Thinking about the multitude of experts who over time have dedicated themselves to the history of motoring, one would believe that, especially for a famous brand like Ford, everything has already been discovered. In reality, the world of four-wheelers still holds some surprises, as shown by these four photos that immortalize a two-seater Mustang-based prototype and central engine. After years of research, historians in the Ford archive have apparently failed to come to grips with the mysterious concept and are now asking fans for help.
The find
The story – reported by Ford Performance, the official website of the company dedicated to lovers of historic and high-performance cars – began about five years ago, when Dean Weber, then head of the Ford archive, dedicated himself to cataloging the material not still ranked before the upcoming retirement. Here the man finds four photos dated May 2, 1966 depicting a strange prototype, of which he had never seen a trace before.
The mysterious car seems to take advantage of the chassis of a convertible Mustang with shortened wheelbase, only two seats, a reinforcement arch behind the passenger compartment and, above all, a V8 engine mounted in the rear-central position. Weber then questioned without success some historians specialized in Mustang who had frequented the archive in the past, assuming that it could be one of the prototypes used by Ford to build the Mach 2 concept, presented at the Chicago Auto Show in 1967.
Still a mystery
After years in which the photos were submitted to all the leading experts in the sector, including the Ford engineers who had worked on the GT40 and its subsequent developments, it was only discovered that it is not the skeleton of a Mach 2 , which used the chassis of a Mustang, but with some modifications that would have been introduced only in 1967, while the one in the photo belongs to a year earlier.
The location of the images was also identified, the Ford International Studio in Dearborn, a place dedicated to the development of the most secret projects and where visits or photographs were normally not allowed, but on the identity of the prototype there is still no clear answer.
Appeal to fans
At this point, the ball passes to the fans of Ford. “The time has come to turn to the real experts: you,” they write on Ford Performance. “Many classic Ford owners often have a higher knowledge than historians. We hope that with your help we will be able to shed light on the story behind this mysterious prototype.”
We turn the appeal to the many Italian collectors and enthusiasts of the brand, suggesting to anyone who has verified information to write to ClubHub@Ford.com. And know that Ford promises a “special prize” to those who manage to unravel the mystery.
