He returned from the Korean War, got a job at Ford, and ended up creating the first ever Ford Mustang. Harold Sperlich lived to be 95 years old.
Harold "Hal" Sperlich, the man behind the iconic Ford Mustang, has died. Sperlich, a central figure in the automotive industry, died at the age of 95.
Sperlich began his career at Ford in 1957 after serving his military service in the Korean War. As a young engineer, he understood the changing trends in American society early on.
In the early 1960s, marked by optimism and youthful energy, Sperlich saw a need for a car that appealed to the younger generation.
Together with Lee Iacocca, then vice president of Ford, Sperlich began developing a sporty and affordable car based on the Ford Falcon.
The result was the Ford Mustang, which was launched in 1964 and was an instant success. In its first year on the market, the Mustang sold over 400,000 units.
– He made history and changed the history of cars, writes Car and Driver .
Although Sperlich was the lead architect behind the Mustang, it was Lee Iacocca who was publicly credited with the car's success. However, Sperlich was undeterred and continued to develop new ideas for Ford.
He saw a need for smaller, more efficient cars that could cope in times of economic uncertainty and rising fuel prices. This led to the development of the Ford Fiesta. Sperlich also had plans for a front-wheel drive minivan that could be parked in a regular garage.
However, Sperlich's visions met with resistance from Ford management, and he ended up leaving the company. He was subsequently hired by Chrysler, where he had the opportunity to realize his dream of a minivan.
The result was the Chrysler Minivan, which revolutionized the car market and cemented Sperlich's place in automotive history.
Sperlich ended his career as head of Chrysler in 1988. However, he remained active in the automotive industry until his death. In 2009, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame for his pioneering contributions to the automotive industry.
The Mustang man is not the only major figure in the automotive industry who has recently fallen short. A little less than a year ago, Marcello Gandini, who designed the legendary Lamborghini Miura, was out of the running.
And that's actually not an exaggeration. Gandini worked right up until his death at the age of 85. Shortly after his heart stopped beating, the Italian was said to have helped develop plans for a car museum as far away as Qatar.
