Ford Motor Company, which Led the way into a new sporty car market with the Mustang, then strengthened its hold on that market with the Cougar, will roll out the latest in sporty experimental cars when it unveils its Allegro II at the Oklahoma State Fair, opening September 24 in Oklahoma City.

An open, two-passenger roadster with storage space behind the seats, the car is a "second-generation" version of the original Allegro, which was a closed fastback design research vehicle that emerged from the Mustang development and was shown for the first time in 1963.

Gene Bordinat, Ford vice president - Design, described Allegro II as "another example of our generation by generation approach to the development of vehicles that ultimately contribute to production design."

The best example of this approach, he said, was the development first of Mustang I, then Mustang II, and finally the production car itself.

"Like its predecessor," Mr. Bordinat said, "Allegro II suggests both the agility and responsiveness of a sports car and the comfort and convenience of the average production vehicle,"

Built on a 99-inch wheelbase, Allegro II is l69.5 inches long and 66 inches wide, has a cowl height of only 33.25 inches and measures 41.25 inches from the ground to the top of its roll bar -- more than eight inches lower than the over-all height of the closed fastback version. It has a 53.5-inch tread front and rear and uses gold-band, wide-oval, 10.50 x 13 tires.

A wrap-around windshield eliminates the "A" pillar, provides improved visibility and contributes to a significant reduction in wind noise. Individual headrests are mounted on the Leading edge of the roll bar. Wrap-around tail-lights are visible from the side as well as the back. The rear end features a large, flush-mounted impact surface, and vertical rubber bumper mounts bracket a license plate holder recessed within the bumper.

Produced in the company's Corporate Projects Design Office, the car clearly shows the influence of Ford competition vehicles whose body design also resulted from work done in that area -- cars like the GT40 and the Le Mans-winning Mark IV.

Suggestive of racing design in Allegro II are the single Lucas highspeed driving lights, hood lock pins, exposed fuel cap, mirrors mounted on both sides of the body, and dual racing stripes — green-gold over the murano gold exterior -- that run along the hood and the luggage hatch cover. The wheels are of the spinnerless, knock-off hub variety.

The outstanding interior features of the original Allegro have been retained. They include fixed seats with self-stowing seat belts, adjustable foot pedals and a cantilevered arm steering system.

The centrally mounted steering wheel and arm pivot up and down and slide in and out at the touch of a button. When the driver leaves the car, he swings both the wheel and the arm up and forward. After re-entering, ha merely touches a "memory" button to return them to their original driving position.

Mounted in the recessed instrument panel is an experimental panelescent digital speedometer whose lighted numerals shine through the panel. There are also bucket seats trimmed in green-gold leather, black deep-pile carpeting, and a slotted, wood-rimmed, three-spoke steering wheel with a tachometer mounted in its hub.

Following its appearance at the Oklahoma State Fair, which runs through October 1, the car will be on display October 8-23 at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.

Dimensions:

Length: 4305 mm

Width: 1676 mm

Height: 1048 mm

Wheelbase: 2515 mm