Sperlich was the father of the Ford Mustang and Chrysler minivan, and was credited with being one of America's greatest product developers.

Whether you’re a junior enlisted service member buying your first Mustang at 25% APR or you have a minivan to get your kids where they need to be, you can thank Hal Sperlich.

Sperlich worked first for Ford, then for Chrysler, and he radically changed the automotive market at both. He died this week at age 95.

What Happened: Sperlich is best known as the chief architect behind the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler minivan. A Detroit and Saginaw native, Sperlich trained to be an engineer at the University of Michigan. He joined Ford in 1957 as a product planner and went on to develop the Mustang.

Sperlich died Jan. 20 at age 95, according to his wife of 11 years, Dr. D’Anne Kleinsmith, a dermatologist in West Bloomfield Township. Sperlich arrived at Ford in 1957 armed with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Hal Sperlich, key figure behind the Ford Mustang and inductee into the Automotive Hall of Fame, has died aged 95.

Ask the average automotive enthusiast who led the development of the Ford Mustang and Chrysler minivan, and the likely answer they’ll give you is Lee Iacocca. Which isn’t incorrect. Iacocca, as the eventual president of Ford and then the chairman of Chrysler,

The automotive world has lost one of its brightest innovators, Hal Sperlich, at the age of 95. Often called the “Godfather of the Ford Mustang,” Sperlich was a key figure in shaping some of the most groundbreaking vehicles in history.