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A Deeper Look Inside The Ford Archives

By Aaron Miller Published On 04/24/2014
@aaron_m_miller
By Aaron Miller @aaron_m_miller Published On 04/24/2014
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An early design model of the Boss Mustang.
All Photos: The Ford Motor Company

We recently had the opportunity to hang out in a small, unassuming building a few miles down the road from Ford World Headquarters. Filed away inside is nearly every photograph Ford has ever taken in North America. If you haven't already read our 23 Things You Didn't Know About The Ford Mustang article, and what it's like hanging out with the car's designers, you should head over to the related articles below, then come back here. These are the extras we had leftover after those pieces, and they're some of the more incredible photographs that you've probably never seen.

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A very small scale model of the Mustang I
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A designer works on a very small scale model of the Mustang I in 1962.

Shelby GT 350 Hertz, being examined in a courtyard.
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A Shelby GT 350 Hertz edition sits in a courtyard so it can be examined by the design team.

An early Mustang advertisment targeted towards women.
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An early Mustang advertisement teaches women to brag/not brag about their car.

The Mach II concept car featured a mid-mounted rear engine.
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Did engineers experiment with a mid-rear-engined Mustang? Of course they did!

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Start To Finish: This Is How Mustangs Are Made
This car was an early design of the 1970 Mustang, shown here in 1965.
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The design team sometimes puts two concepts on the same model so they can see the difference in person. This car was an early design of the 1970 Mustang, shown here in 1965.

Mustang I hardtop concept.
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If they had put a top on the legendary 1962 Mustang I prototype, this is what it would've looked like.

The full lineup of Mustangs
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From top: Shelby GT 350, Mustang, Mustang II concept, Mustang I prototype.

The Mustang II Concept
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The Mustang II concept was intended to ease the design transition from the Mustang I to the production Mustang.

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Going Behind The Scenes At Ford
The Mustang II concept's interior
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Early Fox Mustang sketch
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This sketch ultimately led to the car that Mustang was based on from 1979 through 2004.

The Fox Mustang was the first sign that the 1970s gas crisis was fading.
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The Fox Mustang was the first sign from Ford that the 1970s gas crisis was fading.

Ford Mustang Aspen concept.
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Yes, they thought about making a Mustang station wagon.

The Mustang Aspen Concept.
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It was called the Mustang Aspen.

Mustang Aspen Station Wagon Concept
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Carroll Shelby stands between three of his creations
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The incomparable Carroll Shelby, standing between a trio of his eponymous suped-up Mustangs.

Mustang II concept photography.
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A couple poses next to the Mustang II concept.

The Ford Mustang at the New York International Auto Show
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The Mustang makes its official debut.

Ford "Cougar"
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Originally, the car was slated to be a Cougar.

Ford used to work with Lola on some wild designs.
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At one point, Ford was working with British sports car company Lola to make some interesting designs. This would've been sweet.

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The 1964.5 Mustang was the Indy 500 pace car.
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The 1964.5 Mustang was the Indy 500 pace car.

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A Mustang, or Ford's take on the Studebaker Avanti?

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A four-eyed 1969 Mustang design from 1967.
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Somehow this car wasn't nicknamed Four Eyes.


Aaron Miller is the Rides editor for Supercompressor. He could spend a week going through the archives and still not see even a tenth of what's in there.

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