Donald N. Frey, Originator of the Mustang, Dead at 86
Donald N. Frey, who was responsible for bringing the classic Ford Mustang design to the world, has passed away at 86. Frey and his team at Ford’s R&D created Mustang – based partially on other Ford vehicles like the Falcon, but added personal touches to make it one of the oldest model vehicles still sought after today.
The original Mustang was approved and created in only 18 months, sent to show room floors and ended up selling 80,000 Mustangs in its first year, that classic 1964 model – it sold more than a million in its first two years.
Frey went on to many other achievements, aside from making one of the most popular muscle cars ever – He was chairman of the Bell & Howell Company, recipient of the National Medal of Technology, and an executive member of the World Bank. Frey claims his proudest moment was helping to introduce safety improvements like disc brakes and radial tires to Fords.
In 1967, Time magazine called him “Detroit’s sharpest idea man.” At his death, Frey owned an original Mustang, his son Christopher said he liked to drive it fast.
Source: NY Times
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