Slideshow: Mustang's Design Balances Modern Edge with Vintage Muscle Car Nostalgia
The Ford Mustang has been an American icon for decades. Here's a look at how the latest Mustang's style plays upon the classic legacy.
The good old days... today
When asked if the Ford Mustang's future in 2014, then-current CEO Mark Fields spoke confidently of the nameplate's continued success, declaring the Mustang as a car with heritage, and that "heritage is history with a future." Given the rejuvenated interest as of late around the Mustang for its vintage pedigree, the statement was well-matched to the car. Multiple articles were written about the way this vintage notion influences Ford's marketing by itself. However, the design of the car itself lends itself to much of the same homage. Even if there isn't much left that's near-identically similar, the Mustang's done a better job than most with preserving the past.
Change is a careful balancing act
The Mustang's evolution between then and now has never been about conserving the past as it is. Sometimes, change is taken for its own sake; if a model design remains too static, prospective customers may find themselves bored and turn away-- that's even if the performance has improved. Visual changes in design can be incorporated to signify changes on the inside. Too much change, however, and you'll lose the spirit of the car.
If Ford has succeeded in evolving the Mustang, it's because that feeling has remained. The new body style in 2006 was informed by past nostalgia. Although certain things-- like the embossed interior ponies featured in late '60s Mustangs-- would be hard to recreate sincerely today without seeming kitsch, old elements can be alluded to in a fresh light.
Transition to turbo
The world of muscle cars has been turned sideways thanks to turbochargers. Turbo-optimized engines don't need to be as big to match the performance of a high-displacement V8; going small and turbo has many practical benefits, but it comes at the cost of the iconic engine roar. Even if engine noise could be seen as a negative for some, it's an expectation with any muscle car. Modern Mustangs that come with the turbocharged EcoBoost try to make up for this with fake engine noise. It's far from an optimal solution, but Ford is at least trying to come to a compromise that retains the experience. Just don't look for the man behind the curtain, we guess.
Classic flat dash
The modern Mustang interior is clearly distinct from the vintage, not least of all due to the inclusion of standard LCD touchscreen and sync features. Still, the aesthetic sensibility to retain the dash's distinctive flat heritage. Though there have been complaints of the interior materials themselves, the interior design counts towards the nostalgic glean many customers seek in the Mustang.
Keep the engine in the front, dummy!
Ask someone who Ford's most direct competition is and Chevy is usually going to be the first answer. Indeed, Chevy's own Corvette was the Mustang's prime rival for a long time, but the two have deviated. Where the Mustang aims to mediate a balance between old and new, the Corvette is downright iconoclastic. Aggressively modern by design, their upcoming C8 generation is slated to opt for a sleek mid-engined layout, more in common with European sports cars than the American tradition.
The combination's clear in this special edition
The Mustang has had an illustrious relationship with movies, pretty much from the start. The special edition Bullitt Mustang, built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the film of the same name, is a testament to the nameplate's stardom and proud legacy. It's also a perfect example of the Mustang bringing the new and the classic together as one. While clearly built on the foundation of the latest Mustang design, the 2019 Bullitt's "cool, refined, understated setup" (according to the project's lead engineer Carl Widdman) makes a point of reflecting the visual poetry of the original, not least of all the Highland Green paint it comes in (although black paint is also available!) The car's performance is a more telling throwback, opting for a six-speed manual transmission and the first 'Stang with a "distinct growl" in at least a decade, thanks to its 5.0L V8.
The past pays off
It's clear that the past rides with the Mustang. Although the Bullitt version is explicitly intended as a throwback, that same heritage is apparent throughout the modern lineup. You can take a look at the latest batch of Mustang models on Ford's official page here.
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