Usually, you would never see us talking about a Mustang unless it has been swapped with any one of our favorite LS and LT engines. However, Ford recently unveiled their new Mustang based on the redesigned S650 platform. As is typically the case, anytime a new Camaro or Mustang is debuted, the comparisons between designs and performance heat up quickly. Seeing Blue Oval’s latest pony car has us wondering where the Mustang design team got its inspiration. Are the similarities purely coincidental?

When viewed individually you may tend to think the 6th generation Camaro and new S650 Mustang look quite different.

Everyone Likes A Good Comparison

Throughout the history of the automobile, designers have always taken inspiration and artistic cues from other cars. People love to make comparisons and theorize who copied who and to what degree. With the help of technology, social media, and a software-savvy individual, we get to see just how similar two cars can be. Thanks to Instagram user @thecosmicwonder, we can see the 7th generation Mustang overlaid with the 6th generation Camaro. At first glance, it’s almost hard to tell that two cars are in the picture. Once you start to really look at the body lines and profiles, the similarities become all too apparent.

The obvious difference from the overlay is the front overhang between the Camaro and Mustang. The pony car is quite a bit longer than the Camaro when measuring from the front wheel to the front bumper. The second thing that sticks out is the roof lines and windshield angles. One is noticeably more laid back and flatter than the other. After that, distinguishing between the two models becomes a bit more interesting.

The length and shape of the door, the curved body line of the quarter panel, and the profile lines of the back half of the cars are all but an exact match. When looking at the overlaid image of the rear 3/4 shot of the Camaro and Mustang, the wheelbases of the two cars are within inches of each other. The taillights are slightly different, but both have enough of the same shape and angles that it adds to the questions of where the design cues originated from.

The S650 Mustang Is Keeping Rivalry Alive

The 6th generation Camaro is definitely a looker. So I don’t think anyone would fault a designer for taking cues from the latest GM muscle car. The question does have to be asked, though, at what point is an automobile’s design no longer just inspired by another car? These design comparisons will soon quiet down of course. Then we’ll be discussing the performance numbers between the two cars. It looks like the Camaro and Mustang rivalry will continue with vigor no doubt.