The Ferguson Formula Mustang at the Saratoga Automobile Museum. Photo courtesy Saratoga Automobile Museum.
In 1965, England’s Ferguson Research aimed to improve the handling and traction of Ford’s Mustang by constructing a series of Mustangs fitted with both full-time all-wheel drive and Dunlop anti-lock brakes. Decades ahead of their time, the cars built (two according to records, though some say three) were shown to police departments and consumers across Europe, but found no takers. In honor of the Mustang’s 50th anniversary, and for a limited time, one of these Ferguson Formula Mustangs will be on display at the Saratoga Automobile Museum, giving visitors a glimpse at what may have been.
Harry Ferguson’s work on agricultural tractors led to the development of the hydraulic three-point linkage and draft-control systems that revolutionized modern farming, but his real passion was for automobiles. Working with racers Tony Rolt and Freddie Dixon, Ferguson founded Ferguson Research to focus on the construction of all-wheel-drive automobiles and race cars. The group’s first effort was the 1961 Ferguson Climax P99 F1 car, which Stirling Moss drove to a victory at Oulton Park, claiming the only win for an all-wheel-drive car in Formula One.
The Mustang’s center differential and lower control arm bracing. Photo courtesy Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.
Ferguson, however, did not survive to see the success of the car he helped to design. Years of protracted legal battles with the Ford Motor Company over patents relating to tractors took a toll on his health, and in October 1960 Ferguson died of a reported barbiturate overdose. Ferguson Research soldiered on without him, and its all-wheel-drive system found its way into other race cars, including the last Novi-powered car to compete at Indianapolis, driven by Bobby Unser in 1965.
Building all-wheel-drive race cars failed to generate the income needed to sustain the business, so Ferguson Research turned its attention to production automobiles. Two (or three) 1965 Ford Mustang hardtops were ordered and shipped to the U.K. for conversion to the Ferguson Formula all-wheel-drive system, which utilized a lightweight, viscous-coupling center differential (weighing a reported 69.5 pounds) in conjunction with a compact front differential. All four wheels were driven on a full-time basis, and torque was split 37 percent to the front wheels and 63 percent to the rear wheels, delivering added grip while maintaining a clear rear-wheel-drive bias for predictable handling.
Underside diagram of the Ferguson Formula Mustang. Photo courtesy Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.
The Mustangs received a Dunlop Maxaret anti-lock braking system as well, which must have seemed like the stuff of science fiction in 1965. Though the mechanical system was crude by modern standards, it still had the potential of shortening braking distances (under certain conditions) while allowing a driver to maintain control of a vehicle. The overall package, Ferguson Research believed, would have been ideal for a police interceptor, and the company reportedly showed its innovative Mustangs to police agencies throughout Europe, intending to demonstrate the potential of such a vehicle (though not necessarily based upon the Ford Mustang).
The cars proved a hard sell, as they answered a question that few police agencies or consumers were asking at the time. The potential benefit was outweighed by added cost, increased complexity and additional maintenance expense, which eliminated the Ferguson-built cars from serious consideration. Some say that Ferguson approached Ford with the idea as well, and met with a similar disinterested response. With Mustangs selling as fast as Ford could build them, changing the formula must have seemed like a truly ludicrous idea to company executives.
The Mustang at home, in Tampa Bay. Photo courtesy Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.
Ferguson Research’s all-wheel-drive system did find its way into a production automobile, namely the 1967 Jensen FF (for Ferguson Formula), a longer-wheelbase version of the Jensen Interceptor that also featured the Dunlop Maxaret anti-lock braking system. Performance was impressive, but handling was said to be sublime, as the changes made to the Interceptor’s platform produced a car with added grip and a 50/50 front-to-rear weight balance. The Jensen FF was, arguably, the most advanced car in the world at the time of its introduction, but its sticker price 30 percent higher than the Jensen Interceptor delivered few buyers, and production ended after just 320 were assembled.
In 1980, Audi would debut its all-wheel-drive Quattro, which would quickly revolutionize racing in several series, including the World Rally Championship. Had Ford been more forward-thinking in regards to the Ferguson Formula all-wheel-drive system, this sea change may have taken place decades earlier. The world will never really know, but the remaining Ferguson Formula all-wheel-drive Mustang (or, possibly, Mustangs) stand as testament to lost opportunity.
The Ferguson Formula Mustang is on loan from the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, and will be on display at the Saratoga Automobile Museum as part of its Mustang 50th Anniversary display through November 2. For additional details, visit SaratogaAutoMuseum.org.
