1979 Ford Mustang Daytona Concept Heading To Auction

From time to time, we see Ford concepts from the past surface for sale at auction, which is always an exciting occasion for Blue Oval fans. After all, not everyone gets the chance to own a real-deal concept car of any kind, and even if they typically aren’t road legal or able to be registered, that’s still worth something. Now, pony car fans will soon get the chance to bid on this very unique 1979 Ford Mustang Daytona Concept, too.

This 1979 Ford Mustang Daytona Concept is set to be auctioned off at Mecum’s Indianapolis, Indiana sale next month as one of just five such models built for Ford by Cars and Concepts – though this one is believed to be the only example of that lot that received all of the planned updates, and is also thought to be the only one in running and driving condition. On the outside, those mods include a T-top conversion, a one-piece smoked grille panel with an etched pony log, 1979 Lincoln Versailles headlights, a smoked plastic rear panel, and Dayton wire wheels.

Inside the cabin, one will find more custom features including sun visors for rear occupants, Medium Tan leather seats, a tan leather headliner, a three-spoke leather steering wheel, smoked plastic instrument panel and door inserts, a full length console, as well as smoked trim on the passenger side of the dash – which also features gold “Daytona” lettering. Power comes from the 5.0L V8 engine, mated to the four-speed manual transmission, while the suspension and dual exhaust have been modified as well.

After it was built, this 1979 Ford Mustang Daytona Concept was displayed in FoMoCo’s booth at the 1979 New York, Chicago, and Detroit auto shows, it served as the pace car for 1979 Daytona road course events, and it was on display at the Henry Ford Museum for 20 years – not to mention various magazine features. Now, it’s looking for a new home, joining some other concepts in recent months including a preproduction 2005 Ford GT and 2005 Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin.