Giugiaro Mustang a true thoroughbred

Okay, you can stop drooling now

Sit up and take note: this is the 'Mustang by Giugiaro', an extreme interpretation of Ford's pony car that melds American muscle car values with European styling finesse.

The one-off showcar was undoubtedly the star of the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, where it had attendees slobbering like loons with its exquisite proportions and sheer menace.

Ford's official line for now is that the show car is purely a flight of fantasy, but there is a school of thought that suggests what you're really looking it is a precursor to the 2010 Mustang.

The concept was hatched when Italian stylemeister Fabrizio Giugiaro -- the son of Giorgetto Giugiaro, who styled the original Volkswagen Golf and Lotus Esprit, among others -- suggested to Ford design chief J Mays that he do an 'Italian Job' on the Mustang.

"When we saw the new (2005) Mustang, we knew two things: It was the best we'd seen since the original, and we had to get our hands on one," said Giugiaro.

Design aficionados will remember that Fabrizio's father -- who last year celebrated his 50th anniversary in the business by designing a custom-made Ferrari, the GG50 -- created the 1965 Bertone Mustang.

The car, which was unmistakably Italian in its interpretation, became the first European-styled car to make its international debut in America following the end of World War II.

Visually, the Mustang by Giugiaro appears more compact than the production car, thanks to a reduction of the rear overhang and a signature Giugiaro 'trick' of tapering the angles on the car to the limit of its mechanical outlines.

The show car is actually broader than the showroom variant -- it's 30mm wider at the front, and a massive 80mm wider at the rear, which helps give it proportions reminiscent of Italian mid-engined supercars.

However, it's not just a showpony as under its long snout nestles a supercharged 4.6-litre engine that ramps up power from the donor car's 225kW to around 373kW.

Apart from the twin-scroll supercharger (running at 11psi), the V8 also gains fuel injectors from the Ford GT and unique engine calibration. Exhaust performance is enhanced with new Ford Racing mufflers and an 'X-pipe'.

Complementing the added grunt is Ford Racing Handling Pack, which adds Dynamic-tuned dampers, lowering springs and anti-sway bars. The car rides almost 40mm lower than the production Mustang GT.

And it actually "drives as good as it looks," says Giugiaro.

"After taking it to the limits on streets outside of Turin, I can honestly say this car was well worth the 30,000 hours of blood, sweat and tears that we invested to create a modern performance classic."

All we can add to that is: Please build it, Ford...