A University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor who was a member of the original Ford Mustang design team will talk about his contributions to the automotive icon, which turns 50 this year.
Jerome "Jerry" Malinowski will present "The Enigma of an American Icon: DNA of The Ford Mustang" at noon, Wednesday, April 2, at the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise on the UL Lafayette campus, 537 Cajundome Blvd. The presentation is open to the public.
When the 1964 ½ Mustang made its debut at the World's Fair in New York, it was an instant hit. Within the first year of production, Ford sold more than 400,000 Mustangs, far exceeding the company's expectations.
Malinowski's presentation will include some of the drawings he made during his four years at Ford.
The Ford & Mustang Club of Acadiana will have a select group of vintage cars on site. They will help illustrate how Malinowski's design concepts evolved into some of the details of the Mustang.
In 1961, Malinowski was hired as part of the design team at the Ford Motor Co. Design Styling Center in Dearborn, Mich. His first assignment was in the Ford Thunderbird Preproduction Studio, where he helped develop the design for the 1964 Thunderbird.
He was later transferred to work with a team to design the Mustang I, which was a concept vehicle that preceded the production version of the car.
Malinowski, who is the coordinator of UL Lafayette's industrial design program, also designed electronics for Panasonic Corp. of Japan and designed a bobsled used by the U.S. team in the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Watch video of Malinowski on the Ford Mustang