2015 Ford Mustang

Ford Mustangs sit in the parking lot of Mel’s Drive-in before they were picked up and taken for test rides by automotive critics. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Dec. 4, 2013 9 PM PT

The sixth generation, 50th-anniversary edition of the car blends past with present.

A new 2015 Ford Mustang in the parking lot of Mel’s Drive-in in West Hollywood on Sept. 17. Ford brought a fleet of 50 early-production Mustangs to Southern California for 250 car critics to put the car through its paces in the local mountains and on the Pacific Coast Highway. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Mustangs wait for automotive critics. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

A detail of the familiar logo. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Under the hood. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Purists will relish the 435-horsepower V-8 Mustang GT, a surprisingly nimble muscle car. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

The Mustang starts at $24,425 for the base V-6 Mustang. The four-cylinder turbo, starting at $25,995, costs just $1,570 more than the V-6 model. The traditional V8 GT model starts at $32,925. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

All versions come with either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters and rev-matching downshifts. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Ford Motor Co. aims to expand its appeal -- and sales -- across the oceans and beyond its niche of American loyalists (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

The new Mustang is the first car ever built that will offer engines in three different cylinder configurations -- all of them with more than 300 horsepower. There’s a V8, of course, but also a four-cylinder turbo and a V6. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

The all-new independent rear suspension was considered essential for Ford to update the Mustang’s handling and image. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

The 2015 Ford Mustang is revealed at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Ford is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the car. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)