Ford’s decision to use the Mustang nameplate to sell an electric crossover may have upset some fans, but rumors suggest that it will go in the complete opposite direction with a new mid-engine model that will apparently be unveiled during Monterey Car Week.
Although the new seventh-generation Mustang is keeping combustion engines alive in the pony car segment, Ford doesn’t have anything to compete with in the supercar segment since the discontinuation of the Ford GT. That will reportedly be rectified.
According to a report from Ford Authority, the mid-engine Mustang will be revealed this Thursday, August 17, at Pebble Beach and will be built by Canada’s Multimatic.
Read: Ford Mustang GT3 Racecar Debuts With A Serious Face, Eyeing A Le Mans Return
Despite being called a Mustang, the new model will not be based on the same platform as the front-engine model. It is not clear if it will use a modified version of the Ford GT’s platform, but the report claims it will be a supercar.
If the mid-engine Mustang is based on the Ford GT platform, it will have to be a serious performer. The Chevrolet Corvette will be a difficult benchmark for Ford’s new supercar, because of its high performance and relatively low price.
Whereas the Chevrolet currently starts at $66,300, the GT’s use of exotic materials meant that it started at around $500,000. Even the blistering Z06 trim, with its 600 hp V8 and its performance bona fides, costs just a little over $100,000.
The use of the Mustang nameplate may suggest that Ford is looking to bring down the price of its supercar, though. We’ll find out a lot more on August 17, when Ford says it will unveil something that has “the performance of a supercar, the soul of an icon.”
