201X Mustang – The Future?
If there’s one thing Ford Mustang fans know all too well, it’s to not be complacent with today’s awesome Mustang GT, Shelby GT500, and other powerful aftermarket derivatives a la Mustang. We’ve seen a lot of great things happen in 2010 and 2011, with 2012 only adding to the mix with the return of the Boss Mustang 302 and many other awesome attributes. So now, what do we get excited about in the 2012 Mustang, the 2013 Mustang, 2014 Mustang, and beyond? Will the Shelby GT500 slide to the wayside with a rebirth of the coveted SVT Cobra nameplate? Will the Boss remain the king of the road and track? What happens if the hippies win in D.C. and we step back to 4-cylinder engines, or gasp, electric power plants? It’s tough to tell, but right now, all we have to say is “the sky is the limit”.
So what happens when we turn the page on what already know will happen for the 2011 Mustang and 2012 Mustang? We look forward to a potential return of the Cobra nameplate. No, not the Shelby stuff we have tolerated loved over the past 5 years…the real deal; something to make Coletti do a double-take. SVT needs to put out something homegrown, something more than the already incredible showroom Mustang GT. How much horsepower will it have? 500? 600? 700? Who knows…and right now, who cares? 500 is the floor and the sky is the limit for boosted 5.0-liter (or greater) madness.
Back to the platform and underpinnings that made the Mustang an epic icon? The Fox body Mustang took the reins in 1979 after the insanity that was the fuel crisis in the US of A, and held on strong until 1993, when a light massaging of the external took place, but the die-hards out there knew the chassis was ruling just the same. What made the Fox so successful (and continues to be)? Simplicity. Style. Tact. Power-to-weight. So what happens when the Coyote meets a Fox descendant? A power to weight ratio that aspires to chase the Ariel Atom’s.
What’s more exciting is the fact that more power, less weight, and proper engineering all comes into play with enhanced handling. Who cares just how much horsepower & torque a car can lay on the pavement is the driver can’t even fathom of bridling it. Many curse the IRS in the straight line drags a la 1320, but seriously folks, look at the ‘Ring and other epic road courses the rest of the world runs…they don’t care about drool races, rather, they care about skill. An IRS under-pinning only helps the 2013 Mustang and/or the 2014 Mustang keep up with (and perhaps lead) the herd.
C’mon…it’s not that far-fetched. The Aussies already have a great base of tech down-under that Ford of the Americas could leach…err…benefit from. The Ford Falcon from AUS is a fantastic platform to start from; you know, rear wheel drive, V-8 powered, and plenty of “what we should have done” to go around. If you haven’t held the reins of a Ford, or Holden for the matter, from down under, then you have some living do do. They’ve kept the IRS alive. More so, rear wheel drive all the while. It’s great to think of what will come for the 2013 Mustang and even more so the 2014 Mustang.
So, as if 2012 and 2013 won’t be big enough years for the Ford Mustang, 2014 is sure to be a banner one, with special editions, aftermarket acceleration galore, and most importantly, the 50th Anniversary of the legendary pony car. There’s no telling what Ford might throw out for the 50th Anniversary Mustang. An EcoBoost Mustang, doused with twin turbos? An awe-inspiring Cobra R? A Mustang III?
Tough to tell with the economic, political, and volatile consumer times we live within, but there’s one thing for sure, the Ford Mustang nameplate will continue to persevere into the next years with the 2013 Mustang and the 2014 Mustang continuing to make headlines and turn heads.
Until then, see you at the track…
Tags: 2011, 2011 Mustang, 2012, 2012 Mustang, 2013, 2013 Mustang, 2014, 2014 Mustang, 5.0 Mustang, Ford, ford racing, Mustang GT
With aftermarket parts, performance upgrades and technology advances, there is NO telling what the future of Mustangs will hold for enthusiasts everywhere.
hate it, they are mixing different eras of mustangs not a smart choice, you want to make people happy take the 2011 and make it a fastback and then just do little options like lights, grills, wheels, paint colors, stuff like that, its more about someone making the car their own. if you completly change the body around especailly this way its just going to cause a stir and not in a good way. i personally believe the 2011 mustang is the best looking to date next to the 60′s and early 70′s. i say just stick with the customization of the current body style
oh god I hope thats not the next redesign.
looks like someone got bored photoshopped a Mustang front end to a picture of a Maserati Gran Turismo with a few subtleties here and there. I think its safe to assume the next generation Mustang will NOT look like this!
