Ford Mustang leak has bolted

Well, it almost made it. The first official photos of the new Ford Mustang have spread like wildfire on the internet overnight after a US magazine published them 48 hours before they were due to be released.

Ford's global Mustang reveal -- a simultaneous unveiling in five countries including Australia, China, Spain and the US -- is now likely to lose its impact and the world's motoring press, many of whom were given early access to material, are debating whether or not to publish as well.

News Corp Australia was among a group of media shown the new Mustang at a secret viewing at Ford's design headquarters in Detroit in October. For now, we've elected to hold final details until the embargo lifts at 4pm Thursday December 4 Sydney time, coinciding with the local event.

But we can tell you what we've reported before we went into Ford's secret den. The new Ford Mustang will be available with four cylinder turbo or V8 power and is due on sale in Australia in late 2015, priced from about $45,000.

It is the first right-hand-drive Mustang made on a Ford mass-production line. Mustangs sold in Australia in the 1960s and early 2000s were converted to right-hand-drive locally.

Already the world's motoring press are asking if the new, sixth generation Mustang has the same design sizzle as the hugely successful model on sale in the US currently, whose design was inspired by the classic 1968 model.

The new Mustang appears to have carried the 1968 theme, but with a more modern and sleek appearance. In this week's issue of Autoweek Magazine USA, which leaked the Mustang images early, the headline asks "Is It All You Hoped It Would Be?".

Have your say in our comments section below, and visit our dedicated Ford Mustang hub for more information, background, fun Mustang ads from the past and the awesome Ford Mustang remote-controlled chase video.

Watch the desktop version of the 2015 Ford Mustang video here. 

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling