Notifications
Clear all
Forum 24
12
Posts
10
Users
60
Reactions
931
Views
Topic starter
04/02/2026 12:16 pm
It was the Fairlane division under Lee Iacocca that began to explore the concept of a sporty 2+2 car to add to Ford's lineup. The first concept was the 2 seat mid-engine now known as the Mustang l. It was cute but it was deigned too expensive to produce. Oddly. in house, these two cars were called Cougars. For 1963, buoyed by consumer interest, this Mustang ll 2+2 certainly looked ready to go. Only a small number of design cues were carried into this car: most notably the galloping mustang. This roadster came with a removable top sculpted with ribbing to simulate a soft to look. They chose the newly designed 271 HP solid lifter Hi-Po 289 V8 to power it. To save money, they employed a lot of Falcon and Fairlane parts. The car was built by Dearborn Steel Tubing Co with the body supported by fiberglass and was a few inches longer and shorter than the ultimate production Mustang. The Mustang ll was unveiled at Watkins Glen in October and was shown often after that to keep the buzz going. The car was done in both Wimbledon White and Rangoon Red with contrasting racing stripes. The steel bodied car was saved from the scrap heap only because R&D needed a test mule. It was donated to the Dearborn Historical Society in 1975 where it remains in storage. To me, it looks like what the 1st gen Mustang should have been with its low stance and raked windscreen and with that K-Code 289, it would have been quite a performance car.
Here's the evolution:
04/02/2026 2:26 pm
Nice ones ! Who did these Mustang ll replicas ?
Topic starter
04/02/2026 3:13 pm
04/02/2026 3:19 pm
Automodelo did a great job on each of these replicas .....real land-going rockets ! I have a 1/64 scale diecast model by Mattel Hot Wheels of the Ford Mustang II showcar/dreamcar replica in white with the blue interior and it is also exceptionally good-looking.
04/02/2026 4:10 pm
Rich, thanks for the history lesson and the photo's. It is a shame that the Mustang II was not built. I like it better than what they actually built.
04/02/2026 4:33 pm
These are cool but IMHO Ford NAILED it with the design of the original Mustang. Thanks for the interesting history.
04/02/2026 4:59 pm
good to hear the story behind this. I must find the box and put the top on mine for a while, thanks Rich
04/02/2026 5:43 pm
Great read and models Rich, I enjoyed this post as well.💯👍
04/02/2026 6:02 pm
These are cool but IMHO Ford NAILED it with the design of the original Mustang. Thanks for the interesting history.
Same for me Jack. As a 10yr old I LOVED the Mustang. Mark Schmidt, who rode the bus to school with me, his Dad worked at a Ford dealership and brought a Rangoon Red one home every night. Every morning was great to see it in the driveway.
Steve
04/02/2026 7:47 pm
I really like the Mustang II. Bumper protection would have altered the look and make it closer to the production car. Thank you once again Rich for an informative well illustrated post.
04/02/2026 8:18 pm
Wonderful models. I don't have a Mustang I, but I do have both of the Mustang II's. They are very nice.
John Merritt
South Lyon, Michigan - USA
05/02/2026 9:14 am
Frequently the weight of a model is mentioned as being heavy. The weight of the Automodello model is the lightest of any in my collection of 1/24 models.
Steve Jacobs and Rich Sufficool reacted