. Ford sold more than 559,000 Mustangs in it first full year of production in 1965. he price at launch? $2,368. In December, Ford will introduce its latest design for its pony car. But before that, here are some examples Ford Motor Co. never developed on the illustrious line of their muscle car:

Early in the gestation of the original Mustang, Ford designers also considered a number of two-seater studies. These were seen as a more affordable return to the roots of Thunderbird, which by this time had grown into a much larger four-seater. The idea of a two-seat Mustang was something designers returned to frequently in the period between the original Mustang 1 concept and the 1992 Mach III. Aside from some track-oriented Mustangs that had the rear seats removed to save weight, there has never been a strictly two-seat production Mustang.

As Avventura moved from sketch to physical design model, the hatch was replaced with a trunk and the rear seat was switched to a more conventional forward-facing orientation. Originally shown internally as Avanti, the name was eventually changed to Allegro, likely because Studebaker had introduced its own production Avanti coupe around the same time.

In 1962, the Ford design team, led by Gene Bordinat, worked on several iterations of another design called Allegro. While the production 1965 Mustang was a very different car in almost every visual detail from Allegro, the design study established the basic proportions that would define most Mustangs for the next five decades. The notchback coupe had the same long-hood, short-deck layout with a compact greenhouse that would roll out of the Rouge factory two years later.

This 1964 clay model of a two-seat Mustang incorporates some of the design cues of the production 1965 car including the side scoops.

Ford designers, looking for ways to capitalize on the Mustangs' initial success, used the platform of the compact Falcon as its starting point for a four-door Mustang that could have brought the idea full circle by adding two doors to the pony car. The idea, fortunately, was not explored further.

In the mid-1960s, Ford designers considered at least a couple of different concepts for a Mustang station wagon, with at least one prototype built based on a 1966 coupe. All of the known Mustang wagons were three-doors that were closer to a European “shooting brake” than a traditional American family station wagon.

In 1967, Ford designers decided to reprise one of the original Mustang design concepts from 1962 with a new form and repurposed name. Starting with the Avanti/Allegro fastback coupe, the greenhouse was removed and replaced with a low-cut speedster-style windshield, rollbar, flying buttresses on the rear deck and a new rear end. The reworked concept was dubbed Allegro II.

The Mach 1 was shown at the 1967 Detroit Auto Show. As the first-generation Mustang transitioned from a pony car to a larger and heavier big-block muscle car, the Mach 1 concept was created as a preview of the 1968 model. The original nose of the concept drew inspiration from the 1963 Mustang II concept. The low-cut roofline and racing-type fuel cap never made it to production, but the hatchback did eventually arrive on the 1974 Mustang II.

With the Mustang having already set sales records following its launch in 1964, Ford design chief Gene Bordinat and the Special Vehicles Group decided to try rearranging the pieces for the Mach 2 concept. The 289 Hi-Po V8 was shifted from the front to behind the two seats to evaluate the layout as a possible successor to the Shelby Cobra. Despite its mid-engine layout, the Mach 2 retained the long-hood, short-deck proportions of a Mustang. The Mach 2 never went much beyond the auto show circuit.

First shown at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1970, the Mustang Milano concept previewed the nearly horizontal rear deck and sharp, extended nose that would be seen on the production 1971 model. However, aside from those two elements, the Milano didn’t really bear much resemblance to any production Mustang.

Created at the Italian Ghia design studio, the RSX was conceived as a rally special based on the new Fox-body third-generation Mustang that debuted for the 1979 model year. With a one-inch-wider track and 5.6-inch-shorter wheelbase than the road-going Mustang, the RSX had extra ride height that would be needed for dealing with the off-road stages of European rallies.

In 1990, Ford designers evaluated a number of themes for a replacement for the long-running third-generation Mustang. The notchback and hatchback bodystyles would be replaced with a single fastback coupe format. After departing from many of the original design cues on the third-generation models, the upcoming fourth-generation would return elements like the galloping pony in the grille, the side scoops and the tri-bar taillamps. This softer concept, known as “Bruce Jenner” wasn’t considered aggressive enough to be a Mustang.

The Mach III provided the first public hints of the new design direction that was coming for the fourth-generation Mustang. While classic elements like the grille pony badge, side scoops and tri-bar taillamps were included on the 1994 Mustang, the two-seater layout and the low-cut speedster windshield have never been part of a regular production Mustang.

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First introduced to the public in 1964, the Ford Mustang has been one of America's most nostalgic vehicles. Ford sold more than 559,000 Mustangs in it first full year of production in 1965. he price at launch? $2,368. In December, Ford will introduce its latest design for its pony car. But before that, here are some examples Ford Motor Co. never developed on the illustrious line of their muscle car:

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