John J. "Jack" Telnack, Ford Motor Company's former vice president of global design and a driving force behind the ground-breaking aerodynamic 1986 Ford Taurus, joins a host of other automotive leaders as a member of the prestigious Automotive Hall of Fame in a special induction ceremony held today in Dearborn.

Two Ford engineers, Lisa Drake and David Nowicki, are also being honored with the organization's 2008 Young Leader and Excellence Award.


Before he retired from Ford in 1998, Telnack was considered by many of his peers and industry insiders as the most influential car designer alive. During his 40-year career at Ford, Telnack held chief design positions in the U.S., Australia and Europe. In addition to penning the first out-of-the-box drawings of the original 1986 Ford Taurus, he helped bring distinctive, functional aerodynamic, global design aesthetics to the entire American auto scene in the late '70s and early '80s.

Source: MarketWatch