3. 1962 Ford Avanti
Even though Ford didn’t call this car the Mustang, it was the first Mustang concept because it represented a small two-door coupe with a sporty design. In those days, Ford was developing the idea of such a vehicle, so their designers produced several sketches and full-size models. The marketing department didn’t come up with the name Mustang yet but the designers were sketching the future car in late 1961 and early 1962.
The early design of the Avanti shows a cool-looking fastback with a rear-facing back seat that was a unique, rare design feature. Some of the early designs even featured a two-seat configuration. However, the initial idea was to produce a car that was a smaller, sportier version of the Thunderbird.