Donald N. Frey, Designer of the Mustang, Dies at 86

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Donald N. Frey with a 1966 Mustang convertible. The car was so popular that he was often besieged by autograph hunters.

Donald N. Frey, the engineer who spearheaded the design and development of the Mustang, the spunky, stylish, affordably priced “pony car” that the Ford Motor Company rolled out in the mid-1960s in one of the most successful car introductions in automotive history, died March 5 in Evanston, Ill., where he lived. He was 86.

Though much of the Mustang was borrowed from other Ford vehicles, including a Falcon chassis, the car developed an identity all its own for a younger generation in search of new looks and experiences. It was designed to appeal to both men and women, had a dash of elegance copied from European sports cars, and featured a galloping steed in the middle of its grille that buyers thought was, well, really cool.

Steve McQueen was almost upstaged by the souped-up Mustang he drove in the movie “Bullitt.”

Mr. Frey and his team created the car — from approval by top management to the showroom — in just 18 months, and expectations were modest when it was introduced on April 17, 1964, at the New York World’s Fair. Ford figured it would sell 80,000 Mustangs in its first year. It sold more than a million in its first two years.

Mr. Frey (pronounced fry) would go on to other achievements. He was chairman and chief executive of the Bell & Howell Company, recipient of the National Medal of Technology and a member of the executive board of the World Bank. He was proudest, he said, of helping to introduce safety improvements like disc brakes and radial tires to Ford cars.

But to automotive cognoscenti and just plain car lovers, the Mustang was his defining accomplishment. At gatherings of Mustang enthusiasts, Mr. Frey was often besieged by autograph hunters in the manner of a rock star.

As Ford’s assistant general manager and chief engineer, Mr. Frey worked closely on the Mustang project with Lee A. Iacocca, then general manager of the Ford division. Mr. Frey is credited with coming up with the initial Mustang prototype, a mid-engine two-seater roadster unveiled in 1962. He later led all design and engineering work. (Other designers, led by Joe Oros, later added back seats and other features.)

Mr. Frey pursued the project even though Henry Ford II, the president of the company, had turned it down four times, partly because Ford’s new Edsel had just failed so spectacularly. Lacking an official go-ahead, Mr. Frey met with Mr. Iacocca and other engineers and designers in a motel at night and in a storage room by day.

“The whole project was bootlegged,” Mr. Frey told USA Today in 2004. “There was no official approval of this thing. We had to do it on a shoestring.”

When Mr. Ford finally approved the project, he looked directly at Mr. Frey and told him in several unprintable words that he would be fired if the Mustang was not successful, according to Mr. Frey, who recounted the episode in 2004 in an interview with Northwestern, the alumni magazine of Northwestern University, where Mr. Frey taught engineering for 20 years, until 2008.

When Ford promoted Mr. Frey to vice president of North American vehicle product development in 1967, Time magazine called him “Detroit’s sharpest idea man.”

In his book “Mustang: An American Classic” (2009), Mike Mueller quotes Mr. Frey as saying the inspiration for the Mustang came from watching Chevrolet’s successful strategy for improving sales of the compact car Corvair. “I guess in desperation they put bucket seats in the thing, called it the Monza, and it started to sell,” Mr. Frey said.

But he told Northwestern that the spark had come from his children. “Dad, your cars stink,” he remembered them saying at the dinner table. “There’s no pizzazz.”

In addition to his son Christopher, Mr. Frey is survived by his fourth wife, Kay Everly, from whom he was separated; another son, Donald Jr.; three daughters, Margaret Walton, Catherine McNair and Elizabeth Sullivan; a brother, Stuart, who was also a top executive at Ford; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Donald Nelson Frey was born on March 13, 1923, in St. Louis and grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, where his father was chief metallurgist for a John Deere plant. He attended Michigan State University for two years, then left to serve in the Army in World War II. After his discharge, he earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in metallurgy from the University of Michigan.

He stayed to teach at Michigan but later left to manage Ford’s metallurgy department in its laboratory, hoping to acquire real-world engineering experience, as he told The New York Times in 1965.

