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There he was, Fabrizio Giugiaro himself taking over intro duties from Ford’s J Mays. English with a heavy Italian accent, Giugiaro went on about how Italian design could influence the American icon and how American styling themes were a bit away from current Italian thinking. “But I will try to make a silk purse out of this sow,” you could almost hear him uttering under his breath. Ah, yes, a spaghetti western worthy of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone.

Giugiaro and Ford Yield Italian Pony Car Concept
Ford retained Giugiaro’s Italdesign-Giugiaro S.p.A to create a modern (and somewhat Italian) interpretation of the iconic American sporty car.

Crammed into a small venue in trendy north LA, Ford trotted out hors d’oeuvres and rent-a-talent to showcase their new concept car. Forgetting the tongue-in-cheek comments it could be that a cue or two from the Giugiaro Mustang concept could find itself into future Mustang designs.

Italdesign-Giugiaro Adds Spice to Iconic Mustang Styling Cues
Visually, the Giugiaro Mustang looks smaller than the present Mustang thanks to a shorter rear overhang and a signature Giugiaro “trick” of tapering the angles on the car to the limit of its mechanical outlines. This is similar to the strong haunches seen on the Nissan Z and Infiniti G35.
Shown in a version of vibrant “grabber orange”, the concept is wider than the present Mustang.The Giugiaros added about an inch to the front, gradually expanding the width by a over three inches toward the rears, which is typical in Italian design.
The Giugiaro Mustang car looks more of like a fastback in side view because of its longer hood and barely visible trunk.
Horsehide Interior – Back to the Early ’70s!
With a nod back to the late ’60s and early ’70s when Ford was trying to really spin the horse thing with Mustang, Pinto and Maverick (OK, that’s probably a cow or something), the Giugiaro Mustang includes horsehide-covered headrests with horse logo accents; and seat cushions and backrests elaborately upholstered in dark brown mottled horse hides. Yessir, Fabrizio. Head ’em up – git them doggies!

Taking a page from the tuner community, the Giugiaro Mustang includes scissor-type doors that are hinged at the base of the A-Pillar and open vertically at the touch of a button.

Several of my colleagues at AutoPacific, especially car guru par excellence Jim Hall have taken exception with the rear design. Personally, I like it and see it as a modern interpretation of Mustang’s rear look. What Jim objects to is that the taillamp graphics are now horizontal and wrap around the rear quarters slightly. He contends Mustang should always have vertical taillamp graphics in groups of three. One of the coolest design elements are the peaked rear fenders blending into the muscular haunches of the quarter panels. Nicely done.


Ford Racing Breathes on the Powertrain and Chassis – Sweet!
The Giugiaro Mustang features a powertrain and chassis breathed on by Ford Racing. Ford Racing improved on the already-robust 300 horsepower all-aluminum 4.6-liter 3-valve V-8 engine in the production Mustang GT by adding an intercooled twin-screw supercharger for the new concept. Additional improvements include fuel injectors from the Ford GT and a unique engine calibration.
The powertrain upgrades deliver an estimated 500 horsepower, complete with a boost level of 11 psi from the Ford Racing supercharger. A high-efficiency Ford Racing aluminum radiator provides increased cooling capability to accompany the extra 200 horsepower provided under hood.
Under the car, a new suspension package adds new Dynamic-tuned shocks, lowering springs and anti-sway bars. The changes give the car a lower stance while sharpening handling response. The car rides approximately 1.5 inches lower than the production Mustang GT.