This is from the 1964 Models page and pertains to the-new-for-’64 Ford Mustang. I have always thought that Lee Iacocca was the ‘father of the Mustang’. I came across a different story about the origin of Mustang in a book called American Muscle Cars, by Randy Leffington. I’ll paraphrase the key thoughts.It was actually Ford’s vice president […]
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Many of the origin stories of the companies you’re familiar with are interesting. Also, the interplay among the earlier automotive pioneers can be quite bizarre. Consider:
Brothers James and William Packard of Warren, Ohio entered business together in 1890 by forming the Packard Electric Company, manufacturing carbon arc lamps. James had purchased a 1898 Winton car and was not a satisfied owner. The brothers apparently shared their ideas for improvements with Alexander Winton, who was not at all receptive. He literally told the
Walter P. Chrysler was of humble beginnings and worked his way up in the locomotive industry. A Buick investor recognized something in him and asked him if he would entertain working in the automobile industry. He then started as the works manager for Buick in 1910 and left in 1919 as president of the company. Chrysler had
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The company that Ransom E. Olds founded in 1897 was the most important auto manufacturer of the early domestic auto industry. Olds had been experimenting with automobiles for a decade, having built his first car in 1887! In 1899 the lumber baron Samuel Smith purchased the company, investing about $200,000, which allowed him to provide employment for
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