Introduced as a 1974 model. the Ford Mustang II was supposed to bring the original pony car back to its roots as a small, lightweight, and nimble sports car with wide appeal. In terms of sales, the Mustang II was a massive hit, with over 385,000 units sold in the first year alone, one of the best years for Mustang sales ever.

Yet enthusiasts hate the Mustang II for its softened looks and lack of straight-line performance; to date, the 1974 Mustang II is the only Mustang to not have an optional V8. But Ford almost built a much different Mustang II, with more forward-thinking styling that borrowed from the Japanese sports cars that were starting to gain ground with young buyers.

Initially, Ford engineers tried to make the massive 1971-73 Mustang platform work for the 1974 model, but found it too big to cut down to size. So engineers began work on a new, smaller platform, rolling out a series of concepts that were both radical and conservative. Hints of other future vehicles, like the Ford Fairmont and Probe, can be seen in some of these didn’t-quite-make-it Mustang designs.

Design house Ghia even had some input on the Mustang II, and the roofline of the Ghia concept would eventually be incorporated into the production version, as would features from several other next-gen Mustangs. Concept features like the hatchback became popular with Mustang II buyers, and while the Sportiva II targa top coupe concept never made it as a production option, the hatchback Mustang II could be had with t-tops.

While the Mustang II was a sales success, it is doubtful it will ever be fully accepted by Ford purists. Maybe if the Blue Oval had gone with a more radical redesign, it would be thought of more highly today.