The Original 1969 Ford Mustang Mach I

Chevy's new Camaro concept is big news. Whether you like the design execution is secondary; the point is the reborn-for-2005 Ford Mustang has proved that the ponycar has life and that Chevy needs something to combat it with. Ford also has done its share of Mustang design concepts over time, including this original Mach I. It was based on the then-new 1967 GT fastback and intended to explore design themes for the upcoming 1969-1970 Mustang. The top received a serious slam job, the nose was lengthened, the round headlights were swapped for rectangular European units, and the wheels were yet another variation on the popular five-spoke. The car made the rounds at new-car shows. While few of these design cues made production--especially not those window-mounted rearview mirrors--the name did, in the form of the 1969 Mach I, one of the most popular Mustang models ever.

Coverage May 1991
Camaro versus Mustang: It's a formula that's worked for decades. The first time we matched up this American pony pair was 1967, so this month's cover story is only one installment of many over the years. In early 1991, we compared tuner versions of the Camaro, Mustang, Trans Am, and Thunderbird. The quickest? The ferocious twin-turbo Firebird, which cranked out a 0-to-60 time of 4.6 seconds.