Case of The Mondays: Did Ford Build a '65 'Stang Wagon?

[NewsBot]

Whoa now, all you Mustang guys. Yeah, we know Ford didn't sell any hatchback, Nomad-style wagonized Mustangs, but the question, "Did Ford BUILD any Mustang wagons" has existed for decades. It wasn't until recently that the files were unearthed and the answer was finally discovered: sorta. It took quite a bit of investigative work spanning the Atlantic Ocean no less and its still kinda ambiguous.


Images: AmCarGuide

In an investigative report first launched by Hemmings.com whether Ford, before launching the first Mustang in the middle of the 1964 production year, had actually built the designed and drafted ideas for a two-door wagon version of what would become the first pony car. The Mustang club of Spain provided several photos proving the prototypes' existence before the Intermeccanica wagon hit international showroom floors in 1966. Developed as a way to diversify the would-be super-successful "secretary's car," Ford tried to find ways to maximize their profits in case the car never took off.



According to the photos, Ford developed not only the idea of a hatch-back Mustang mini-wagon, but larger sedan and even a sportier two-seater, akin to the first Corvettes. Gary Witzenburg, author of “Mustang: The Complete History of America’s Pioneer Ponycar” stated that the odd Mustang concept reached as far as the fiberglass stage only and was rejected. The Sedan version was designed to appeal to the parents of kids who'd be the target audience for the two-door.



The Mustang Club of Spain also included some photos of a Shelby GT350 wagon, but Jeff Pearce from Utah, the man that is involved in Mustangs for 30 years, claims Ford never built Mustang wagons, so Shelby couldn’t do that either. Jeff built a red wagon in 1978 and still owns it.



The only wagon Mustang to ever truly exist is the one made by Intermeccanica back in 1965. Built for advertiser Barney Clark, which garnered plenty of attention, even for its day, as the wagon was photographed for a couple books and for a Car and Driver cover in 1966.






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