Could look like this according to this month's Road&Track.

 

I talked to a Ford rep and he assured me it would not have a Ford Fusion style front end. It will be 100% distinctly Mustang.

-Nick C.

 

Actually, this is the one that stands out to me the most. Catfish mouth aside, I like this most because it's crisp. You can put it right next to a new 4 series BMW and I'll take the Mustang.

However, all the other renders (orange) are too tame, all you could do is put them next to a Hyundai Genesis coupe and I would take the Hyundai.

 

I chose to manipulate Road and Track's rendering and came up with this.

 

Interesting mention of a GT350 with a 5.4 flat-crank V8 approaching 600hp.

Now that would certainly be an out-of-the-box thinking approach to performance, neither being the predictable 800 cubic inch bent crank locomotive motor typical of Detroit, nor the 4 liter many-turbo-gizmo-fest typical of just about any production performance V8 these days, anywhere.

The 7K redline wouldn't be anything special, perhaps he meant 8K, which isn't astounding these days, what with 8K+ Audis and BMWs readily available, nevermind the 9K Ferrari 458 dental drill, but that would be a lot for a generously sized 5.4 mill.

The flat crank is a lot lighter, dispensing with all the counterweighting of a bent crank, and is what gives these motors their chain-saw throttle response over the more, ummm, of a 90-degree crank. Also, the intake/power pulses are equal across the banks that, while losing that American V8 looping cadence does enhance inhaling and exhaling and thus, power. The old GT40 accomplished a similar effect on the exhaust side with their "bundle of snakes" headers that were possible with the mid-engine design and gave them a much smoother, Euro if you will, exhaust note, not so lumpy as a regular American V8s.

Anyways, I've only heard of this rumor this once, from R&T, so who knows, but that would certainly announce to the world, especially beyond our shores, that Ford's not content to simply do the same old same old with the Stang and that it will be very much a car of today and tomorrow, technology-wise, while retaining the basic concept and spirit of the original. Do recall that the original Stang, and the GT-350 had what was, at the time, the new, fairly hi-tech and definitely high-winding small block.

 

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/20...ion-64097.html

Interesting bit of information.

 

An 8k red line would be have hella-high piston speeds in a 5.4 displacement if its based on the coyote engine and its small bore size with MOD motor bore spacing. Even 7k is pretty high when you look at the current 5.4/5.8

Perhaps an entirely new engine that is approaching or passes a 100mm bore? That would get the stroke back down to manageable levels and keep piston speed in check.

Or perhaps Ford is looking into more exotic materials for the reciprocating assembly? A Flat crank and titanium rods along with lightened pistons (since the car is NA and not FI) might offer the lightweight strength needed to meet durability requirements in an engine that essentially moves at Formula One piston speeds.

 

Thats the first render I've seen that I actually like with some detail changes

IMO it looks too much like the current car or even the 2005-2009 gen Mustangs.

 

Especially with the greenhouse !

 

seems unlikely imo

 

Reminds me a lot of the gigi mustang concept.

 

That looks like nothing more than a modest redesign of this year's Mustang. I doubt seriously it will look much like that at all.

 

Do you believe the articles 450 HP? A Boss engine maybe? Is there 30 HP in the 5.0 engine? Could they have gone to direct injection?

 

450 seems a little high, and Ford won't be going DI just yet. I'd expect another jump like we had from the '11 412 to the '12 420.......so somewhere in the region of 430 or so.

 

The Boss 302 runs 444, so you can bet they can get another 6hp out of it.

 

Road and Track is saying a flat plane crankshaft??? Is that worth 6 HP?

 

I really doubt this is the case but I'll quote myself on this one.
Not all horsepower is created equally.

 

Actually R&T said, that the flat-plane crank will be on the 2016 GT350.
In 5.4L form, pumping out 600HP.

How true this is...time will tell.

Scanned in the article.
See the PDF file for better quality.
The JPG is a bit cut down.

 

"Similar" to the Fusion, perhaps, depending on how one defines "similar." Certainly not derived from the Fusion, component-wise, except perhaps for the most minor of elements.

Didn't the S197 front suspension share some design/component elements with the Focus?

 

While 450hp would be a nice healthy number for an na 5.0, it's nowhere near bleeding edge at only about 90hp/l. Heck, my 12 year old M3 makes about 104hp/l., the old Honda S2000 made about 120hp/l. and the Ferrari 458 wails out about 125hp/l.

So yes, there's still plenty of headroom left in the 5.0's power output.