Steeda Hires Former Ford Designer Melvin Betancourt

For fans of the Ford Mustang, the name Melvin Betancourt may sound familiar – and for good reason, given the fact that the former Blue Oval designer helped conjure up much of the styling we’re familiar with on  a wide array of prior pony cars from previous generations, including the Star Wars-inspired front fascia on the 2018 refresh. Thus, perhaps it comes as no surprise that long-time Mustang parts maker and tuner Steeda has tabbed Betancourt as its new head of design, the company just announced.

Betancourt certainly has loads of experience in that particular field, given the fact that he spent more than 35 years at The Blue Oval, and played a big role in designing vehicles like the Mustang and Ford Explorer. In fact, he had a hand in designing every pony car from 1999-2023, and was also the exterior design manager for models such as the 2005, 2013, and 2020 Shelby GT500, all three versions of the Bullitt Mustang, and the California Special. In between all of that, Betancourt served as the primary design liaison between Ford and the SEMA Show, overseeing many specialty builds for that event. Now, at Steeda, Betancourt will lead the design initiatives for that company’s high-performance and specialty vehicles, too.

“We are thrilled to welcome Melvin to the Steeda family,” said Dario Orlando, President of Steeda. “His passion for design and proven ability to lead teams in creating performance-driven, visually impactful vehicles align perfectly with Steeda’s commitment to engineering excellence and innovation. With Melvin’s guidance, we are excited to drive Steeda’s design philosophy into new territory.”

“I’m excited to join Steeda, where performance and design merge to create some of the most exciting vehicles on the road. Together with the talented team here, I look forward to shaping the next generation of Steeda vehicles, bringing my experience and passion for innovative design to a new chapter,” Betancourt said.