The Mustang is a symbol of American freedom and power. But which symbol again?
If there’s one thing that gets Mustang people worked up, it’s the clash between theories on where the name came from. The right image and therefore the right name were crucial for the Lee Iacocca-led Fairlane Committee (they met at the Fairlane Hotel in Detroit) tasked with creating a new Ford sports car for launch at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.
The brief was to design a new model that “embodied the American spirit”.
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Theory one is the plane. If there’s one thing that evokes the US kickin’ ass and taking — sorry, takin’ — names, it’s the iconic P-51 Mustang fighter plane used in the World War II and the Korean War.
It’s generally agreed by historians that the plane was the original inspiration for the name, but while Ford bosses loved the monicker they weren’t so sure about the aeronautical/air force symbolism.
The animal connection was always there and in fact an early prototype of the car was developed wearing a cougar badge.
Anyway, the wild mustang was also a great symbol of American freedom and didn’t come with the connotation of blowing things to bits in foreign lands, so the car ended up with a horsey on the front. A way cooler logo than a plane anyway.
Note that the horse is always running to the left as you face the car, which many believe is supposed to evoke the Wild West. Yep, they really get into this stuff.
Where, when and exactly why the focus shifted between plane/horse or horse/plane still isn’t entirely clear. Arguing about these alternative takes is as futile as going head-tohead on whether the V8 or turbo-four iterations of the modern Mustang have more appeal.
They’re different, but they’re both out there and they’re both very entertaining. Take your pick.