Mustang Godfather Don Frey, 86, Dies

CHICAGO — Donald Frey, considered along with Lee Iacocca as one of the godfathers of the original Ford Mustang, died on March 5 at age 86 in suburban Chicago, after suffering a massive stroke.

Frey established a second career as chairman and CEO of Bell & Howell after leaving Ford in 1968. Frey, who earned a doctorate in metallurgical engineering from the University of Michigan, joined the automaker in 1950.

It was as a senior product planner in the early 1960s that Frey and a small group of colleagues conceived of a small sporty car for Ford. To save on costs, the two-door was built on the platform of the stodgy Ford Falcon. The all-new Mustang, championed by Ford Division chief Iacocca, was launched in April 1964 at the New York World's Fair. It remains in production today.

Frey succeeded Iacocca as head of Ford Division but left the company soon after, reportedly because of differences with his boss. He took the reins in 1971 at Bell & Howell, where his engineering team helped develop the technology for the CD-ROM. After he retired from Bell & Howell in 1988, he was an industrial engineering professor at Northwestern University.

Frey's brother, Stuart Frey, retired from Ford in 1990 as vice president of corporate quality and technical affairs after a 36-year career with the automaker.

Ford issued a statement on Donald Frey and his automotive career: "Don was an outstanding engineer with a keen eye for innovation and creativity. While often remembered for his work on the original Mustang, he also made valuable contributions to Ford's success as general manager of the Ford Division and vice president of product development."

Inside Line says: Frey provided much of the inspiration — and perspiration — on the Mustang, while Iacocca took much of the credit. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent