Ford was planning to launch a new model known as the Cardinal. However, Lee had the foresight to see that it would not succeed in the market. The Cardinal was not a selling point for the American consumer with its small size and no trunk. The company needed a car that would appeal the youth. With this in mind, Lee brought together bright and creative talent from the Ford division for some brainstorming. They realized that any car, which appealed the young generation, had to have great styling, great performance and a low price. The group came up with the idea that the car needed to be sporty, distinctively styled and with a dash of nostalgia.

The design for the car had a look of being feline in nature. The model looked both handsome and powerful. The design team named it ‘The Cougar’. However, Henry Ford II did not like the name. He wanted to name it ‘T-bird II’. But, nobody else liked the name. The team came up with various names for the car and finally it was narrowed down to ‘Torino’. Henry Ford II rejected this name too.

The car was finally named ‘Mustang’. It appealed everyone because according to the Ford advertising agency, it gave the feeling of wide-open spaces and was out and out American. Also it was a young car. This car was an answer to the changing consumer needs. People no longer preferred the economy cars. They now wanted more sporty and luxury models.

It was the Mustang, which put Lee on an international platform and gave the world a glimpse of Lee’s management style. His use of good marketing research data, his willingness to listen to people and his readiness in taking the risk of introducing a new product made him an endearing character. All his qualities combined to make the Mustang a success and he was soon known as the ‘Father of the Mustang’.

Promoting the Use of Seat Belts
Lee strongly believed that seat belts were the key to reducing traffic fatalities in the United States. When he was at Ford, he had written to the governors of all the states urging them to support the life saving cause of the mandatory use of seat belts. However, no such law was passed.

He believed that driving a car was a privilege and like all privileges, this came with responsibility as well. However, nobody likes to use seat belts. It angered Lee seeing the public being so careless about their own safety.

When Lee realized that America was not going to have laws mandating the use of seatbelts in the near future, he came up with a novel idea that would force the drivers and passengers to use seatbelts. With the help of engineers at Ford, he developed a device called the Interlock.

With this device, the ignition would not start, unless the seatbelt of the driver and the front seat passenger were fastened. But, public hated this device. Some of them kept their seat belts buckled without wearing them. In 1972, the National Highway Safety Authority mandated that all new cars should have Interlock.

The opposition against it was so severe that the House of Representatives soon dismantled the law. The Congress had taken about 20 minutes to outlaw Interlock.

Contribution in Black and White
Lee has written an autobiography - Iacocca and a second book, Talking Straight. Both the books were bestsellers.