This 1963 pre-production Mustang is the same car that would be introduced as the 1965 Mustang. It is a convertible with a removable fiberglass top, 289-cubic inch, high performance, Cobra-modified engine, and four-speed manual transmission. This particular car was altered and exhibited at several auto shows.
The second X-Car, the Mustang II, was also based upon the Falcon/Comet/Fairlane platform and enjoyed a lithe body designed by Joe Oros. Despite its name, it carried a few styling and design cues from the Mustang I. The pearl white experimental car, first displayed at Watkins Glen in September 1963, played an essential role in the public reception of the X-Cars and was presented to the auto enthusiast press as a direct precursor to the production Mustang that debuted in April of 1964. Also built on a Falcon platform, it displayed all of the production Mustang styling cues that would appear on the production car. A toned-down front end, a modest bumper, a raised roofline, a slightly revised dashboard, and modestly reshaped rear quarter panels were the only design elements to distinguish the production vehicle from the concept car.
Source: www.dutchmustang.nl; www.thelynxproject.org
Images: History of Mustang Performance; www.mustangmonthly.com; www.dutchmustang.nl
