-- More-muscular, faster-looking Mustang pony emblem enhances grilles on new 2010 models -- New Mustang pony badge highlights attention to detail in design of new Mustang, which will be revealed later this year
DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Curious about what the
2010 Ford Mustang looks like? Its new pony badge offers a clue. Like the
upcoming restyled Mustang, the new pony is more defined, more muscular and
sure to catch the eye of Mustang enthusiasts.
"It's just a faster-looking steed," said George Saridakis, Design manager
for the 2010 Mustang.
A stronger, more dynamic pony badge with defined edges and crisper forms
in a subtly toned tinted-chrome finish will charge across the grilles of the
V-6 and GT versions of the 2010 Mustang. For the first time, a black-chrome
version of the Mustang pony badge will be available on the new GT grille.
"We wanted to give the Mustang pony a more realistic feel," said Douglas
Gaffka, chief designer for the 2010 Mustang. "We lifted the head to make the
pony more proud, tipped the neck into the wind to give it a feeling of greater
speed and better balance.
"It's more chiseled and more defined and looks more like a wild horse,"
Gaffka added. "It's more realistic in terms of proportion to an actual
Mustang."
Senior Designer Rick Howard spent hours researching images of horses and
understanding their appearance in natural, wild settings. That effort, along
with his personal riding experience, helped bring forward the design of the
Mustang pony badge.
Like the Mustang itself, which was revealed at the 1964 New York World's
Fair, the Mustang emblem has a proud heritage. The original Mustang logo was
drawn by Phil Clark for the Mustang I. The Mustang logo then was refined for
the Mustang II in 1974 by Charles Keresztes, a former member of Hungary's
Olympic equestrian team. The pony continued on the front grille through 1978
when it was replaced by "FORD" in block letters through 1982. The iconic Ford
Blue Oval graced the front of Mustangs through 1993. The pony emblem returned
in 1994 with some refinements. The logo was updated again in 2005.
For Howard and the team, creating the new badge was a labor of love.
"We're very much concerned with detail and precision in our cars at Ford,
and that includes the art we do," Howard said. "We want our Mustang pony
badge to be as good as the rest of the car."
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, (NYSE: F) a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six
continents. With about 229,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the
company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln,
Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford
Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please
visit our website at www.ford.com .
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
