It comes conjuring back this year. On the eve of its 40th anniversary, a new Mustang has emerged from the Ford Garage, galloping into the present in time to give Ford an icon on which to sell the redesigned 2005 Ford Focus and new Ford Five Hundred.

It's simple. People need a reason to get excited about Ford cars again.

When it arrives this fall, the Mustang will do the trick -- if it drives like it looks. And all indications are that it will meet the standard of a design that wowed journalists as a concept last year. Designed after classic pony cars of the 1960s, the fastback roofline and trapezoidal rear windows echo 1965-66 Shelby Mustangs, and up front, the shark-like headlamps and grille suggest 1967-68 ponies. It is an inspired design that echoes glory days of the past in a contemporary design that will not feel out of place on the road. It's not a classic car - it's the remaking of a classic. And if it handles with the same inspiration of its design, the Mustang will likely bring back the passion and the unadulterated fun of a good rear-wheel kick in the pants.