1962 Ford Mustang concept car with creators, and its aluminum bo…

MUSTANG AS SPORTS CAR Our trip through the archives turned up original Ford releases and press photos introducing what we now know as the Mustang 1. Dated October 7, 1962, the main release quoted Herb Misch, Ford vice president of engineering and research, describing the two seat experimental vehicle as a high performance personal automobile which could fit the mass sports car market. Specs included in the release compared the Mustangs size, power and performance with MG, Porsche, Sunbeam and other Euro roadsters. About the same size as a Triumph TR4, it was far smaller than the production Mustang would turn out to be. ' It was also more exotic than theiev-entual production Mus tang, with fully independent sus- pension, front disc brakes and an aluminum body attached to a steeltube space frame. A mid engine layout put the 91.4ci, bOdegree V'4, made by Ford of Germany, directly behind the cockpit.The engine produced 106 hp, could achieve a top speed of 117 mph and also return 35-milepergallon fuel economy at highway speeds. A year later came a second concept, the Mustang II, which was a loosely disguised version of the eventual production car. Dont you wonder just how different the automotive marketplace would have been in 1964 had Fords brass decided to take on Porsche, Triumph and other European makes with a lightweight, powerful two-seater? Would the Camaro, Cuda or Challenger have been sports cars, too? To increase rigidity, the seats were built as an Inte- gral part of the body. The steering wheel and pedals moved back and forth to accommodate drivers of different sizes. The Mustang's aluminum body under construction. Using the alloy over a steel tube frame helped keep the Mustangs weight down to , just 1,500 pounds.