Newsweek and the Wagon Free Story Behind the Mustang.

In April 1964 Newsweek ran a cover story about Ford's development of the Mustang under Lee Iacocca. At a starting price of $2,368, the article was optimistic about the Mustang's future.

For the price of an unglamorous compact, the aspiring young sport can drive out in a reasonable facsimile of a European rally car. And if he wants to, the young sport can add enough items from the Mustang's 50 optional accessories to build himself a real rally car--at a cost ranging up to $4,400. From a mixed bag of engines, transmissions, and special equipment, a true performance buff can put together a car that will peel off 555 feet in ten seconds from a standing start

The article portrays Iacocca's determination to make the Mustang an affordable sporting machine:

He said to the engineers, "Start putting in the extras. Put in class for the mass. If we're right, this will make the Model A look like nothing."

Iacocca obviously meant "the masses", but he clearly preferred poetry over grammar.
The article talks about the development of the Mustang's body, with no mention of Iacocca or the designers considering a Mustang station wagon at this time:

A choice of six or eight cylinder engines had to be offered; to accommodate the long six, the hood was stretched out and the trunk compartment shrunk--a trend which delights Iacocca and styling vice-president Gene Bordinat. "There's something about a long hood that says, 'There's a lot of engine here'," Bordinat gloats. "I wanted a mouthy front end", Iacocca says. "All the $25,000 cars I'd seen at Torino (Italy, in an auto show) had that pointed, mouthy appearance. "The stylists liked the idea, but as Bordinat says, "It took a lot of noodling."

The process of choosing the name Mustang is truly from another era compared to today's world of Google, focus groups, and test-marketing:

"I liked T-bird II," Henry Ford recalls with a touch of petulance, "but nobody else seemed to." Iacocca had no strong preferences, and at this point John Conley, account representative in charge of J. Walter Thompson's forward planning group, was sent to the Detroit Public Library. Conley had spent hours there previously, culling names of birds for the cars that became the Falcon and the Thunderbird; this time, he was looking for horses. He produced a list of 6,000 names (among them: Colt, Bronco), and Mustang was eventually picked. The main reasons, according to Thompson's Frank Thomas, were that "It had the excitement of the wide open spaces, and it was American as all hell."

Given J. Walter Thompson's strong involvement in creating the brand image of the Mustang at this time, one wonders how much Barney Clark, a Vice President at the agency, and stylist Bob Cumberford might have argued for the creation of a station wagon model during the initial styling phase. They shipped a Mustang hardtop to Italy as early as March 1965 (less than a year after the Newsweek article) to be transformed into a station wagon, so their concept and styling for the wagon likely had been developing for some time.

Car and Driver features the Mustang Wagon

Here is the cover article from Car and Driver October 1966 about the original Mustang Station Wagon conceived by Barney Clark and designer Bob Cumberford.

Joe Kamp's '65 Mustang Station Wagon

This custom built 1965 Mustang Station Wagon was built by Joe Kamp of Peoria, Illinois. It was no doubt inspired by the original Mustang Station Wagon built in 1965 by Intermeccanica, the Italian custom builder founded in 1959.

Mr. Kamp's creation of this unique wagon is finely executed and beautifully crafted. The body was modified using all steel fabrication, retaining the original rear window and rear roof section, with custom made side windows. Mr. Kamp then carefully upgraded the performance of the wagon as an engineering complement to the modified station wagon body. The engine is a fuel-injected 5.0L V8, the transmission is a five-speed manual with Hurst shifter, and the brakes are an upgraded power disc system. Further modifications include reinforcements to the rear section of the frame, engine torque control rods, and rear axle control rods.

Coming soon will be my report on what it's like to drive Joe Kamp's wonderful creation.

1965 Intermeccanica Prototype Wagon

Authors John Gunnell and Jerry Heasley wrote this about the Mustang wagon:

"The Mustang station wagon was the brainchild of Barney Clark, a copywriter with Ford’s advertising agency J. Walter Thompson. Designer Bob Cumberford (of Griffith sports car fame) and sports car driver Jim Lieta were also involved. Frank Reisner of Intermeccanica—an Italian coachbuilder—performed a few such conversions. One Mustang station wagon was loaned to Car & Driver for an article. Another was written up in Motor Trend. Barney Clark told Motor Trend, “Whenever Chevrolet executives see the M-wagon on the street, it gives them a terrible shock—they think it’s a production car.”

One wagon appeared in a Car & Driver cover story in October 1966, but the idea was quickly rejected by Ford. So what became of the Intermeccanica Mustang station wagon? Was more than one produced? There are reports that one has been spotted rusting away in a yard somewhere. There are also rumors that one may reside hidden in someone’s collection. But for now the fate of these Mustang station wagons remains a mystery.

The Mustang Wagon

This blog is dedicated to one of the most offbeat cars of the 1960's--the Ford Mustang Station Wagon. Created as a prototype, Ford considered producing the Mustang Wagon but decided in the end to bury the idea. We'll be looking to find out exactly why Ford made this decision, what was the fate of the prototype, and how many have been created in tribute to the striking original. Also open to discussion is the current possibility of Ford creating a new Mustang wagon. Will it happen?