While our two countries haven’t been getting along as well as they have in the past, France is still America’s oldest and most stalwart ally. True, there are tremendous cultural differences, and what is a delicacy in one country might seem repulsive to the palette in another (lookin’ at you escargot). But one of the many areas where Americans and French people have united is our mutual love of the Ford Mustang.

To celebrate the long-awaited arrival of the Mustang in France, DesignBoom teamed up with Ford to give five creative types the chance to express themselves on the pony cars. Here Mathieu César, L’encrerie, Alexandre Vauthier, Noé Duchaufour Lawrance and Thomas Lélu lent their creative energy to the Mustang, and these are the designs they came up with.

Tattoo artists Leo Gavaggio and Jeremy Taltaud of L’encrerie wanted to convey codes with their Mustang, appropriating surfaces and shapes into their design to create something truly captivating. “We wanted to spontaneously evoke the idea of freedom,” the artists said, and in the automotive world, there are few enduring symbols of freedom as well known as the Mustang.

Noé Duchaufour Lawrance focused his efforts more on the Mustang’s name, integrating both mechanical aspects of the Mustang, as well as veterinary medicine from the 18th century. What we ended up with is some kind of muscle car/equine hybrid that distinct from anything else we’ve seen.

For photographer Mathieu César, the Mustang means road trip, and so he contrasted black and white in his design, placing power and imagination at the cornerstone of his pony car’s design. It’s good, it’s evil, it’s whatever you want it to be.

The design of Alexandre Vauthier’s Mustang is much more subtle than the others, and not readily apparent right off the bat. “I want to create a balance between speed, line, design and noble materials. completely dismantled, the car will receive new colors and materials that evoke those used today in the world of fashion,” he says.

Last but not least is Thomas Lélu, a multi-media master who decided to wrap his car in an erotic image of a woman from the 1970s. Yes, that is a boob, as the French are far less offended by the female form than many Americans. Does a boob belong on a Mustang? We don’t see why not, and regardless, it’s there. Definitely the most “out there” design if you ask us, but that’s France for you.