In an interview with Bloomberg, Ford's Chairman, Edsel Ford II, (a forename very familiar among afficionados of lists of the 50 Worst Cars of All Time) said that Mr. Mulally intends to stick by his pledge to stay with Ford until at least the end of 2014. So if Microsoft wants to wait they'd better dig in for a long haul.

If not, and surely Microsoft can't delay appointing the third CEO in its history for more than a short while now, the field of candidates will be re-arranged and the odds on Nokia's nemesis, Stephen Elop, getting the plum job will shorten considerably.

However, as we all know from history, obfuscation is the name of the game where these sorts of scenarios are concerned and it should be noted that Mr. Mulally himself has signally failed to deny that he is Microsoft's preferred candidate or that he is interested in the job.

Appearing on CNBC to promote the the latest iteration of the perennially popular Ford Mustang but asked about rumours of his possible movement, Alan Mulally said that he is “honoured to serve Ford" and that “there is no change in the plan. We don’t comment on speculation on any of the rumours that are out there”.

Company founder Henry Ford once (In)famously said that "History is bunk!" His great-grandson is saying "This story is bunk!" But is it? Time will tell.