I strongly believe that Ford will not continue with retro. I just bought an ’06 GT and love it! I would however like to see Ford move forward with a modern look and even more modern technology. It’s the only way, in my opinion, that I think the Mustang will survive into the years to come.
I think that the Shelby nameplate should end with the retro theme, and bring back the SVT Cobra!!! The Cobra should be exotic, IRS, forced induction, lighter, and just plain sinister.
The GT should be a “de-tuned” version of the Cobra, N/A, but also run an IRS setup. Otional drag pack could include a solid rear axle with 3.73 gears or even 4.10s etc.
The base model could be had with a 4 or 6 Ecoboost. Yes I said 4 cylinder. I believe I last heard that the large majority of Mustangs produced are V6s. Why not a 4 cylinder SVO option??? Compete with the foreign small cars in price/value/performance? The Mustang will need to become a global car and maybe the 4 cylinder Ecoboost cars could be a European option?
Perfectly stated!
If this is the new design, which i highly doubt, the engine would be the only thing selling the car, that pic looks like a donkey only a mother could love
I’m not sure why people are still bashing the mustangs rear axle, “An IRS under-pinning only helps the 2013 Mustang and/or the 2014 Mustang keep up with (and perhaps lead) the herd”. From what iv seen with the 2011 5.0 its already leading the “herd”. It gives a M3 a run for its money around the track for fycks sake and destroys the IRS camaro by a long-shot. The only thing i see the IRS doing for the mustang is adding weight which it doesn’t need. If they can drop 400 lbs for the new model then maybe add an IRS, but for all i know it will handle worst since they wont have as much years put into developing the IRS as they have the Solid rear.
Uh…it doesn’t destroy the Camaro at all.
We need a lighter and smaller mustang, structural strength to handle the extra power that is coming is key. Yes this current body style looks great but the photo above is beautiful as well. Like the all new vette coming soon the weight as well as the interiors are key to to keep new and old customers coming. If Ford calls me I will be happy to place an order today for one with the top engine option.
What are you people talking about?! “European Options”, “Exotic”, “4 cylinder”… Have you forgotten the Mustang is an AMERICAN Icon… An original symbol of legendary American muscle! The retro reminds us of Mustang heritage, it’s roots. Ford is recreating that feeling we got in the late 60′s and 70′s when those ‘Stangs first pulled of the lot, only stepping it to a new level. In my opinion, Mustang can’t lose it’s V8, that’s like tearing it’s heart out. As far as the IRS, I agree with 99gt, I think it would be bad to just jump into it, especially when we done so much with a solid. I see a bright future for our ‘Stangs. Ford is reminding everyone why Mustang is King.
I agree, that the next gen Mustang needs an IRS to compete with the world class cars they are inching up to year after year. As far as not having the experience, the original article states accurately that Ford AUS has been working with them for years quite effectively. Keep a solid axle as an optional pkg for those that want it. 4cyl engines in a car the size of a Mustang are just not going to cut it however. Start with a NA 6, option a TT ecoboost 6 (possibly standard for base GT) then add a next get 5.0 for GT premium, and a TT v8 for the Shelby/SVT version. Above all, they have to improve the interior a bit more, and tweak the driving dynamics. Then we would have the original Pony car be a world class sports car too. Leading to higher volume sales, racing superiority on the strip and road courses, and extend the life of this true ICON. The only issue with offering the options I listed, is cost. All of these configurations would increase the base line prices as they would have to offset the R&D, and Ford has shown that it doesn’t want to push the entry level Mustang V6 or GT into current Premium level pricing. I might be in the minority, but I would prefer a Mustang that could BEAT the BMWs and Audis at all phases, ride, handling, braking, comfort, dynamics, acceleration, milage, and show that America can build it better for less money. They are closing the gap with the 2011 GT, and the 2014 could be the one that finally steps to the top of the podium as the best Sports/GT car available anywhere for under 70K.
