Chevrolet might have annoyed some fans with the mid-engine layout, but its excellence is clear and the Mustang in these images is a proof of concept.
A mid-engine Mustang – yeah, it sounds like sacrilege, but this unorthodox idea was also the unlikely ‘eureka’ moment that birthed the C8 Chevrolet Corvette into existence, and that car surpassed even perhaps Chevy’s expectations.
The Ford Mustang is a muscle car though – or pony car if you want to get nitpicking – and the Corvette is a sports car; it just isn’t in a muscle car’s DNA sequence to house the powerplant towards the rear of the vehicle.
This 2024 Ford Mustang render courtesy of prolific HotCars artist Rostislav Prokop takes a leaf out of the Corvette’s blueprints and redesigns the car around a mid-mounted engine platform, and in doing so creates another eureka moment for the Ford brand.
There is a reason that this could actually make more sense than you think, so let’s have a look at the sure-to-be-divisive design.
A 2024 Mustang With A Mid-Engine Design Makes The Car A Corvette Rival
Even though the Mustang isn’t in competition with the Corvette, it could soon be if it came in a format such as this one. Let’s face it, the next Mustang will be electric, and following the hybrid Corvette E-Ray the ‘Vette itself will be an EV.
So this engine setup for the prancing horse might work well in the interim while the next generation’s electric powertrain gets finalized and provide for a fresh and balanced new set up.
It looks fresh in the exclusive images – more like a supercar, and arguably not worse off for relocating the engine and adapting some of the bodywork to fit the new engineering direction.
The images present in burgundy or black, and up front the 2024 Mustang’s distinctive headlamps return, with a sharper eye line and a longer black vent on the custom hood.
The front section of the car which now houses a ‘frunk’ looks shorter and the whole car’s silhouette looks like that of a grand tourer like an Aston Martin more than a muscle car.
Will They Make A Mid-Engined Mustang And Why Should They?
Moving on, chunky side sills and large side air ducts fore of the rear axel allows air to the engine and the rear quarter window gets replaced by vents. It isn’t clear if the car would house 2 rear seats – there aren’t many 4-seater, mid-engine cars aside from the Lotus Evora and a few others – but the render looks cohesive and well-proportioned.
Up back, just take a look at it: the long, flat rear ends in a small black wing with the four enormous exhaust tips integrated into the bumper.
Ford’s iconic rear lights return for this car, and the engine cover gets tinted with various vents along the sides.
It’s an age of change for our most loved of sports cars, with the Ford destined to become an EV, the C8 Chevrolet Corvette undergoing hybrid surgery to become the E-Ray, and other names dying out like the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger.
We know the Corvette range will expand in the future, too, so with the Mustang brand already encompassing a crossover EV, this sports car concept could very well be another interesting direction for the Mustang. There are no plans for a mid-engined Mustang, but from the looks of this render, there maybe should be.
