Ford Mustang ute revealed with Ranger tray

A one-off Ford Mustang ute built by Ford Motor Company has been revealed, but it's not a production model. Instead, it's the work of Ford's Experimental Vehicle Building (EVB) Metal Shop in the US.

The custom orange Mustang, based on the previous-generation S550 model sold in Australia, was revealed as the latest addition to Ford's US Heritage Fleet by its manager, Matt Korczyk, on social media.

“Until now, this concept has never been shown outside of the walls of Ford EVB (Experimental Vehicles Building)!!” he said in the post.

As reported by Autoblog, images show the Mustang's two-door body transformed into a wild-looking ute, which took hundreds of hours of labour for the Ford EVB Metal Shop team to create.

Mr Korczyk said the project was “a way to train apprentices by allowing them to get real-world, hands-on experience by way of building a concept car”.

The team modified the Mustang's sloping roofline, ending it just behind the front seats and removing the rear quarter windows and back seats, with the shortened cabin finished off with roof buttresses and a custom rear windscreen.

The Mustang's factory doors remain, as do the muscular rear quarter-panels above the wheels, but the original fastback rear-end has been replaced with an open tray.

This allowed the installation of a load-bed floor from the Australian-developed Ford Ranger ute, which was integrated into the Mustang's bodywork and finished with what appears to be a spray-in bedliner.

The original bootlid has also been modified to create a functioning tailgate between the Mustang's distinctive triple-bar tail-lights, providing access to the more practical 'Stang's load area.

There's no word on whether the Mustang ute is a running vehicle, although its quad exhaust outlets suggest it may have started life as a version powered by Ford's 5.0-litre 'Coyote' V8 petrol engine.

The front guards, bonnet and black alloy wheels appear to be sourced from a Shelby GT350, a high-performance version of the S550 Mustang not officially offered in Australia.

According to Ford, the vehicle began life as a regular production Mustang before being extensively modified by the EVB team.

“It also showcases the raw talent and skill of not only the apprentices who honed their craft on this vehicle, but also the talent of those who helped teach them,” Mr Korczyk's social media post said.

Ford's US Heritage Fleet includes around 150 historically significant vehicles, including prototypes, concept cars and production models. Based in Dearborn, Michigan, the collection is primarily intended for Ford staff, although selected vehicles are occasionally displayed to the public.

In Australia, the Ford Discovery Centre in Geelong, Victoria, showcased the automaker's local history before closing its doors in 2012, four years before the automaker ended local manufacturing.

The Mustang was Australia's best-selling sports car in 2025 and continues to lead the segment this year to the end of September. The Ranger, meanwhile, has been Australia's best-selling new vehicle for the past three years, and remains the overall sales leader for the first nine months of 2026.

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