Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope and definitely nope. It’s actually a camouflaged prototype of the next-generation Ford Mustang, codenamed S650 as opposed to S550 for the sixth generation. Presented with dual outlets, the pony car in the featured clip is most likely a four-banger.
Teased in January 2022 in the guise of a V8-engined racecar, the S650 won’t come with eight-cylinder muscle right off the bat. Everyone is looking forward to the 2.3-liter EcoBoost carrying over to the 2024 model, complemented by the 5.0-liter Coyote that gives the Mustang personality with its DOHC valvetrain compared to the competition’s pushrod engines.
Spied by The Fast Lane’s Roman Mica, the prototype dons ten-spoke alloys. Back in April 2022, leaked photos of the most basic of specifications revealed five-spoke alloys for the 2.3-liter EcoBoost. In other words, those ten-spoke wheels are likely included in a package or a standalone option.
Believed to be rocking a dedicated platform with bits and pieces from the CD6 that underpins the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator mid-size utilities, the Mustang is expected to carry over the 5.2-liter Predator as well. Only the Blue Oval knows if the 5.2-liter Voodoo with its flat-plane crankshaft will be resurrected for the GT350, but we’re keeping those fingers crossed.
If General Motors had the audacity of shoehorning a flat-plane crankshaft in the Z06, the Blue Oval is probably going to respond in kind, more so if the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger will go the way of the dodo.
As ever, the Dearborn-based automaker is going to use a manual from Getrag, a manual from Tremec, a ten-speed automatic developed and produced by Ford, as well as a dual-clutch tranny supplied by Tremec. All-wheel drive isn’t probable… unless the Ford Motor Company surprises everyone with a hybrid like Chevrolet plans to with the Corvette E-Ray.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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