Believe it or not the Mustang name goes back a few years further in Ford history than the release of the iconic car in 1964. The Mustang I concept, which first debuted to the public at Watkins Glenn with Dan Gurney behind the wheel in 1962 was the first use of the name Mustang by Ford on a car.

The Mustang I was a far cry from what the revolutionary Pony car would eventually become. The two-seater had more in common with Corvettes and Porsche offerings of the day. An air-cooled V4 engine powered the car. While it made minimal horsepower, the lightweight chassis allowed for respectable acceleration and excellent handling.

The car handled so well in fact, that Gurney wheeled it around Watkins Glenn during a test session coming within a few seconds of Formula 1 lap times of the day. Incredible handling when you consider that this was a prototype car, not a purpose built racer.

There were a few design cues that carried over to the Mustang. The running horse, although not the same horse did end up being used along with the red, white, and blue tri-bar badge. There was also the styling for the front parking lamps, and even the idea of side vents, all of which carried over into the first generation Mustang’s DNA.

Many of the prototype cars we remember through the years were sent to the crusher once they had their moment in the sun. The Mustang I was somehow squirreled away by Ford designers and engineers and languished in storage for decades. It wasn’t long ago that the car was brought out of storage and revived back to the condition it was probably in when it was retired from service as a prototype and test car in the early 1960s.

Today the Mustang I sits proudly on display at the Henry Ford museum, and the video above produced by Hagerty is just a small glimpse at a true piece of Mustang history.