New Ford Mustang photos leaked

Despite Ford’s best efforts to conceal the body of its next-generation muscle car, the 2023 Ford Mustang has emerged online in a series of leaked images posted to the Ford Authority website.

We’ve seen a few heavily camouflaged prototypes navigating the streets of Detroit recently, but now the front fascia of both the entry Mustang as well as the higher-spec GT version have been revealed early and confirm rumours that the S650 generation will be more of an evolution of the current S550 rather than an all-out redesign.

This trait is far more apparent on the navy blue entry Mustang, but while the design has clearly moved on, it’s less aggressive than the current model in being squarer and with less of a frown.

The opposite is true of the silver GT which looks to have had the aggression amped up, primarily through its considerably larger grille and front intake, and the flush-sitting bonnet scoop.

It’s worth noting the semi-camouflaged lower-series car was snapped directly in what appears to be a warehouse or storage facility, while the pictures of the GT look to nabbed off a computer screen, hence the lower quality.

Regardless, the two variants finally being gifted their own unique styling cues should make it easier for passers-by to distinguish the two; the only clear way to tell the current versions apart on the fly is the GT’s ‘5.0’ badging – or to wind the window down and have a listen.

With the local axing of Chrysler and with it, the 6.4-litre Chrysler 300 SRT, V8-powered muscle and sports cars are in short supply Down Under, with the Mustang now being the only player priced below $120,000.

Those wanting a sub-$100,000 sports car with even distantly similar levels of power and/or performance to the V8 GT will have to opt for the new (and pricier) generation of force-fed six-cylinders like the Toyota Supra, BWW M240i and inbound Nissan Z.

Contrary to previous rumour mill output, a separate Ford Authority report claims the next-gen pony car will retain its traditional rear-wheel drive configuration and not be offered with all-wheel drive.

Hybrid power is still reportedly very much on the cards though, with both the turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder and free-breathing 5.0-litre V8 engines set to get an electrified update as part of the new generation.

What effect this has on output and performance remains to be seen, but it should bode well for pulling power and fuel economy at the very least.

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