Few classic American badges inspire more primal feelings than the Mustang, no matter what year you’re talking about.

For more than 60 years, the Ford Mustang has survived gas crises, insurance crackdowns, emissions rules, changing tastes, bad hair decades, good hair decades and the rise of the SUV. What it has not had, at least not in showroom form, is four doors.

That may eventually change.

Ford has not announced a four-door Mustang sedan, but new comments from a senior Ford executive have put the idea back into circulation. Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue and Ford Model e, told Automotive News that Ford is paying attention to the remaining market for sedans. More importantly, he suggested that if Ford did build a new sedan, it would probably need to fit into an existing Ford “family.” Smart man.

There are only so many Ford families with enough name recognition to make that idea work, but the Mustang is one of them. There are guys out there who bought theirs new in 1965.

It doesn’t mean a four-door Mustang is approved, funded, engineered and headed to dealers next Tuesday with a pony badge. It means Ford appears to be thinking about how to stretch its strongest nameplates without creating anonymous new cars in a market that has largely walked away from traditional sedans, which haven’t been cool since about 2000.

In Ford’s case, the Mustang name has already been stretched once. The Mustang Mach-E electric crossover remains one of the most controversial badge decisions in recent automotive history. To many buyers, it is a sharp-looking electric vehicle with useful range and a famous name. To traditional Mustang loyalists, it is an SUV wearing somebody else’s leather jacket, like Dennis Farina and John Travolta in “Get Shorty."

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 16: An electric Ford Mustang Mach-E is seen at the 2020 New England Auto Show Press Preview at Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on January 16, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images)

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A four-door Mustang would likely provoke another round of arguments, but it would not be entirely without precedent. Automakers have spent years turning once-narrow performance brands into broader families.

Porsche did it with the Cayenne and Panamera. Lamborghini sells the Urus. Ferrari builds the Purosangue. Even if enthusiasts complain, the sales departments often have the last laugh. A rising tide lifts all boats.

The bigger question is what a four-door Mustang would actually be. A gasoline-powered rear-drive sedan with a V-8 would be the dream version for many enthusiasts, especially if Ford could keep it (relatively) affordable. A hybrid performance sedan would be more realistic, and practical. An electric four-door under the Mustang umbrella would be the most predictable, and probably the most controversial.

The business case is easy to understand. The regular Mustang coupe and convertible are emotional products in a market dominated by practical vehicles. A sedan could give Ford a way to sell Mustang attitude to buyers who need rear doors, a real back seat and everyday usability, without pushing them into a crossover.

The risk is just as obvious. The Mustang name still carries weight because it means something. Stretch it too far, and it’ll become like Jeep’s Liberty or Compass - ain’t nothin’ Jeep about 'em.

The question remains - what is a real Mustang? For some people, the answer begins with two doors and a long hood. For others, the answer is broader - performance, attitude, and a Ford badge with a galloping horse.