The original ponycar is redesigned for its 50th birthday as a slightly smaller and lighter Mustang promising better fuel economy, performance, and handling. Fresh styling completes an updated Ford icon that will face off against a brand-new Chevrolet Camaro.

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What It Is

The 2015 Ford Mustang marks the 50th anniversary of the “original ponycar” with a substantial redesign--the model’s seventh, by our count. Though it’s unclear how extensive the makeover will be, the new generation is expected to premiere in a major media blitz at the April 2014 New York Auto Show, exactly half a century after the original’s debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Model offerings at launch should comprise the usual sloped-roof coupe and cloth-top convertible in V6 base and V8 GT trim, plus possible new turbocharged 4-cylinder versions. The recently introduced V8 Boss 302 coupe should return as well. All will maintain Mustang’s traditional long-hood/short-deck proportions and front-engine/rear-wheel-drive format, plus a good many under-skin components from today’s “S197” generation, say some sources. The super-performance supercharged-V8 Shelby GT500 models will reportedly take a year or two off, then return in updated form, perhaps for model-year 2016.

Mustang is not the high-volume seller it once was, but it remains a high-profile showroom lure whose sporty-performance image tends to rub off on other Blue Oval cars to the benefit of total brand sales. Mustang’s sensational early success prompted Detroit rivals to field their own ponycars. Chief among them was the Chevrolet Camaro, which was revived for 2010 after a seven-year absence. Camaro, too, is slated for a 2015-model redesign, thus setting up another grudge match in the century-long battle between the two traditional top sellers among domestic auto brands.

For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:

• 2012 Ford Mustang Review and Prices
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