Gale Halderman, Original Ford Mustang Designer, Passes Away At 87

The Ford Mustang is about as iconic as it gets when it comes to vehicles. And the man behind the design has passed away. Gale Halderman is credited with coming up with the original design for the Ford Mustang and has died in Ohio after a battle with cancer at age 87.

Mustang design aside, Gale was an employee for Ford Motor Company for the last 40 years and also a member of the Mustang Hall of Fame.

Back in 1962, Ford held a contest among its designers to come up with an idea for a new sports car. Halderman’s sketch of a sleek two-door with a long hood and short rear deck was the one chosen for a template of would become the Mustang.

Gale was a Dayton Art Institute graduate and worked on the development of the Mustang from the drawing board to clay models and the production car that debuted in 1964.

After that, Halderman designed the 1957 Ford and remained in charge of Mustang design through the 1971-1973 models before going on to leadership roles in departments across the company. He made his return to the pony car to oversee the design of the 1979 ‘Fox body” Mustang.

Halderman didn’t stop when he retired. He went on to turn a barn on the property of his childhood home in Tipp City, Ohio, into a museum. It was there where he displayed several of the vehicles he worked on and often hosted and entertained Ford and Mustang enthusiasts.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gale’s family.