Because of this, it was small and lightweight, featuring a spaceframe chassis and a one-piece body riveted in place. The seats were integrated into the body like a Mercedes-AMG ONE. More than this, it was meant to have four-wheel independent suspension, front disc brakes, and rack-and-pinion steering.
Only two cars were built, each finished in just 100 days, boasting adjustable pedals and a telescoping steering wheel. It made its public debut on October 7, 1962, lapped at the United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York, by F1 driver Dan Gurney. That drive set media tongues wagging about the concept’s production viability, though the mid-engine Mustang concept was never intended for production. But the Mustang name was out there, and Iacocca was drumming up massive support for a smaller Ford sports car.
In 1963, the Mustang II concept debuted, eventually evolving into the front-engine pony car icon, the original Ford Mustang.
But the Mustang I wasn’t the only mid-engine prototype Ford ever built…
