From Jonathan Lamas,
Your Guide to Mustangs.
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Fabrizio Giugiaro knows Mustangs. After all, his father Giorgetto Giugairo is the designer behind the 1965 Bertone Mustang; a custom car which was a collaboration between Ford Motor Company and the automotive publication Automobile Quarterly. The Bertone made its first appearance at the New York Auto Show in April of 1965.

It was the 2005 Mustang, however, that attracted the attention of Giorgetto’s son Fabrizio. The Giugarios set their eyes on the fifth generation Mustang for the first time at the car’s 2003 North American International Auto Show unveiling in Detroit. “When we saw the new Mustang, we knew two things,” said Fabrizio. “It was the best we’d seen since the original, and we had to get our hands on one.”

Concept to Creation

In early 2005, Fabrizio contacted Ford Motor Company’s group vice president, Design and chief creative officer, J Mays. Fabrizio’s pitch was for his company, Italdesign – Giugiaro S.P.A., to create a custom Italian Mustang for Ford. Mays liked the idea and gave his approval. Using the 2-D design process, Fabrizio was able to deliver a complete exterior model within four months. A year later, the Giugiaro Mustang made its debut at the 2006 L.A. Auto Show (See Photos). That’s not to say the car was an easy build. Fabrizio says his team put 30,000 hours of work into the Mustang over the course of its design. How’s that for late nights?

Exterior Design

All of Giugiaro’s hard work paid off in the end, as enthusiasts and critics alike marveled at his design. Giugiaro is known for tapering the angles on a car to the limit of its mechanical outlines. As such, the orange Giugiaro Mustang Concept features a longer hood than the standard fifth generation Mustang. It also features a shorter back end that somewhat resembles a fastback. The car is also wider than the standard Mustang. According to Ford, “The Giugiaros added 30 millimeters to the front, gradually expanding the width by a full 80 millimeters toward the rear, which is typical in Italian design.” Best of all, the car features doors which open vertically at the touch of a button.

Another custom feature of the Giugiaro Mustang Concept is its special roof, produced by Solutia of Detroit. The roof is made of a single curved glass panel which bridges the windshield and rear window. The panel is made from a type of crystal which is said to filter out 100 percent of UVA rays while providing one-of-a-kind views. The car also features carbon fiber fenders and arrow-shaped Bespoke taillights, complete with 20-inch rims, sporting 275/40 tires up front and 315/35 tires in the back.