This 1968 Ford Zephyr 6 MkIV (chassis BA56HT27190) is number one of 22 fitted with Ferguson four-wheel drive and Dunlop Maxaret anti-lock brakes, both still in their relative infancy for passenger cars of the day. Built as a test bed for these new technologies, the car racked up most of its 27k miles in trials before being abandoned. Since carefully restored, it’s sold with extensive documentation and is said to be in good running, fully MOT’d condition. Find it here at Brightwells in Leominster, Herefordshire, England where it will be auctioned on Wednesday, November 25th, 2015. Special thanks to BaT reader Kyle K. for this submission.

According to the listing, several manufacturers were approached, though only Ford was willing to cooperate with full warranty protection. Modifications were extensive, starting at the Ford factory, where a high-compression 3.0 liter Essex V6–normally only available in the upmarket Zodiac range–was fitted in place of the standard 2.5 liter unit. Once delivered to Ferguson, development and build work took another five months and involved the fitting of Mustang wishbone front suspension, trans tunnel modifications and more.

The car was then tested extensively on track and skid pad before serving shortly as a regular police car. Once the home office caught wind of the impending Range Rover, development was cancelled and the car was put into storage before finally ending up abandoned in a parking lot. Restored in the early 90s, the car is said to remain largely original where important and still retains its original, never-opened Essex V6.

Recent work included fitment of a new, custom stainless steel exhaust, a new distributor and a new Weber carb in addition to an oil change. A large collection of spares is available through added negotiation, including a new gearbox and an extra transfer case/sump/differential unit obtained directly from Ferguson’s stock of parts for the original 22 prototypes.

Believed to be one of only two surviving, a large collection of period documentation and acquired history is included in the sale and shown in photos within the ad.