Ford is one of the earliest automobile brands in the USA and is credited with creating some incredible automobiles, the epitome of which is the Ford Mustang. Ford has been producing this car model since the year 1964 and is going strong to date, making Mustang one of the longest-running sub-brand of the company.
Mustang has been designed and styled as a hi-tech sport coupe, which captured the fascination of automobile enthusiasts. Ever since its launch, Mustang has remained a favorite with automobile enthusiasts and has inspired generations of other sports cars. Ford Mustang was launched on April 17, 1964, and became the best-selling car of 1965, with its model A clocking over 40,000 units.
When Ford Mustang was still in the designing stages, the management was unsure how to convey the American-ness of the car. They decided to use a quintessentially American symbol as the logo for this purpose. The design submitted by Phillip Clark was selected as the horse-based design was under development for some time. The original logo featured the horse with its head towards the viewer, but it was later decided to put the horse in profile to show it running on the track. Thus, the final logo of the Ford Mustang came into being.
The logo you see on every new Ford Mustang has undergone several iterations over the years, including the profile view of a knight from the game of chess. After intense discussions, the final design was chosen, carved on wood by design studio modelers Waino Kangas and Charles Keresztes. Finally, the Mustang II concept brought it all together by incorporating the chrome pony logo in a smooth design but extraordinarily detailed and highly dynamic.
Apart from the front and rear grilles, a third pony was placed on the gas cap outback. This pony was smaller in size but was placed on top of tricolor bars with Ford and Mustang embossed on the cap. These three ponies retained their placement until the new generation Mustang launch.
The company's future direction regarding the Mustang brand was evident when the pony went mission from the 5.0 V-8. Though the iconic pony was present on the hood for some time, it was absent from the grilles where the original Ford logo was placed. The pony would subsequently remain absent for several years from Mustang.
When the SN-95 launched in 1994, Ford desired to connect emotionally with the original Mustang. This is where the Pony logo re-emerged, rendering the vehicle a youthful and energetic feel, but here the pony was shown running in all its glory, without the corral.
How could Mustang be left behind as the world is quickly shifting towards EVs? The electric crossover from Ford Mustang, the Mach-E, is the brand's future, but the Pony logo is still there in a metal-frame silhouette.
The running pony has become synonymous with Ford Mustang, but will it continue to feature in future launches? Well, only time can tell that, till then enjoy the majestic running pony in all its glory on the grille of Ford Mustangs!
