The Craziest, Coolest Mustangs That Never Were

Ford rolled into the 1970 Chicago Auto Show with an absolutely stunning concept called the Mustang Milano. It provided a glimpse of the nearly horizontal rear deck and sharp, extended nose we'd see beginning in 1971. Those two elements aside, the car didn't provide styling cues to anything that was ever called a


The Mach III concept hinted at the design direction Ford was following for the fourth-generation Mustang. Classic cues included the galloping pony badge, side scoops and tri-bar taillamps. But the two-seater layout and speedster-style windshield were purely concept car flights of fancy.




Ford is celebrating the Mustang’s 50th anniversary, and as much as we love the original GT350 and the sublime second-gen Boss 302, we’re utterly fascinated by some of the Mustangs that never were.

Automakers create dozens of design studies, concepts and prototypes when developing a new car, and dozens more over the course of its life. When a car’s been around half a century, a lot of ideas wind up on the cutting room floor, and they provide fascinating glimpses into what the designers were thinking, what avenues they were pursuing. Some of them discarded quickly–the world definitely did not need a four-door Mustang(!)–and soon forgotten. Others, the Mach I concept of 1967, yielded ideas that shaped future models. And some were simply flights of fancy, like the ridiculously sexy Mustang Milano that Ford really should have built.

Ford released a trove of drawings and photos from its archives, and we dug through them all to offer the craziest and coolest Mustangs that never were. Click full screen to get the full story on each image and let us know your favorites down in the comments.

http://www.wired.com/2014/04/mustangs-that-never-were/