The original Ford Mustang was introduced in 1964 as a 1964 ½ model, making its public debut on April 17 at the New York World’s Fair. Back in the day, it was traditional for automakers to launch new cars in January, so the Mustang’s late appearance gave it the half-year model designation.

Today, automakers release new cars as production allows, making it all but impossible to keep track of “current” model years. The half-year designator is a thing of the past, and Ford’s tribute “Anniversary” Mustangs have been released in 1999 (35th anniversary), 2004 (40th anniversary) and 2009 (45th anniversary).

Ford will release an all-new Mustang for 2015, and it’s been assumed that this car would include a 50th anniversary tribute edition. Not so, says Mustangs Daily, which quotes a Ford social media representative as saying the automaker will build a special 2014 ½ Mustang, as a limited edition, to honor the car’s golden anniversary.

As posted to The Mustang Source, the Ford spokesperson wrote, “The 2014 ½ will be the 50th Anniversary edition. It will be added to production for a limited run sometime during the year.”

The big mystery, then, is whether the 2014 ½ Mustang will wear the car’s current style, or if it will be the first version introduced with the new, 2015 look. Ford isn’t saying, and they’re not providing any additional details at the moment.

We expect to know a bit more about the car in the coming months, and we’d be very surprised if Ford didn’t release additional details at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. We’ll keep you posted.