2010 Mustang Promises Classic Design Cues Once Again

There’s not much to say about the upcoming 2010 Ford Mustang, except that it’ll be an update of the current car rather than a wholesale makeover, and up until now only heavily masked spy shots have teased fans of the original pony car. Of course, Ford isn’t exactly letting the proverbial cat out of the bag with its latest round of teaser shots, but much can be gained by close scrutiny.

First off, the angle of the front fascia shows that the new car will pull some design cues from the beautiful Mustang concept that preceded the production model, or at least it showed up on the auto show circuit well before the real thing did. According to Ford’s design team that concept came later, actually, and it was already too late to make major changes to the production car. The new Mustang’s outrageously strong sales have proven that the original design was good enough as it was, and some aspects of the show car, like the forward canted fascia, materialized on the Shelby GT500 later, so we could say that the 2010 Mustang will pull design cues from the Shelby and be just as accurate.

Either way, this will be a positive move for Mustang fans, and also expels any rumors about the midlife update using elements from Giugiaro’s comparatively radical Mustang Concept shown in 2006 other than a more smoothly integrated front bumper and a more sophisticated looking headlight cluster, and the stunning burnt orange metallic paint scheme. There may be more from this concept in the 2010 production model, but for now all we see is a subtle up-kick in the car’s beltline as it passes the rear of each door and approaches the rear wheel arch,

A new “GT” badge is all we see of the rear, so we’re left on the lurch regarding the taillight treatment, which was one of the most controversial aspects of the Giugiaro design, although Ford has shown us a gorgeous set of five-spoke rims and unusually a teaser of the interior, this photo half of the new steering wheel and updated dash, featuring part of the revised Mustang logo and new cruise control switchgear, plus a peak at the modified gauge cluster behind.

Fortunately we don’t have long to wait, as the car will debut in the metal at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Of course, we should expect more teasers before then, but don’t bank on seeing the taillights before the actual launch.