2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Gets Modernized Historical Logo

Here's how to modernize a classic.

By: Angel Sergeev

Jun 29, 2020 at 6:00am ET

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The Mach 1 moniker returns to the Ford Mustang’s lineup for the 2021 model year with sales scheduled to begin in the spring of next year. The famed badge brought many visual touches to the Mustang GT including round inlets in the grille and several exterior graphics and decals, in addition to a few mechanical upgrades. To reflect all these tweaks and mark the connection of the pony car with the 1969 original, Ford had to design a special Mach 1 logo.

“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 Dave Mahoney, Ford design manager. “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.”

That’s absolutely true. If you take a look at the modernized logo, you can clearly see a notable throwback to the 1969 Mach 1 emblem - the down-sized lowercase “h.” To better fit the more aggressive appearance of the 2021 model, however, the logo now features bolder sans-serif font. It’s simplified and we have to admit Ford’s design team totally nailed it.

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“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,” Dean Carbis, Ford chief designer, added. “We wanted it to be modern, while still calling back to the original. I think the team nailed it."

Gallery: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 logo design

The modernized logo can be found in several places in the 2021 Mustang Mach 1. These include the front fenders, hood stripe, door sills, digital instrument cluster, and center console touch screen during vehicle startup. There’s also a badge on the dashboard showing the vehicle’s identification number next to the new Mach 1 logo.