Mr. Frey left Ford in 1968 to become president of the General Cable Corporation. In the 1970s and ’80s he was chairman of Bell & Howell. He divested it of less profitable operations like mail-handling equipment and nurtured its profitable videotape division.

Meanwhile, the Mustang gained weight and horsepower before being downsized just in time for the 1970s spike in gas prices. In 1979 it got bigger again and then went through yet more redesigns. Its popularity oscillated, too, but the original boom was never equaled.

At his death Mr. Frey owned an original Mustang, his son Christopher said, adding that he liked to drive it fast.

1967 Ford Mustang with Retractable Hardtop and Lambo Doors

What you see here is a custom-made 1967 Ford Mustang with a retractable hardtop (you could also refer to it as a 'coupe-convertible') and Lamborghini-style scissor doors that has been listed for sale on eBay. According to the seller, it's one of the very few examples built by former Ford employee Ben J. Smith in 1994 who based the car on an original idea he had pitched to Ford back in the 1960s.

 

The listing claims that in 1965 Ford had invested around $250,000 in Ben J. Smith's idea to build a prototype model of a Mustang Coupe-Convertible with a retractable hardtop that would be offered as an option in 1967. However in 1966, Henry Ford ll decided to axe the project because the hardtop would not be motorized.

We found an interesting article on the subject on the October 2005 issue of Hemmings Classic Car magazine that confirms the seller's claims. Turns out that Smith and his son Dave had created a handful of retractable hardtop Mustangs before they called it quits in 1996. As for the original 1965 prototype, Smith told Hemmings that it disappeared never to be seen again.

While there's no doubt that a lot of work went into creating the Mustang Coupe-Convertible, we think that the Lambo-style doors of this particular example were an unnecessary addition. If you're interested though, the car has been listed for a second time on eBay.

Source: eBay , Via: Cardomain , Link: Hemmings

Mustang stock car unveiled for NASCAR Nationwide Series

Ford Mustang NASCAR Nationwide Car

Hold on to your butts, people. Ford Racing and Roush Fenway Racing have unveiled their new stock car based on the poniest of pony cars. Prior to this, Ford teams in NASCAR have driven Fusions. Well, all right, none of them were actual Fusions or will be actual Mustangs. Rather, they'll be normal stock cars like everyone else in NASCAR drives that are covered with enough stickers and fake grilles to make you think that you might be looking at a Mustang from the stands. Man, "stock car" has really become a contradiction in terms.

Now you won't see Mustangs turning left next week in Charlotte at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The new car will compete in four races next year and only in the Nationwide Series, not the Sprint Cup. As such, it won't be based on the Car of Tomorrow platform that the Sprint Cup series uses, but rather the newer, different Car of Tomorrow platform designed specifically for the Nationwide Series. This first new Mustang to race in the Nationwide Series will be the No. 16 Con-way Freight Mustang driven by Colin Braun for Roush Fenway Racing. Is it enough to make us love NASCAR? Not quite, but if we had to race a bathtub on wheels, we'd pick this one.

Three teens wreck 2010 Mustang GT on test drive

According to a report on Mustang Blog, 3 teens have managed to horribly wreck a 2010 Ford Mustang GT. Apparently the teens were given the keys to the car for a test drive and during the run, they crashed it. Looking at the speedometer picture, it seems they were doing at least 100mph before they got into the mishap. Now here’s the amazing part. None of them were wearing seat belts, resulting in them being flung out of the car. Now you would think this is an instant death, but no! They actually survived with only a few minor scratches.

Looking at the cabin, you can see it is still pretty much intact and has proven its worth according to safety standard boards. The car was given the Five Star Safety Rating award, and this incident seems to prove it. Even though this story is still unconfirmed, the evidence adds up and the story checks out.

Shelby GT500KR: You own one, but can you afford to repair it?
8/27/2009


So you’ve taken out the second mortgage, told the condescending unsupportive wife to hit the road, and you’ve finally obtained your dream car. But now that you have it, and you’re most likely up to your ears in debt, ask yourself the following question:

If the worst should happen, and I damage my KR, can I afford to repair it?

Recently, I was contacted by the owner of a GT500KR who suffered the ill-fortune of being involved in a minor encounter with an unfortunate animal. Well, the incident wasn’t so minor for the poor four-legged contender, having been fatally wounded in the accident. Having said that, the GT500KR fared pretty well………or so we thought. Aside from a crumpled right front fender, a door that was slightly misaligned from the fender, minor hood damage, and a dislocated mirror, the car seemed to fare pretty well. It truly looked to be about $5,000 in damage in my opinion. Lord, was I wrong.

What should have been a quick and easy fix has turned into a nightmare for this Shelby owner. Not only has this person had to confront this damage every time the garage is entered, this nightmare has gone on for nearly two months. It seems that the insurance company and the manufacturer are unable to come to an agreement on how to price the hardware involved, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The damaged parts are expected to be returned. Yes folks, you read that right. You bought the car. You own the car. Every piece on that car is (should be) considered your property. Guess again. If you want this car repaired, not only will you have to jump through hoops, and back flip your way through a pile of paperwork, you’re also going to need to send those damaged parts back – at your expense, of course.

Think about this for a moment. What if some crazy delinquent steals your hood in the dark of night, thinking that might make a nice add-on for his buddy’s ’06 GT? You don’t have a hood to return, so does that mean you’re out of luck? Perhaps you should drive the car without one? Or worse yet, what happens if the part in question is so heavily damaged that there’s nothing left? Are you expected to stick around the scene of the accident, picking up the pieces of your shattered mirror with a dustpan and an evidence bag?

Yes friends, these are just a few of the little-known perks of owning an $80,000.00+ vehicle. Envious onlookers giving you the thumbs-up of approval. Prime parking at your local cruise-ins. The compulsion to park half a mile away from other cars in any parking lot, to ensure that some jerk face doesn’t throw a door into your spotless finish. And perhaps the biggest of them all, owning a car that you can’t seem to get fixed.
To further illustrate the issues at hand, I am going to share the prices that the owner was quoted for new replacement parts. It’s probably best if you take a few antidepressants and sit down while you read this.

Edited 09/09/09 to reflect updated hood and headlight prices:

Grille bezels = $690.00/pair

Headlight = $960.00/each

Wheel = $1753.55/each

Emblem kit = $201.25

Front spoiler = $3392.50

Hood = $21,000.00

Carbon fiber mirror cover = $400.00

Hood pins = $632.50

Hood vents = $661.25

Bumper stripes = $530.00

Hood stripes = $575.00

And this is how what LOOKS like $5,000 in damage turns into $31,000 in damage. Over $18,000.00 for a hood? Hell, you can buy an entire car for less than that! A car that you can fix, one in which the manufacturer and the insurance company don’t give a collective rip what you do with your old parts.

Will the GT500KR get repaired? Will it remain in a wrecked state? Will it be driven without the hood? I can’t answer that. But I can promise you that one way or the other, the exciting conclusion will be posted right here.

UPDATE 10/16/09

When we drove the Shelby GT500KR at Miller Motorsports Park last May, we were impressed with the steps that Ford and Shelby had taken to make its new King of the Road a special vehicle. Not only was the KR a huge improvement over the GT500 (which led to the development of the 2010 GT500), but the car featured trick items like a carbon fiber hood and lightweight wheels wrapped with R-compound tires. At that time, Shelby also proudly told us that none of the KR-specific parts would be available for sale separately to ensure that owners of lesser Mustangs could not make shadetree replicas that might compromise the KR's image. Of course, all of this exclusivity and performance came at a price: $79,995 to be exact.

Unfortunately, as one GT500KR owner has learned the hard way, replacement parts for this pony car can be surprisingly dear. After an unfortunate incident with a critter on the road resulted in a modestly damaged front end, the owner in question was shocked to learn about the high cost of his vehicle's replacement parts. And as is increasingly the way these days, he aired his displeasure on the web. That initial report has since touched off a firestorm in the online Shelby community, with the issue spreading to numerous forums and chat rooms.

So just why were these replacement parts such a contentious issue? In the main, it's a numbers thing. As in $18,400 for a new hood, $3,392.50 for a front spoiler, and even $632.50 for a set of hood pins, among other things. Further, the disgruntled owner informed a forum member that Shelby requires any damaged KR parts to be returned to their facility in Las Vegas before new replacements can be sent out.

