As has been well documented with the Ford Mustang’s 50th birthday celebration, the original Mustang I concept started out as an open-roof two-seater with an all-aluminum V4 (yes, V4) mounted midships. The mid-engine design was tossed in favor of a more traditional front-rear layout, and the 1965 Mustang was an immediate success.

But the idea of a mid-engine Mustang stayed alive at Ford for at least a few more years, giving birth to a hardtop version of the Mustang I in 1963, and the Mustang Mach 2 concept in 1967. While never seriously considered for production, it’s always remained one of the more intriguing “What ifs?” among Mustang enthusiasts.

The concept was headed by Ford design chief Gene Bordinat and the Special Vehicles Group who were tasked with giving the Mustang a conceptual makeover. With Ford having defeated Ferrari at Le Mans less than a year prior with the mid-engine GT40, it’s not a stretch to imagine the Blue Oval building a mid-engine sports car for the masses under the Mustang moniker. The Hi-Po 289 was moved behind two front passenger seats, though engineers still maintained the long hood and short trunk proportions of the original pony car.

As a production model though, the Mustang Mach 2 never stood a chance. Ralph Nader’s indicting book Unsafe At Any Speed had taken aim at the mid-engine Chevy Corvair, perhaps unfairly, and with increasing emissions and safety regulations looming, mid-engine cars just didn’t make sense for the times. However, the Ford GT has made a triumphant comeback as a mid-engine supercar, than the large displacement V8 has been replaced by a twin-turbo V6 wearing the EcoBoost badge.

It may not be a mid-engine Mustang, but Ford has kept America in the supercar game with the only real rival to European exotics.