Mixed Racer; When you marry an all-American boy to sexy Italian supermodel designers, the result is downright breathtaking.

Byline: DUTCH MANDEL

The Italian culture is great for ancient history, spectacular wines and soccer champions. Oh, and a populace that seems impeccably dressed. Yeah, the locals know how to drape a shape in high style to accentuate-and hide-what the body has to offer.

As the Mustang is arguably one of the hottest bodies in the world, it was the perfect palette to begin with, said Italdesign styling director Fabrizio Giugiaro. "When we saw the new Mustang, we knew two things: It was the best we'd seen since the original, and we had to get our hands on one.''

The Mustang by Giugiaro concept that you see on these pages and in greater detail at www.autoweek.com made its Los Angeles show debut Nov. 28, but it is by no means the first time it saw sunny California climes. A year ago last August, tucked in the driveway of a private home along Carmel's famous 17-Mile Drive, Ford design chief J Mays, along with Giugiaro, gave the world a sneak peek. Assembled guests were sworn to secrecy (partially because the car was in its infancy): Do not utter a word of the project.

It looked like a complete car, but it was nowhere near. It was, in fact, a styling buck created by Giugiaro with some Ford guidance, and it came together in a mere four months. Though thrilled with the execution, because of Ford's financial constraints, the project stalled. All parties had hopes it would debut at the Geneva show in March, but that didn't happen. Neither was it shown at Paris in September. In the car show life, that is an eternity.

Yet in that eternity, something did change-and that was the Ford regime. Not that there is more money to throw at projects like this, but there's unwavering support for product development. For the relaunched L.A. auto show, one of the sexiest, most muscular Mustangs ever was finally presented to the world. It was the Italian design firm's first-ever reveal in Los Angeles."This design study reinforces the global appeal of Mustang, yet it's right at home in L.A.-America's most enthusiastic performance and muscle car market,'' Mays said. It didn't hurt that Italdesign founder and design icon Giorgetto Giugiaro offered to work on the Mustang alongside son Fabrizio. Design aficionados remember that the senior Giugiaro created the 1965 Bertone Mustang, which was the first European-styled car to make an international debut in America following the end of World War II.

This second Mustang concept was the son's ...