Obviously, a bit of due diligence was needed to verify the claimed replacement pricing and parts return policy, so we got on the phone with Jim Owens, vice president of marketing and communications at Shelby to get the straight scoop. Click through to the jump to hear what we learned.

As it turns out, the parts pricing cited by the owner was correct. And while the hood's cost in particular sounds exorbitant, Shelby's Owens took pains to explain that not only is the part in question the only full carbon-fiber production hood available in a U.S. vehicle (read: it's expensive), it has gone through the same exhaustive certification procedure as any other OEM product – including crash testing (read: really expensive). Says Owens of the hood:

"I will tell you – there was no less design, engineering and testing - that went into this component... than goes into any other component in the exotic car world. It was the single biggest piece of this program."

Given the small number of GT500KR units manufactured, the hood's associated research, development and manufacturing costs turned out to be particularly high, and those factors were calculated into the replacement cost using an off-the-shelf parts pricing matrix. Said another way, Shelby says it hasn't grafted an exclusivity surcharge onto these KR parts – it maintains that the company has used a standard cost formula to determine how they should be priced.
Despite this, in the interest of assuaging owner fears and staving off more negative feedback from various online communities, Shelby's Owens says that it has reconsidered its pricing strategy on the KR's hood. To wit:
 

"So, we got the feedback off of the websites – the Team Shelby site specifically. Based off of that fact, we are lowering the price of the hood - substantially. We're lowering it to $9,700. Additionally, we are now also going to go through all of the remaining carbon fiber components and take a look at that pricing, including skullcaps and splitters."

Owens indicates that Shelby has been in extensive discussions with the affected KR owner's insurance company, State Farm, and although company representatives have yet to speak directly with the customer, they plan to do so. Still, State Farm reps were understandably nonplussed when they got their client's initial repair estimates from Shelby and the whole process is taking months to set right.

For clarity's sake, Owens pointed out that hood replacement is not a widespread issue – just three KR hoods have been replaced – the animal-damaged piece on the vehicle in question, as well as two dealer units that were damaged in shipping and transportation.

But there's more to this story. Perhaps just as interesting an issue is Shelby's parts-return mandate. The reason that Shelby requires damaged KR parts to be returned to the company is in the interest of maintaining exclusivity. It's exactly the same reason why the company has declined to make KR model-specific components available to aftermarket buyers. Says Owens:

Just how serious is Shelby about getting those KR parts back? Perhaps some of you remember the recently departed NBC Knight Rider redux – a number of KR hoods were used on K.I.T.T. in the production of that television series. Shelby even managed to get those parts returned.

It should be noted that the scenario in which an automaker sees fit to call back old parts after a repair is hardly new. According to Owens, Ford, General Motors and other automakers have similar policies in place – presumably the difference is that they rarely choose to exercise those provisions – or perhaps it's just that customers are generally unaware of this practice. In effect, Owens says that the automakers have a right to call back damaged parts after dealers put them on the shelves in their backrooms: "In Ford's warranty and in General Motors' warranty... they have what is called 'parts retention'... Ford has a right to call back parts after a certain period of time. We just made these mandatory parts returns." Presumably, in most such cases, those damaged parts are returned to the parent automaker for failure analysis to improve future product quality – a factor that may or may not also be at work here. In any case, Shelby itself pays for any shipping costs associated with the parts.

When we asked what happens to a returned part, Owens replied:

Unlike some previous takeoff parts from other models, Owens says Shelby isn't even using KR parts for auction prizes to support the Carroll Shelby Foundation, a charity organization that works to provide assistance to children in need.
Finally, we had to ask: What happens if an owner is not in possession of the damaged KR parts – meaning that they cannot be returned to Shelby? Maybe the vehicle was in a crash and the owner was hospitalized and nobody had the presence of mind to make sure the parts were accounted for at the scene of the accident. Or perhaps just as likely, what would someone do if their KR were stripped? Owens says that Shelby evaluates each customer inquiry on a case-by-case basis, so presumably with plenty of documentation (think: VIN, police report, copious photographs, etc.), the damaged KR will be repaired.