While Ford engineers were hard at work developing the all-new Mustang Mach 1, the carmaker’s design exec Dave Mahoney and his team of graphic designers were trying to figure out what to do with the logo.

In the end, they drew inspiration from their design colleagues and came up with a bolder sans-serif font for a more modern look. Meanwhile, the playful letter styling with the downsized lowercase “h” served as a nod to the original.

“From a brand standpoint, that vintage Mach 1 logo has such a classic look, there was a lot we didn’t want to lose,” stated Mahoney. “The unique letters, the outline – it was important to keep those features. What we did do is make it more modern, which really suits the new car.”

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Ford placed this updated logo in various places on the car, such as on the hood stripe, front fenders, rear applique, strut tower brace under the hood, door sills, digital instrument cluster and center stack. The logo can also be seen on the dash next to every Mach 1’s unique identification number.

“When a nameplate like a Mach 1 comes back, you need to play up the heritage, but we didn’t want this to be a retro badge,” added Ford’s chief designer Dean Carbis. “We wanted it to be modern, while still calling back to the original. I think the team nailed it.”

Looks aside, Ford claims that the Mach 1 boasts 22% more downforce than a regular Mustang GT with a Performance Pack Level 1, while the Handling Package increases downforce by 150%. As for power, its naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 produces 480 horses and 420 lb-ft (569 Nm) of torque.

Ford’s all-new 2021 limited edition Mustang Mach 1 will arrive in dealerships next spring.