Is A Non-Retro Mustang A Mistake?

That's right, muscle car fans, Ford's seminal brawny coupé is abandoning its 1960's tribute act styling and going back to the future. It's a brave move, given that the recent 'Stangs have been such an overwhelming success, and that the car now faces its toughest competition since its birth, alongside the reborn Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger.

So, why are Ford fixing the decidedly unbroken formula for the next car? Design boss J Mays, champion of 'retro-futurism' and he who penned the 2005 model going strong today, says it's time for a new car "to win all of the Mustang faithful yet bring the brand forward as well." Basically, it's got to walk the tightrope of hinting it's a Mustang, but "signal the Mustang has another 50 years of life left." No pressure then.

The gamble is especially risky since that the Mustang's doldrum years, in which many thought the car had lost its way, were during the modernisation-crazed Eighties, when the car first abandoned the pony car profile and classic grille/headlight combo. The aero look, unremarkable underpinnings and downsized engines were responsible for a huge sales slump (as was the irritation of an ongoing oil crisis) which almost led to Ford killing off the entire Mustang line in favour of a front-drive Mazda-based car. Only affection for the earlier Mustangs stopped the rot.

Tapping into this love of the original cars, by combining the styling of McQueen's Bullitt star with modern comfort and safety requirements, has made the Mustang a runaway success once again, just as its grandad was. (It's still the fastest selling car, ever.) The modern muscle game was such a goldmine Chevy and Dodge couldn't ignore it, wading in with their own interpretations of past glory, and seeing similar success.

As a business case goes, it's foolproof, since it's the exact same philosophy used back in the Sixties; take a simple platform, a big engine, cover it in a handsome body, and sell it for peanuts. Despite recession this and environment that, you can pick up the current top 'Stang, the 550 bhp Shelby GT500, for less than $50k. That's £31k over this side of The Pond, around £20k less than a BMW M3, which is 130bhp down, straight out of the blocks.

The current Mustang's slogan is 'All Legend. No Compromise." The danger for Ford is that when the all new car comes along in 2014, it'll have the legendary name, but not the looks, and as such it'll be going head to head with the best from Germany, the UK, and the USA,  but won't have that retro-genius trump card to fall back on. In its sink or swim market, Stateside, people buy the M3 because it's the best drive, or the Yankee muscle for how it looks. The new pony car is going to have to rely on a special drive, like none of its predecessors, if it's to last "another 50 years of life."

A motoring icon and a clean sheet of paper. Like I said, no pressure.