Ford Mustang Boss 429 Rear Engine
This one is one of the most interesting Mustang prototypes. And despite the fact it didn’t appear on the show circuit back in the late ’60s, it caused a lot of controversy. This is the 1969 Boss 429 with the engine moved in the trunk and extensively tested by Ford to see if this conversion had significant advantages over the standard layout. The Mustang itself is a muscle car, not a sports car. However, this change turned it into an exotic, mid-engine sports coupe, which stunned engineers (via Motor Trend).
The engine was placed longitudinally in the trunk and connected to the rear wheels over a C6 automatic transmission unit. The rear glass was a hatchback door to access the engine, and the whole conversion was surprisingly trouble-free. This Boss 429 had a 40/60 weight balance, as added weight over the rear axle helped launch it off the line and reduced wheel spin. However, Ford realized that there weren’t any significant performance improvements and decided to kill the project.