Mustang Almost Had AWD Model Back in the Day
The Mustang has come in many forms, but never with AWD. As it turns out, one of Ford’s AWD prototype Mustangs has allegedly turned up for sale.
If a 4-cylinder Mustang takes some time to wrap your head around, think about how it would have sounded to come out with an AWD Mustang less than a half decade after its debut. AWD wasn’t exactly what Ford had planned though, and in an effort to keep ahead of the competition (a piece of cake, considering the Mustang outsold the Camaro nearly 4:1 back in the early days), Ford briefly explored the thought of an AWD pony car.
Ferguson Research — the company who’s all-wheel-drive system would later find its way into the first production AWD car — was tapped with seeing if AWD was a viable option for Ford’s new pony car. As most experiments and prototypes go, the idea was scrapped due to the complicated nature of the all-wheel-drive system, and only a few prototypes were ever made.
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This 1970 prototype, which is actually for sale, comes reportedly after the period when Ford was working with Ferguson Research, which makes its existence even more of a mystery. It has obviously been sitting for a considerable time, with the exterior and interior in considerable need of attention. Worryingly, some critical components of the car are missing. Namely, the components to drive the front wheels.
Does this mean it was a once-running car or a stillborn 4×4 project? That debate is up in the air, as the car is located in the Netherlands, and its history is largely undocumented.
