Ever wondered what a European Ford Mustang would look like?

You’re right – this is the third-generation Ford Mustang, which went into production in 1978. It had lost some of the appealing muscle car look of the original, morphing into a more wedgy homage to the taste vacuum that was the 1970s. It was hampered too by Ford’s insistence on trying to save money by spinning off a load of cars off the same platform, turning it into more of a nag than a pony. Of course, no one would ever make that mistake again.

None of this stopped nearly 400,000 sales in its first year of production. American enthusiasts seem to like the third-generation Mustang because it looks quite European (stop sniggering at the back there), but certainly no one could argue it’s the best of the ‘Stangs. It was slowly developed over its 15-year lifetime, clawing back credibility. Of course, what would have helped make that happen quicker would have been to let the Europeans at it – like with this Mustang RSX concept. The RSX (which stands for Rallye Sport Experimental) debuted at the Chicago motor show in 1979, and was styled by the talented chaps at Ghia in Turin, responsible for successful interventions at the likes of Volkswagen, Volvo and Alfa Romeo.

The concept car designers didn’t quite go to town with the RSX – a small village, perhaps. The wheelbase was 15cm shorter than the production Mustang, for that stubby Stratos look. The track was 2cm wider too, for a bit of stance. A massive rear spoiler was fitted to improve stability – with its shortened wheelbase, tall stance and wedgy bodywork, we can only assume that the RSX would have been somewhat susceptible to side winds and suchlike. 

Well, you’re in luck. Just take a walk round to the back end of the RSX and feast your eyes on the delightfully retro nameplate, which even balances out on the left-hand side with some graded striping. It makes you want to curl your fringe and join Charlie’s Angels. Note too the full-width rear lights, which prove that any idea will eventually come back into fashion no matter how terrible it was. 

In fact it is rather lovely in an understated sort of way. Or perhaps in these days of 12-inch multiscreens and airliner cockpit buttons we have a craving for a simpler time. The RSX interior was a tastefully sporty affair, with a suede-topped dash to reduce glare, pillowy black leather seats and a dash-mounted gearstick that Americans wouldn’t have a clue what to do with. And two seats, of course, because the Italians had chucked out the back seats from the Mustang in the process of cutting and shutting the wheelbase. 

You might prefer not to know, just to maintain the mystique. A turbocharged 2.3-litre 4cyl motor sounds like it could be fun, but then you find out it’s the entry-level Mustang engine that was nabbed from the Ford Pinto. The Pinto. It produced a heady 89bhp and 118lb ft of torque, and was paired with a four-speed manual gearbox that we’ve no doubt only enhanced the dynamic driving experience. Weirdly, this engine (introduced in 1974) would still be going as late as 1997 in the front of the Ford Ranger pickup.

This was more of a design study than a glimpse of the future. That said, we do like the aero front lights. Another nifty touch, and a reminder that the Ghia team was on a shoestring budget here, was the glass doors. Well, they were pretending to be glass doors, but in reality they glued a bit of black acrylic over some normal doors. Why not try it on your own car? Easy upgrade. 

Literally no one knows. It could be tucked away in a filing cabinet in Ford’s Dearborn HQ, sitting at the back of Jay Leno’s garage or in daily use as a visitor shuttle at Area 51. What we do know is that it never made it into production. Was it merely intended as a way to add a frisson of sexiness to the dour standard Mustang, or did it accidentally highlight that car’s frumpiness? If you really wanted some of that RSX style, however, you just had to wait five years for the Sierra XR4 to come along. Much more like it.