The Mustang is one of the most outstanding vehicles of all time, not just in America where it's worshiped like a god, but in all corners of the globe. Since Henry Ford II unveiled the first Mustang at the 1964 World's Fair in New York, Ford has produced numerous generations, models, and versions of the legendary car. As a result, the company has sold tens of millions of Mustangs and continues to sell them today.
While many great Mustang variants have rolled out of Ford production facilities over the decades, this list is not about them. The following are ten Mustang prototypes that, unfortunately, never made it into Ford's assembly lines.
10 1962 Mustang 1
As the name suggests, the 1962 Mustang 1 was the first-ever fully functional concept Mustang. From the moment Ford made the announcement, the public loved it both for its futuristic wedge-shaped design and the "Mustang" name that had a special connection with Wild West mythology.
It measured just 154 inches long, weighed a mere 1,200 pounds, and had a rear-mounted 2.0-liter V4 engine from Europe. The Mustang 1 concept's original idea was to build a small sports car to compete with some of the best and most beautiful European Sports car imports like the MG A, but Ford declared the idea too radical.
9 1964 Mustang Two-Seater
Even though Ford built the Mustang on the Falcon platform with a regular engine, they marketed it as a sports car. It did not take long before critics started accusing Ford of lying to its customers, citing that the Mustang needed a two-seat configuration to be considered a proper sports car.
To silence the critics, Ford hired an outside company to design a smaller, two-seater version of the Mustang. The 1962 Mustang Two-Seater called the "Mustang III" and took it to every show in the 1864-1965 season. Interestingly, Ford did not produce the Mustang III even with fans begging them to.
8 1965 Mustang AWD
In 1965, the Mustang was quickly becoming one of the hottest cars globally, raising attention from enthusiasts everywhere. However, in England, a farm machinery and all-wheel-drive systems manufacturer called Ferguson decided to convert a regular Mustang into an all-wheel-drive coupe.
Liking the idea, Ford shipped several Mustangs to England to receive the same all-wheel-drive system. The result was promising since the prototype AWD Mustangs had excellent handling and superb traction in all conditions. However, the added weight and cost proved to be a deal-breaker.
7 1966 Mustang Station Wagon
In the 60s, station wagons ruled the driveways of suburbia, with multiple automakers offering different options. When the brand-new Mustang was still the talk of town, designer Robert Cumberford decided to develop a Mustang station wagon based on the Mustang coupe with the hope of slotting it into the Ford range.
He worked with Italian coach-builder Intermeccanica and built an amazing-looking Mustang station wagon complete with fold-down rear seats, a rear window that could retract into the tailgate, and rails in the cargo compartment. Sadly, Ford did not want the car as they didn't want to pay Cumberford.
6 1967 Ford Allegro II Concept
To many people, the Allegro II Concept is one of the worst looking Ford concepts of all time, and it's easy to see why. In 1967, Ford designers decided to build a Mustang concept based on the failed 1962 Allegro Coupe Concept.
To do this, they replaced the fastback greenhouse from the Allegro Coupe Concept with a speedster-style windshield, a rear flying buttress, a roll bar, and a revised back end. The result was the famous Allegro II Concept, a car that looked like a giant had stepped on it. Looking at it, it's clear why the Allegro II Concept never made it to production.
5 1979 Mustang RSX
For a brief period in 1979, rumor had it that Ford would introduce an interesting-looking Mustang specifically for rally racing. Mustang had made its name as a street racer, drag racer, and circuit racer but had failed miserably in rally racing. Ford wanted to change that with the Mustang RSX.
Ford contracted Italian company Ghia to design the RSX and planned on fitting it with a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine. Even though the RSX gained a lot of coverage from fans and magazines, Ford eventually dropped it due to its radical design.
4 1980 Mustang McLaren M81
In 1980, Ford joined hands with the well-known British McLaren racing team to make a racing car. The idea behind the project was to transform a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine from the regular Mustang into a street racing beast. On top of that, they planned to switch to a lightweight body, add a race-tuned suspension, and many other modifications.
They ended up making the 190 hp Mustang McLaren M81 beast with excellent performance and driving dynamics. Unfortunately, with so many modifications, the car was just too expensive.
3 1997 Mustang Super Stallion
Ford presented the Mustang Super Stallion concept in 1997 to show the potential of the forthcoming fourth-generation Mustang. The Super Stallion was a regular GT, but Ford equipped it with a unique engine that could run on alcohol. Yes, you heard that right, alcohol.
Amazingly the twin-turbocharged engine produced a whopping 545 hp, making the Super Stallion one of the fastest Mustang concepts at the time. Ford said it would consider creating alcohol-powered engines to solve the looming oil crisis, but it soon abandoned the project.
2 2004 Mustang GT-R
In the early 2000s, Ford was working hard to restore their lost racing reputation. After announcing the Mustang's fifth generation, Ford soon presented the GT-R, a full-fledged racing car that would get them back into the racing scene.
The bright orange car was inspired by the legendary 1970 Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am and had a 5.0-liter Cammer crate V8 engine producing 440 hp. Despite the car gaining a lot of interest from top racing teams, Ford went a different route.
1 2006 Mustang Giugiaro
Italdesign, a renowned design house from Italy, teamed up with Ford to build the gorgeous Mustang Giugiaro in 2006. The Giugiaro was a fully re-bodied Mustang with a supercharged 4.8-liter V8 that produced 500 hp, making it faster than the regular model. It was also lighter and more luxurious.
Italdesign planned for a limited production of the Mustang Giugiaro aimed at wealthier, more discriminating buyers. However, their plans never became a reality, and the stunning beast ended up a forgotten concept.