The Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic names in the automotive world as a whole. It is also one of the most modified and restored automobiles in recent times. But sometimes, some of the best creations can be forgotten no matter how good they were. Among the many Mustang recreations, this one may just be among the most beautiful ones. Italdesign is known for its beautifully design concepts and production cars.

They are known for collaborations with high-end brands like Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and many more, creating some of the most beautiful cars in the world. The head designer Giorgetto Giugiaro is well known for many of his iconic designs in the automotive industry. In 2005, Italdesign decided to work with Ford, but the project was led by his son.

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An American Muscle Car Styled By An Italian

In 2005, Ford had just launched the fifth generation Mustang which was a very good-looking vehicle with a lot of styling cues from the original Mustang. When Fabrizio Giugiaro saw this car he knew he wanted to work on it. He approached Ford with his idea and both companies worked together to make the project work.

Before anything else, the bright orange paintwork grabs your attention which is what you want in a car like this. The subtle changes start from the front with a smaller front grille and a much cleaner front-end design. The main car had lights in the middle which were removed for later models. There are new LED headlights with turn signals integrated into the headlight housing. Its grille may look simple at first glance, but the design has the Mustang logo all over it which is a cool detail.

The side profile looks simple with flared arches and newly designed 20-inch O.Z racing wheels with orange inserts to match the paint. The rear side windows have been replaced with louvered ones with more pronounced body lines from front to rear. At the back the taillights look remarkable, it takes inspiration from the 1964 Ford Mustang. But they have gone one step further having an arrow-like design that blends seamlessly into the bodywork. It also gets new rectangular dual exhaust tips.

Despite the stunning exterior, most people would instantly inquire about the full glass roof. This allows people to get a full view of the interior from the front and the back. Another party piece is the electronically operated doors which are just as cool as the scissor doors on a Lamborghini. But the entire car’s design is not dramatic but instead highlights the beauty of this Mustang.

Vehicle Dimensions

Fabrizio Giugiaro’s idea was to highlight the beauty of the Mustang and still maintain its identity. The car is two inches shorter, two inches lower, and four inches wider than the standard car. It has a longer hood, shorter rear, wider and lower, and the roof line from the front is more raked to accommodate the full roof glass. The entire vehicle is also made out of carbon fiber which lowers the vehicle's weight.

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An Interior Fit For A Bentley

This Mustang has the most beautiful interior fitted to any American car, it looks like something that belongs in a Bentley. There is leather everywhere in different colors and finishes, some have been designed to mimic horsehide which gives it an interesting look. The rear seats are not left out as they are trimmed in fine leather with the horsehide effect just like the front.Another thing you notice is the use of chrome on many surfaces like the dashboard, instrument cluster, air vents, steering wheel, center console, and gear shifter.

The Instrument cluster is so beautiful with chrome surrounds and red lettering inside. The steering wheel is also redesigned and re-trimmed in leather with a chrome center. It also has a cleaner dashboard look with three screens each fed by the mirror and rearview cameras. Unlike early screen situations, this design would still look really clean today. The gear shifter is also an interesting piece, there are intricate details apart from the chrome finish.

It looks like a connecting rod and stands proudly in the center console. This interior is very luxurious and is further aided by the complete glass roof.The full-length glass roof lets complete natural light into the interior and highlights the beautiful craftsmanship. This single glass piece was produced by Solutia in Detroit and has crystals in them that help filter out 100 percent UVA (Ultraviolet A) Rays. This means the glass won’t turn into a magnifying glass and heat up the interior.

Giugiaro said he was worried about heat, but he had tested the car on sunny days, and it wasn’t a problem at all. Other cool features included a push-button start which is commonplace now but was a novelty then. There are also the fancy scissor doors which are electronically operated with the push of a button. If you thought the electronic Koenigsegg and McLaren Speedtail doors were fancy, the Giugiaro Mustang had it in 2006.

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A Very Powerful V-8

This Giugiaro Mustang was much more powerful than the original car it was based on. It used the same engine as the regular car, but Ford fitted a supercharger on it. This gave the car 200 extra horsepower which was a 40 percent power gain over the standard car. This made it the most powerful fifth-gen (S197) Ford Mustang for a very long time. Even when Ford made engine updates to the Mustang and gave it a new five-liter engine, it still didn’t make as much power.

Engine Specifications

The only factory Mustangs that made more power were the later GT500 models which also had superchargers but with a bigger 5.4 liter V-8 engine.The Giugiaro Mustang wasn’t just a concept but a running and driving vehicle. It had some mechanical improvements and a custom Ford handling package which included a new suspension setup and a lower right height. These changes were needed to handle the power this car came with. All that power was sent to the rear wheel via a five-speed Tremec manual which was offered on the regular Mustang.

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Only One Example Was Made

While Italdesign does work with manufacturers on bespoke projects like the Maserati MC12, and DMC DeLorean. They do a lot of concept design studies with various brands which is exactly what the Mustang project was. Fabrizio Giugiaro said it was the most beautiful Mustang in decades which was why he wanted to work on it.

This multimillion-dollar project was the only one created but unlike most concept cars it was running and driving. Fabrizio even said he and his father drove the car a lot while in Italy. Motortrend also had a chance to drive this stunning concept car and since Ford was fully involved, it drove well. This was such a beautiful design study and many of its design cues could be found on the updated 2010 Mustangs.