- A humble Ford Mustang reworked by a legendary Italian design house is up for auction.
- The 1967 fastback was given a new nose and a hood scoop by Zagato of Milan.
- Power comes from a stock 289ci V8 matched to a four-speed manual transmission.
Helped in no small part by a co-starring role in Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, the 1967-68 Ford Mustang fastback is one of the best-loved American collector cars. But with over almost 115,000 built and a significant number of those still on the road, it takes something special for a fastback to stand out at a car show. Being one of only two cars reworked by a world-famous Italian carrozzeria would certainly do the trick.
This ’67 was modified in the late 1960s by Zagato, the bad boy of Italian coachbuilders, whose designs were sometimes beautiful (Aston DB4 GT Zagato) and often polarizing, and that’s putting it politely if you’ve ever seen a Bristol 412. Much of the body remained untouched, but the front end received some major surgery that arguably makes it less attractive to modern eyes, but was on-trend at the time.
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The Zagato team ditched the Mustang’s stock circular headlights, replacing them with more modern, rectangular Carello items, and extended the hood and bodywork to exaggerate the narrowed grille, which retains its galloping Mustang emblem. A large, low-profile scoop takes pride of place on the middle of the hood. Zagato Elaborazione badges were added to the front fenders, and turn signals were mounted above the front bumper. The Mustang was also repainted in Holly Green.
Head-on, it looks a bit like a cross between a Citroen Ami 8 Ami, the original Ford Capri, and a Peugeot 504, though all of those cars came later. There are also interesting similarities between Zagato’s take on the 1967 Mustang and Ford’s own Mustang Mach 1 concept, which was completed in late 1966 and hinted at the look of the coming 1969 models. However, it’s unclear whether the Italians had seen the Mach 1 when they embarked on their own modding program.
BaT
Inside, the front buckets were trimmed in white vinyl with black inserts. Other than that, most of the Mustang was left stock, including its four-barrel, A-code 289 ci (4.7-liter) V8. This mid-spec motor would have been rated at 225 gross hp (228 PS) when new and is still paired with its original four-speed manual transmission.
The original European owner used the Mustang until the 1980s, then it was parked up before being rescued from storage by the father of the current owner a decade later. Following a restoration, it’s been used across Europe, including in the Mille Miglia, and is now being auctioned by Bring a Trailer.
It may not be the prettiest old Mustang, but it’s a fascinating piece of pony car history, and one of only two ever modified by Zagato, the other being a GT 350. If you want to see more, you can check out the original listing here.
