The original pony car is going global after 50 years. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) begins building its 2015 Mustang for export to more than 120 countries Thursday at its plant in Flat Rock, Mich. The new Mustangs will even include a right-hand drive version for the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and more than 22 other right-hand drive markets.

Ford launched a promotion for the new export model in the U.K. during the final match of the Champions League soccer match in late May. The carmaker received 9,300 applications to purchase one of the first 500 cars and sold out the offer in 30 seconds. Winners get to buy the car in 2014, ahead of the roll-out early next year.

The base MSRP for the 2015 Mustang is $24,425, but buyers outside the United States have little expectation of paying that. Ford has not announced overseas pricing yet, but at the May launch one estimate of the price in the United Kingdom was around $50,500.

The capacity at the Flat Rock plant is about 220,000 cars annually, including the company’s Fusion, which is also built there. Production could rise to as much as 300,000 if sales are good and Ford decides to add a third shift of workers.

Mustang sales are up 3.9% through the first seven months of 2014 to nearly 51,000 units sold in the United States, compared with about 77,000 for all of 2013.

Ford has been a little close-to-the-vest on details about the new Mustang. A report at Automotive News notes that the new car is less fuel-efficient than the previous version (28 mpg vs. 31) and that four of the six models are heavier. The base price is $1,090 higher, and an available four-cylinder engine rated at 31 mpg will add another $1,500. The Mustang’s success for the past five decades rests on its performance, its fuel economy and its affordability. Ford is tinkering with a proven winner and that could backfire.

Ford’s shares traded down about 0.9% Thursday morning, at $17.21 in a 52-week range of $14.40 to $18.12.

ALSO READ: 10 Best-Paying Jobs for High School Graduates

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.