Future Mustang and Lincoln Coupe?

Ford planned more than a decade ago to use a common rear-drive platform for the Australian Falcon and the Mustang. It never happened.

At first glance, this Mustang looks somewhat altered. Take a close look and you can spot the differences in this prototype and the cars in the showrooms.

From the front there is little to see that’s different. However, that galloping horse set alone in the grille is a design not offered on current Mustang models. New air intakes, eventually, require on road testing even though climatic wind tunnels are now used by the industry.

The kind of wheels you find on much more expensive cars than the Mustang?

From the side, there are the blacked-out wheels. I counted twenty spokes in these rims, many more than you see on any current Mustang, and I think a big hint to the car’s identity.

They are the kind of wheels you find on much more expensive cars than the Mustang. Can you see a Lincoln of this rear-drive platform?

This is a working Ford test vehicle, whatever it is.

At the rear, some work is evident from the tear-up of the modesty panel. Material is cut away at the sides of the panel near the exhaust pipes and below the bumper line. That’s to make room for the repositioned tailpipes.

Below all is a silly little receiver that’s usually used for a trailer tow bar. Here, it’s used as a disguise to hide the new independent rear suspension that Ford is planning for the 2015 Mustang and Lincoln coupe.

Still doubt the purpose of this vehicle? Check out the M-plate at the rear and the PITOT tube on the roof. It’s a pure test vehicle.