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Help Ford Solve the Mystery of the Mid-Engine Two-Seater Mustang

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The Mystery of the 1966 Mid-Engine Two-Seater Mustang Project Car
Nobody seems to really know anything about this mid-engine two-seater Mustang somehow
Photo: Ford Performance courtesy of John Clor

It’s not very often that an automaker turns to its fanbase to help get some details on a vehicle it made. It does happen, though, and it’s happening now with Ford reaching out for help with information on a project car it made in 1966. Oh, but it’s not just any project car, mind you. It’s a mid-engine two-seater Mustang.

Ford is keenly interested in info on the car you see up top, photographed on May 2, 1966. Former head of Ford Archives Dean Weber originally sent the pictures to Ford Performance’s resident ’stang expert John Clor and Ford PR expert John Clinard about five years ago, looking for info on that pony in the photo. His emails reads

“Gentlemen: As you know, I am a big Ford Motor Company fan, but not really a motor-head. I was going through some scans and these jumped out at me — Did we know that in ’66 Ford was working on a 2-seater, mid-engine Mustang? It might have been re-skinned as the Mach 2 Concept, but at this point it was definitely a Mustang … Maybe this is well-known among the cognoscenti, I just didn’t know about it. Did either of you?”

You know who was a motor-head? Lemmy Kilmister. And, unfortunately, we’ve missed the window to ask him by about five years. RIP, Lemmy.


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Clor and Clinard batted around emails and eventually looped in experts Hal Sperlich, Gale Halderman, and former VP of Ford Design Jack Telnack. Halderman recommended looping in “Godfather of the GT40” Roy Lunn, who simply responded, “Sorry, I’m not sure what that is … ”

The Mystery of the 1966 Mid-Engine Two-Seater Mustang Project Car
Photo: Ford Performance courtesy of John Clor

There was the idea that maybe the mid-engine two-seater Mustang was the seed that germinated into the 1967 Ford Mustang Mach 2 Concept, which also had a mid-engine setup. Clor realized after some research that the body wasn’t right — the car in the photo uses the 1966 Mustang body where the Mach 2 uses a shortened version of the 1967 Mustang convertible’s floor pan.

So, in short, nobody’s got a clue.  

Do you know the story of the mid-engine two-seater Mustang?

The Mystery of the 1966 Mid-Engine Two-Seater Mustang Project Car
Photo: Ford Performance courtesy of John Clor

So some of the foremost minds when it comes to all things Ford and all things Mustang came together and were still unable to figure out just what this thing is. Where did it come from? Where did it go? Where did it come from, Cotton Eye Joe?

“Fact is, many owners of classic Fords know more about their cars than even many so-called historians, and sometimes we tap into that knowledge base to help us uncover mysteries that we can’t solve on our own,” Ford writes. Keep it up, folks. Flattery will get you everywhere.

With that in mind, Ford would very much like it if you could email them at ClubHub@Ford.com if you know anything about the 1966 mid-engine two-seater Mustang project car. Not only will you get the credit for the discovery, but Ford even says you’ll get a special prize. And who doesn’t love prizes, particularly of the special variety?


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