[...] Feb 17th 2011EcoBoost Ford Mustang on the way17 Feb Or at least that’s at least what hints, hopes, and rumors point toward in the upcoming years of the Ford Mustang. We Mustang fans have to believe that [...]
http://p.webwombat.com.au/motoring/images/maserati-granturismo-1-big.jpg
Here’s the original car. It’s a Maserati with Mustang front.
They’re getting too far away from what aMustang should look like in my opnion. Let’s see if this works like it did in 1985 when I said to my cousin that they (Chevy) should make the Camaro just a ’69 one. It took 25 years or something but it came (back) and has been very successful.
The new design looks too much like the new Camaro.
Make the new Mustang exactly like the ’64 Mustang with all modernized stuff like the engine, transmission, etc.
Just a thought.
At least the Mustang will be made in the good ol’ USA!
I know some of us would like to keep the fantastic retro american muscle we have in the Mustang today. It is pretty fantastic, and you may get that wish. Ford cant develope a car only for Americans in the current automotive world. They at least need to develope a platform that will allow them to build other vehicles- Aussie Falcon/Lincoln Continental/Towncar/whatever, but if they dont see the market for these vehicles, its likely that the new mustand will be a refresh of the current model much like the SN95 (94-2004) was a refresh of the Fox bodied cars (79-93) A world class sports coupe certainly wouldnt be a bad thing.
It would be nice to see it be a tad smaller and lighter, 3500 pounds for a V8 model is a realistic number. As far as power goes, there is plenty of fantastic options already in the parts bin and its hard to tell where theyll go. Maybe 3.7 for the base, a V6TT for the GT and a (high volume and equal in price to the GT) Mach1 with 5.0 power. And certainly the limited production and high end Shelby/Cobra/Boss/SVO/Bullitt/etc models will appear with unique drivetrains.
How about a 600hp 5.0TT and AWD a la Nissan GTR for the next Cobra? Its nice to dream… and nicer to have the 80-100 grand that youd need to buy such a vehicle.
a smaller mustang would be great with a little bit more power irs could be a option and solid is what we always have but what you guys who have been commenting more towards the bottem is a new car so lets see it for how about 2 sports cars the american icon the mustang and something new that is small light awd and has that wonderful 5.0 we all know and love it could be the car to beat the GTR for a low price if ford wanted to they could do it but they dont think it will sell but they dont think of it this way a semi cheap american sports car that competes with the nissan GTR chevrelet corvette and the dodge viper (whenever it returns) and all the other cars that are running about 6xx hp and can find there way around a track now the gtr could be a little hard to be beat we could do it though and the ciper and corvette would be really easy just make it awd light and have the 5.0 with some good upgrade it would would the hell out of them
The Mustang pictured here has some good points like the rear side windows like my 69 mark 1 had, I have a 09 mustang and never liked the 67 looking windows, the 09 mustang has better rear tail lights then the feminine ones they have now, it make the rear bumper look to big. I think the only changes they need to make for now is the rear side windows and the tail lights and put it together for the 35 year anniversary Mark 1 in 2014
“SORRY” thats 45 year anniversary for the MARK 1
soy amante de los MUSTANG desde que tengo uso de razon mi primer mustang a los 18 fue un gt 1987 gt gris manual despues de tener el titulo desidi cambiarlo por un gt azul 1994 manual por supuesto una vez mas de tener el titulo volvi a cambiarlo por un 1999 gt combertible negro una vez mas con el titulo en mano me enamore completamente del nuevo s197 stilo y lo cambie por un 2007 gt negro y no lo cambio por nada lo tengo solo para shows y le he puesto mucha plata ahora pienso comprar un shelby 2007 para mi colecion o un saleen amo los mustang y la proxima generacion sera mejor creo que con solo dos asientos saludos a todos los amantes del unico icon americano
There are some good chances that the Boss 429 -the meanest, baddest and perhaps the most rare of muscle cars to date will be reintroduced for the 2014 50th Anniversary.
Ford (Found On Road Dead) is retarded no one wants the previous 2010-2012 mustang or classic designs screwed up by taking their style leave the car do minor detail you ford morons
Idiot. That is all.
thats funny because the races ive watched its been First On Race Day so far. CHEVYS NOT DOING SO WELL….LOL 24hrs daytona 1-2-3 ford sweep, bmw performance 200 boss 302 win,fiesta wins in rally,john force wins in nhra,2012 daytona pole 1-2 fords.