Jack Telnack
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Jack Telnack (born John J. Telnack in 1937) is the former global Vice President of Design of the
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
from 1980 to 1997. He is best known for his work with cars like the 1979
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...
( third generation), the 1983
Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1955 to 2005, with a hiatus from 1998 to 2001. Ultimately gaining a broadly used colloquial nickname, the ''T-Bird'', Ford Introduce ...
( ninth generation), and the 1986
Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1985 to 2019. From 1985 to 2009, Ford marketed the Taurus alongside its rebadged variant, the Mercury Sable. Four generati ...
that ushered in a new era of aerodynamic design to America's mainstream marketplace.


Career

After his training at the
Art Center College of Design The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California. It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...
, Telnack began working as a designer for Ford in 1958, and became the head stylist of the Lincoln-Mercury Division in 1965. In 1966, he became the chief designer of Ford's Australian branch, where he led the redesign of the Australian
Ford Falcon The Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate by Ford Motor Company, Ford that applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford ...
. Telnick then went on to serve as the Vice President of Design for Ford of Europe in 1974. Ushering a new era of aerodynamic design to America's mainstream marketplace, Telnack and his team of designers were responsible for cars like the 1979
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...
( third generation), the 1983
Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1955 to 2005, with a hiatus from 1998 to 2001. Ultimately gaining a broadly used colloquial nickname, the ''T-Bird'', Ford Introduce ...
( ninth generation), the 1984 Ford Tempo and the 1984 Continental Mark VII were moderate successes that showed Ford's intention to change their traditional design language for a more contemporary, European style. Telnack and his team of designers were also responsible for the 1986
Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1985 to 2019. From 1985 to 2009, Ford marketed the Taurus alongside its rebadged variant, the Mercury Sable. Four generati ...
, which was a car widely acknowledged as the main reason why Ford Motor Company's turnaround strategy was successful during the 1980s. He and his designers were known collectively as "Team Taurus". The Taurus' wind-cheating design language influenced everything from the Ford F-150 to the
Lincoln Town Car The Lincoln Town Car was a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 t ...
in the 1990s. The Taurus's sibling, the 1986 Mercury Sable, boasted a wind cheating drag coefficient of 0.29. The Sable's light bar grille continued to be a Mercury design hallmark for the next decade. Telnack also helped shape the 1989
Ford Probe The Ford Probe is a liftback (i.e., hatchback) coupé manufactured and marketed by Ford for model years 1988-1997 over two generations. The Probe was a byproduct of Ford's collaboration with its Japanese partner Mazda, and both generations der ...
and 1993 Lincoln Mark VIII.


Later years at Ford

Toward the end of his career, Telnack worked on the ovoid-themed 1996 third generation Taurus. While criticized widely and deemed too radical for the market's tastes, Telnack also created the "New Edge" style that brought about cars like the 1996 Ford Ka, Ford GT90 concept car and influenced the design of the 1998 Ford Focus. Telnack retired from his post at the end of 1997, and was replaced by J Mays.


References


External links


Ward's Auto Guide article on Telnack's retirementPR Newswire article on Telnack's career and retirement
1937 births Living people Ford designers American automobile designers 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1930s-stub