Photo: Ford
In 1964, the Ford Motor Company gave birth to the pony car genre with the introduction of the Mustang. More than half a century since that moment, Ford is still king of the hill in this segment. Sorry, Camaro, but the sales figures translate to the public’s favorite. The question is, what changed during these 52 years?
From a technical point of view, a lot has changed from first- to sixth-gen Mustang. In terms of design, there’s a 1965 Mustang-2015 Mustang display at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum for you to admire. If you can’t get to the museum, the following photo gallery and paragraphs will have to suffice.
When you think about it, such a display earned its place in the Intellectual Property Power Exhibit.
I’ll let Chris Danowski, Ford director of intellectual property and technology commercialization, explain: “Everything moved so fast in the design and run-up to production of the original Mustang that there were no styling patents issued back then. Now look at the current car; 2015 Mustang Convertible alone was granted 36 styling patents, which ensure the unique look stays with the car. It also has many unique functional patents for things like the airbag structures, 911 Assist and so many other technologies baked right in.”
What Chris wants to tell you is that the 1965 Ford Mustang utilized more than 100 existing patents, including little things such as the rear-seat speaker and power convertible top. By comparison, the 2015 Ford Mustang uses so many patents, it would take us a long time to list them all here. An honorable mention goes to the 15 patents granted for the passenger knee airbag system packaged inside the glove box door.
Electronic line-lock is another big deal. The most intriguing fact, however, is that Ford didn’t apply for specific design patents when the Mustang was launched in 1964. The story goes that after 18 months and more than 1 million units of the Mustang sold, Ford finally decided to apply for styling patents.
When you think about it, such a display earned its place in the Intellectual Property Power Exhibit.
I’ll let Chris Danowski, Ford director of intellectual property and technology commercialization, explain: “Everything moved so fast in the design and run-up to production of the original Mustang that there were no styling patents issued back then. Now look at the current car; 2015 Mustang Convertible alone was granted 36 styling patents, which ensure the unique look stays with the car. It also has many unique functional patents for things like the airbag structures, 911 Assist and so many other technologies baked right in.”
What Chris wants to tell you is that the 1965 Ford Mustang utilized more than 100 existing patents, including little things such as the rear-seat speaker and power convertible top. By comparison, the 2015 Ford Mustang uses so many patents, it would take us a long time to list them all here. An honorable mention goes to the 15 patents granted for the passenger knee airbag system packaged inside the glove box door.
Electronic line-lock is another big deal. The most intriguing fact, however, is that Ford didn’t apply for specific design patents when the Mustang was launched in 1964. The story goes that after 18 months and more than 1 million units of the Mustang sold, Ford finally decided to apply for styling patents.
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