How the Stylish 2021 Mustang Mach 1 Logo Came to Be
Photo: Ford
Logo design isn’t one of the first things that gets the spotlight when it comes to something like a new Mustang. In the case of the newly revealed 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1, much more of the focus naturally falls to stuff like the 480-horsepower V8 and all the bells and whistles it borrows from the high-powered Shelby GT350 and extremely high-powered Shelby GT500. But the Ford graphics team put a great deal of thought and effort into the Mustang Mach 1 logo so that it would strike just the right balance between retro and modern.
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“From a brand standpoint, that vintage Mach 1 logo has such a classic look, there was a lot that we didn’t want to lose,” said Ford Motor Company Design Manager Dave Mahoney. “The unique letters, the outline — it was important to keep those features. What we did do is make it more modern, which really suits the new car.”
Photo: Ford
The classic Mustang Mach 1 logo is instantly recognizable among performance enthusiasts, and that’s perhaps why so many of those folks had such a visceral reaction to the vehicle now known as the Mach-E. In January 2018, Ford teased its all-electric Mustang SUV with an electrified version of that classic Mach 1 logo, which led to an immediate outcry over the dilution of the name’s significance. Ford was quick to back off using the name — though it didn’t make folks less mad about the Mustang Mach-E name — and decided instead to bring a proper Mach 1 back for 2021.
The new logo that stars on the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is updated to be bolder and more modern, leveraging a sans-serif font that sets it apart from previous iterations. One thing remains intact, however: the lowercase h.
“When a nameplate like a Mach 1 comes back, you need to play up the heritage, but we didn’t want this to be a retro badge,” said Dean Carbis, Ford chief designer. “We wanted it to be modern, while still calling back to the original. I think the team nailed it.”
Photos: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 logo
There will be plenty of opportunities to drink in the logo on the new 2021 Mustang Mach 1. It features on the unique hood stripe, in badge form on the front fenders, as an applique on the rear, etched into the door sills and dash badge, and displayed digitally on the instrument cluster and touch screen on startup.
What there probably won’t be plenty of: opportunities to own a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1. Ford has already said that its most track-capable 5.0-liter V8-powered Mustang will be a limited-edition release, and if it follows in the Mustang Bullitt’s footsteps, that means you’ve got two years max to pick one up. The Mustang Mach 1 is set to arrive at dealerships nationwide next spring.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.