Mustang 2+2 Clay with Avanti in the Background

[Bordeaux Daytona]

A friend at work showed me a Mustang book with a picture from 1963 of a Mustang 2+2(it was Cougar yet) styling clay and there's an Avanti and a Jaguar XKE in the background.
Maybe it's been mentioned here before.

http://www.mustangdrivers.be/mustangtrivia/mustangtrivia.htm

[Chris Pile]

And a Jaguar....

[studegary]

It looks like it may be a Plymouth Barracuda in between.

EDIT: The picture is too early for it to be a production Barracuda. It may be a Valiant or just another Mustang/Cougar variant.

[63r2]

Maybe they were using the Avanti"s motor to trial fit the 289 into the Mustang ?
Mustangs were powered by Stude 289's weren't they ?

[62champ]

Would be very interesting to know what they determined about certain aspects on the cars they were testing.

[Silverplate]

It's not a Mustang at all, it's a Cougar prototype. The wording on fender and cougar in grill, no horse there. The car in between is probably at Mustang, vent window looks the same.

[GrumpyOne]

Only one of the four cars shows a hint of the future... A rake!

[StudeRich]

I agree the Car hidden behind the Fastback Mustang is likely a Notchback Mustang.

Ford must have been sizing up the XKE and the Avanti competition in May of '63 long after the Avanti was on the market and before the April '64 Mustang release.

It has a Mustang Grille and says F O R D on the Hood.

I believe Cougars happened in 1967.

[8E45E]

If I remember right, there is an Avanti Production Order/Driveaway Shipper that states 'Ford Motor Company' as the customer or the destination; perhaps in RQ's "Almanac" column in TW, and this may be the car. I wonder if it was partial payment for those Ford pickup boxes that were mounted by the factory on Champ trucks, also mentioned in the Almanac.

Craig

[TedsHawk]

It's styling prototype for Mustang. The "Mustang" name had just not yet been settled on, Cougar was one consideration. Later chosen for the Mercury version of course !

[Bordeaux Daytona]

This is new to me. Ford Allegro concept could have called Avanti.....http://www.carstyling.ru/en/car/1963_ford_allegro/

[swvalcon]

Looks like a mustang to me

[Silverplate]

Couple more photos of the Cougar prototype Mustang. It actually reads Cougar Torino on the right front fender. Cougar emblem in front grill. Split back window and Cougar on gas cap.

[swvalcon]

Good thing they changed that back window. That just doesn't fit the rest of the car.

[Jerry Forrester]

Good thing they changed that back window. That just doesn't fit the rest of the car.

Amen to that.