The 2024 Ford Mustang S650 is right around the corner from hitting showroom floors, and the S550 Ford Mustang is just about ready to hang up its hat. It's no secret now that Ford has been rolling out test mules of all sorts, from the everyman's EcoBoost to the track-built Dark Horse, but now we finally have a clear view of the upcoming pony car greeting its elder.

Thanks to a post from the respected forum, Mustang7G, we get a peak at a fairly ordinary, current-generation Mustang EcoBoost sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with an uncamouflaged Dark Horse test car. While not disclosed, it can be assumed from the weather and road grime that this photo isn't far from the factory in Flat Rock, Michigan. So let's pick apart some real-world differences between the two eras of muscle cars.

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The 2024 Mustang Has A Somewhat Smoother Design

2024 Ford Mustang Vs Last-gen Mustang comparison front fascia view
Ford

It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, with one being an EcoBoost and the other a Dark Horse, but it's a decent peek at how the design language evolved. One thing that can be inferred off the bat is a return to form for the headlights, adopting a straight, slightly upward-canted shape akin to the pre-facelift S550 Mustangs produced from 2015 to 2017. GT350s and GT500s retained the same style of lights throughout their production run.

The overall look of the bumper is also a tad smoother than the 2018 to 2023 cars, with a wide lower grille area inspired by the Mach 1 and GT350. While the GT sports a different fascia than the Dark Horse, the lower grille area is similar. Additionally, EcoBoost and GT Mustangs have body-colored strafes dividing the lower grille, whereas we can see that they're gloss black on the Dark Horse.

A point of equal parts interest and controversy discussed since the S650's debut remains here, and that's the singular, centrally-mounted hood vent. Some enjoy its motorsports vibe, while others critique it for appearing too Camaro-like. But, whether you enjoy it or not, it's here to stay on all S650 Mustangs save for the EcoBoost, which will don a clean, non-vented hood. By contrast, prior Mustangs have always rocked two small, longitudinally-angled hood vents.

RELATED: Here's How The 2024 Ford Mustang Leaps Above And Beyond The Last-Gen Muscle Car

The 2024 Ford Mustang Will Come On Sale Soon

2024-ford-mustang-gt-exterior-front-on-track
Via: Ford

Thankfully, it won't be long to snag a new Mustang of your own to drool over. In another post from Mustang7G discussing a timetable from Auto Forecast Solutions, the new car is set to enter official production in March 2023. Order banks are set to open around the same time, with orders aiming to be delivered in the summer.

Source: Mustang7G