Topic: Alan Mann Suspension Test car Feb. 1964

[T5owner]

Recently the sons of Alan Mann found an interior shot of the early preproduction car that Alan Mann got in February 1964. You may wish to spot the details here like the Falcon steering wheel knob and the interesting additional instruments installed. Maybe you find some more?

[66candy]

Floor mounted gas pedal maybe?

[carlite65]

doesn't appear to be.

[C5ZZ]

Cable running down by the shifter boot for manual choke most likely.
Interesting place to put it!

[67gtasanjose]

I say the cable could be for a performance related adjustment, to adjust or tweek something in while driving. It's a test car...Could be most anything from shock valving to ignition timing to fuel mixture. This being a suspension test car, I go with the shock absorber valving.

[mwizz]

That's a great shot, thanks for posting it

[WT8095]

Some history of this car, including an interview with Alan Mann:

http://www.ponysite.de/alanmann.htm

Other pages on the same site have bits of additional related info.

[T5owner]

Yes, that's by coincidence my webpage. It was tough to get Alan Manns ear at that time, took me 3 years of bugging his secretary then. Soon after the interview he went back to racing, so maybe it at least triggered something in him.
There was always some doubt that this early February car could have been also serial #30 which he might have had and is listed on Passino papers as sent to him aside from the #25 and #26 for the Liege rallye.
Yet it seems that this was indeed an earlier car or what is your experts opinion. John Grant and Brian Lews remembered more or less crips  or vaguely a #3, nevertheless little documentation was so far available. The real serialized #3 was a Worlds Fair convertible as you know. Maybe Henry and Tom Mann find more in digging through the boxes that would confirm it as a S-code Allan plant car.

And then there is a longtime rumour that this car pictured here is still around in the UK.

[CharlesTurner]

Weren't most, if not all, of the cars with VIN's stamped on the shock towers 'S' cars?

[T5owner]

Have you seen any of them, Charles? I understood so far that just 2 photo proofs are around of S-code (Allan plant) Mustangs, not more than 7 somehow known today and probably not more than 25 built there, at least until end of January 64 or before the journalist preview on Jan. 21st.  And that not even all of them got a stamping. Would be good to see a pic of the engine bay of one. 

Has 100001 or 100002 a shock tower stamping?

[svo2scj]

BOy that is one tall shifter !!   And the support tabs on the side of the dash are interesting.

Mark
P.S.  That cable looks more to be a COMBO cable with a housing for a switch and pull.  (like fire suppression and lights?)

[CharlesTurner]

Have you seen any of them, Charles? I understood so far that just 2 photo proofs are around of S-code (Allan plant) Mustangs, not more than 7 somehow known today and probably not more than 25 built there, at least until end of January 64 or before the journalist preview on Jan. 21st.  And that not even all of them got a stamping. Would be good to see a pic of the engine bay of one. 

Has 100001 or 100002 a shock tower stamping?

No, never seen any.  Don't believe 001 nor 002 have shock tower stampings.

[svo2scj]

Would be good to see a pic of the engine bay of one. 

You need to come "across the pond" more !

Mark

[T5owner]

Yes, maybe ...I remember that one from 2011 (at least that's when I saved it on my PC:-).

But I think Charles referred to this 5S08F100009 stamping shown here

http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/99729920%20w650%20h650%20cr1/ford-mustang-prototype-engine-bay.jpg

[Jan.Alsemgeest]

Cable running down by the shifter boot for manual choke most likely.
Interesting place to put it!

This repositioned cable was placed on that position by the Alan Mann crew to make it possible to shift in revers (it was connected to the reverse handle on the gearbox).  The car was delivered with a 260 (5 lugs wheels) and manual 3 speed and they change it to a 4-speed. I think they dont had the correct 4-speed shifter mechanism available during the tests. This is described in the book: live of chance. Because of this strange temporary solution it was not possible for the airport personal to get the Mustang in the Airplane when the need to fly to Holland for testing at the Koni shock factory proofing grounds. Alan Mann mechanics drove the car in the plane.