Ford Mustang

Essay by Adam EvanchoHigh School, 12th gradeA+, January 1997

download word file, 15 pages 4.3

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The beginning

The Mustang started it's life when the baby boomers were just starting to drive. A brief scan of the auto industry leaves little choices. Most new cars were those of a kids parents. These cars were usually big and bulky. The new performance cars were the Corvette and the Thunderbird, but these cars were to expensive for a teenager to afford. Other sportier cars were foreign. Like the MG or the Austin Martin, but these cars offered little performance. There were also the hot rodders. These people took cars from the '30's and '40's most of which were the Ford Flat head. These engines started as a 60 or 80 horsepower. When these kid's finished with them they usually looked like a junker on the outside, but if one opened the hood they would find a piece of art work.

Lee Iacocca realized this problem and went to work on a new type of car.

He wanted it to have a long hood short rear deck like the Lincoln Continental. It had to have a sporty look and be affordable. In 1962 a number of clay models were made. Iacocca wanted to display the car at the 1964 World's Fair, and time was running out. A design contest was held. Full size clay models had to be made in two weeks a process that usually took months.

No one was eager to gamble on a new Idea. Committee after committee turned Iacocca down. Iacocca convinced the only man he

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had to, Henry Ford II.

Now there was another problem a name. Many people thought that it should be Cougar the name of the design winners. Others thought that it should be Torrino, T-5, or the Thunderbird 2, Iacocca wanted it to be Mustang after the WWII...