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The Secret Identity That Helped Mustang Conquer Germany

Written By Paul Kampe
Aug 21, 2025
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Due to Mustang’s immediate success, Ford began exporting the popular Pony car. But the company ran into a trademark issue in Germany, forcing it to resort to the T5 name and branding, which was based on an early project code name.

In the past 60 years, the Ford Mustang has become unmistakable, whether it’s due to the iconic galloping Pony logo, the tri-bar taillamps, or even the sound of the engine. But for a batch of Mustangs shipped to Germany between the 1960s and ’70s, something just didn’t look right. 

Bye-bye badging

Details on the origins of the Mustang name are conflicting, but in Germany, where the car would also become very popular, the word was already trademarked by a manufacturer of diesel trucks and other large vehicles. So, from 1964 through 1979, Mustang – minus its fender badges, rear gas cap, and steering wheel branding, which were replaced by emblems bearing the name “T5,” the internal project code used during Mustang’s development – reportedly sold at least 3,600 cars devoid of “Mustang” wording and bearing the T5 emblem on the fenders. The now-iconic galloping pony, however, remained on the grille and glove box door. 

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The Ford T5, with its Mustang badging and other identification removed, retained Mustang’s iconic galloping pony logo.

The car would also undergo mechanical modifications for the German and other markets, such as replacing exterior lighting to meet local specifications, suspension tuning and brake upgrades, and the addition of a Shelby GT350 shock tower brace to better prepare the car for European roadways. 

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The T5 was a hit with American military service members, many of whom had their cars shipped home to the U.S. following their tour of duty.

Unlike in Mustang’s home market, the T5 was priced like a luxury vehicle in Germany to account for shipping, import duties and taxes. In addition to Ford Dealers, T5s were also available to American military service members stationed in Germany, but with slight equipment modifications and an English-language owner’s manual. The latter was a driver of the car’s sales in Europe, as some service members sold their cars to German civilians before returning to the U.S., while others had theirs shipped back to the States.  

The real deal 

More than 161,000 Mustangs were sold outside of North America in the car’s first 49 years of production. The car was made available across all of Europe during its 50th anniversary in 2015. Nearly 4,000 of the first 10,000 models were sold in Germany, where the 5.0-liter V8 engine option was most popular. Buyers in the country also had the highest convertible sales internationally, with the drop-top models accounting for one in three units sold there. By March 2016, Mustang had become the best-selling sports coupe in the country known for pumping out Porches, BMWs, and others. 

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Germany is home to one of the largest Mustang clubs outside the U.S.

Mustang’s popularity in Germany should not come as a surprise. The First Mustang Club of Germany, which focuses on owners of first-generation Mustangs and T5s, is one of the largest of about 100 Mustang clubs based outside of the U.S. The group, founded in 1986, has about 750 members, according to its website. 

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At least 3,600 Ford T5 cars were sold through 1979, though sales figures are difficult to verify.

While the T5 was created out of necessity, this unique version of the beloved Pony car helped carve out its own legacy in Germany and established Mustang’s enduring popularity in Europe. 

Photo Gallery: 100 Years in Germany

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