Eugene Bordinat Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1920 |
| Died | August 11, 1987 (aged 67) |
| Alma mater | Cranbrook Academy of Art and University of Michigan |
| Occupation(s) | Automotive designer, Automotive Executive |
| Employer(s) | General Motors, Ford Motor Company |
Eugene 'Gene' Bordinat Jr. (February 10, 1920 – August 11, 1987) was an American automobile designer and corporate executive.
He was noted as the outspoken Vice President of Styling and Chief Designer at Ford Motor Company in a career spanning more than three decades with the company and the tenure of five company presidents,[1] leaving "his imprint on more than 50 million cars."[2]
Bordinat arrived at Ford as the 1949 line was under design, and ultimately guided the design of cars ranging from the Lincoln Continental (1958-1960), Falcon, Mustang, Maverick, Pinto and the Lincoln Continental Mark V. He was noted for often correcting the historical record on the original Mustang noting that Lee Iacocca was not the "Father of the Mustang," that the Mustang design was seven months complete[2] when Iacocca first saw it.[3]
On Bordinat's death in 1987, noted automotive journalist Paul Lienert described him as "urbane and polished" with a "droll wit and near photographic memory", and a "masterful manipulator, of the press of his own designers, even of his superiors."[4]
Bordinat himself once said "beauty is a good 10-day sales report"[5] and (of his work in the 1950s) "people wanted chrome, and we slathered them with it. Good taste has nothing to do with it whatsoever."[6]