The 2015 Ford Mustang, this all-new global pony, has been redesigned from head to toe, bumper to bumper. With a new platform dubbed the S550, every little detail on the new sixth-generation pony has been touched, redesigned, and modified in some way. No detail, no matter how small, has been left unchanged. Ford recently released a series of videos detailing the creation and engineering behind the new Mustang.

2015 Ford Mustang: Stories From The Creators

“Fifty years, that’s a big deal. It is iconic,” says Tom Barnes, Vehicle Engineer Manager for the 2015 Ford Mustang.

Fifty years is a HUGE deal, we agree. What better way to celebrate 50 continuous years on the road than with the creation of a brand new masterpiece? One that is the heart and soul of Ford Motor Company.

To enthusiasts, this new change for the Ford Mustang is bigger than big. What starts with two-dimensional sketches created by designers, eventually ends up as a full-size clay model. From the fighter-jet cockpit to the fastback profile, retro cues may still be present despite its new role as a futuristic global pony.

Designers knew that this pony had to be different, better than ever. It had to be lower, wider, but still proportional. The interior designers knew that the car needed large analog gauges in front of the driver, as well as a double-brow theme. For efficiency, the designers started checking out airplane wings and how they were put together and constructed, and that’s when the designers picked up on the airplane cockpit “fighter pilot” feel for the interior.

The brand new EcoBoost is both nimble and light and provides great performance. The 5.0-liter is also a performer pushing out an impressive 435 horses out of its eight cylinders.

Now the new Mustang features a new rear suspension which allowed for more handling optimization. The new redesign was more than throw a new body on a new chassis. With some sweet and updated new technology, it was built from the ground up and vigorously tested in every area possible to ensure that this Mustang was more agile, nimble, and an all-around fantastic performer no matter what driving style is thrown its way.

Engineering The 2015 Ford Mustang:

Keeping the all-new Mustang development a secret was a job in itself for the designers at Ford. Judging by spy photos seen over the web while testing on the streets of Dearborn, people will climb trees, peep through windows, and go to whatever means necessary to get the shot they need to uncover the big secret. Ford went through great lengths to keep the secrecy of the new Mustang.

Considering that everything on the car was brand new from head to tail, vigorous testing was required. That goes for everything on the car from radio reception, and wind noise, to how the car rides, how it steers, and, of course what it sounds like.

Steering and throttle response are all optimized by Ford, but these settings can be changed to driver preference thanks to the technology that went into the car. Even the convertible top operates twice as fast as any previous Mustang models. The suspension system has been redone front to back with a new double ball joint front suspension for better steering and handling. An entire team is dedicated to making sure that the new Mustang sounds incredible.

According to Dave Pericak, Chief Engineer of the new Mustang, the performance of the new EcoBoost engine is almost equivalent to the V8 engine used in the 2010 Mustang models.

Designing the 2015 Mustang:

Designing an American car that has been around for fifty years is a hard task, but it is the opportunity of a lifetime. Everyone is familiar with the Ford Mustang.

Bringing the Mustang back to its original roots required three things: the fastback profile, the tri-bar taillights on the rear, and the shark nose on the front “almost appearing like it might bite someone’s head off.” That’s how Kemal Curic, Exterior Design Manager, explained it, and we couldn’t agree more.

Efficiency was a big part of the design, incorporating the airbag into the glove box door, which helped transform the design language of the car, making it much leaner. Like mentioned earlier, that’s when the cockpit came to life, almost like it came straight from the inside of an airplane, or fighter jet.

Obsessed with detail, the designers spent countless hours transforming this car from a two-dimensional sketch to the life-size clay model to the 2015 Mustang that was globally unveiled back in December.

Love it or hate it, the new S550 Mustang is here to stay, and it’s more aggressive than ever!