Concept Registry

Prototype and concept Mustangs worth tracing.

Some Mustangs changed the production car. Others changed the conversation around what a Mustang could become. This registry keeps the important cars together with their public trail, known location, and a clear image credit.

1962 Ford Mustang I concept roadster on display
Photo: Bzuk · Source · Public domain
Image rights & changes
Creator
Bzuk
Exact source
Open source record
Use basis
Wikimedia Commons marks the exact file as public domain; the known creator is retained.
Changes
Auto-oriented, converted to WebP at source dimensions, and metadata removed.
Original identity
Commons SHA-1: 67bab999eb7ecb9c6e82d462109fa64871c2fbe9
Public derivative checksum
SHA-256: f703a1fb1283c6a428fd071ea617703881fca19176633bf734ee3bd040754f41
Rights record checked
July 26, 2026

Concept car

1962 Mustang I

The Mustang I was the dramatic first swing: a tiny mid-engine two-seat roadster with an aluminum body, independent suspension, front disc brakes, and a Ford Taunus V4 mounted behind the seats. Ford built two examples: a detailed fiberglass mock-up and one fully working car.

Its public debut came at Watkins Glen on October 7, 1962, where Dan Gurney drove demonstration laps before the United States Grand Prix. The car was exciting, but it was too specialized and too complex to become the mass-market Mustang. Its name, youth-market reaction, and side-scoop idea still carried into the production program.

Where it is now
The operational car was donated to The Henry Ford Museum in 1974.
Why it matters
It gave Mustang a name, a public debut, and a sports-car halo before Ford chose a four-seat Falcon-based production path.
People tied to it
Eugene Bordinat, Roy Lunn, John Najjar, Lee Iacocca, Dan Gurney.
1963 Ford Mustang II concept sketch
Photo: Bzuk · Source · Public domain
Image rights & changes
Creator
Bzuk
Exact source
Open source record
Use basis
Wikimedia Commons identifies the upload as Bzuk's work and marks the exact file as public domain.
Changes
Downloaded as a 1,400-pixel Commons derivative, auto-oriented, converted to WebP, and metadata removed.
Original identity
Commons SHA-1: 5d5f5acadf769256c01cdb60e9272a0cee2448f3
Public derivative checksum
SHA-256: 12c208b195fbb6ecb070e4058a5619ea1030071686f227b33d1314ef9aef11cc
Rights record checked
July 26, 2026

Show car and test mule

1963 Mustang II concept

The Mustang II concept moved Ford from the mid-engine roadster fantasy toward the real production car. It was a front-engine V8 two-plus-two built from a pre-production prototype by Dearborn Steel Tubing, with a lowered roofline, cut-down windshield, no bumpers, buried headlights, and first-generation Mustang visual cues.

It appeared at Watkins Glen in October 1963, then toured as a show car before Ford engineers kept it alive as a test mule. That practical second life is the reason it survived instead of being scrapped when the production Mustang took over the spotlight.

Where it is now
Ford donated the car to the Detroit Historical Society in 1975; published references place it in storage with the Detroit Historical Museum.
Why it matters
It is the bridge between Mustang I spectacle and the April 1964 production Mustang.
Identification notes
Look for the chopped windshield, lack of bumpers, low roof, triple-bar taillamp theme, and the 289 HiPo V8 specification.
Ford Mustang GT-R concept at the Canadian International Auto Show
Photo: Michael Gil · Source · CC BY 2.0
Image rights & changes
Creator
Michael Gil
Exact source
Open source record
Use basis
CC BY 2.0 with creator, exact source, license, and changes identified.
Changes
Auto-oriented, converted to WebP at source dimensions, and metadata removed.
Original identity
Commons SHA-1: fae1265cf20474d358334c161c8ae7d632f10b0a
Public derivative checksum
SHA-256: 783b298c5048deeedd7705c6f765d215238b4806ffa48346dfba4afadc99ce3f
Rights record checked
July 26, 2026

Race concept

2005 Mustang GT-R concept

The GT-R concept took the new S197 Mustang and pushed it toward a factory road-racing image: Valencia Orange paint, a wider body, aggressive aero, racing wheels, Brembo brakes, Pirelli slicks, and a 5.0L Cammer V8 commonly listed at 440 hp.

It was not a production racer, but it showed Ford wanted the fifth-generation Mustang to look credible beyond boulevard nostalgia. The color deliberately echoed the Boss 302 Trans-Am era, making the GT-R a bridge between Bud Moore imagery and the S197 race-car programs that followed.

Where it is now
Public display history includes the 2007 Canadian International Auto Show. A permanent public display location is not consistently published.
Why it matters
It gave the S197 Mustang a racing statement before the later FR500, GT4, GT350R-C, GT3, and GTD race-car conversations.
Identification notes
Look for the Valencia Orange paint, oversized rear wing, center-lock-style wheels, exposed race hardware, and GT-R badging.
2006 Giugiaro Ford Mustang concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show
Photo: Green Monsters · Source · Public domain
Image rights & changes
Creator
Green Monsters
Exact source
Open source record
Use basis
Wikimedia Commons marks the exact file as public domain; the known creator is retained.
Changes
Auto-oriented, converted to WebP at source dimensions, and metadata removed.
Original identity
Commons SHA-1: 511f5b017c1b4c9cf0415a71ca13cce83d1caaa3
Public derivative checksum
SHA-256: d0382b7bad37cd99a627e32ba3956d8a540dd4988d7f197119a70d64aad67431
Rights record checked
July 26, 2026

Design study

2006 Giugiaro Mustang

The Giugiaro Mustang reinterpreted the S197 through Italdesign, with a wider stance, smaller rear overhang, glass roof, scissor doors, rear cameras in place of outside mirrors, and a supercharged 4.6L V8 rated around 500 hp. It debuted at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The car did not preview a production model directly, but its tighter rear mass, more international surface language, and fastback attitude help explain why the later global Mustang could look less strictly retro while still reading as a Mustang.

Where it is now
It is a one-off Ford and Italdesign show car. Public photographs document appearances after its debut, including Monterey-area display in 2010.
Why it matters
It connects the retro S197 era to the more global design language that followed.
People tied to it
Fabrizio Giugiaro, Italdesign Giugiaro, Ford design leadership.

Sources

  1. Ford Mustang I reference
  2. Mustang I image license page
  3. Ford Mustang II concept reference
  4. Mustang II sketch license page
  5. Ford Mustang variants reference
  6. Mustang GT-R image license page
  7. Giugiaro Ford Mustang reference
  8. Giugiaro Mustang image license page