Tom Barnes: Ford Mustang Vehicle Engineering Manager Makes Sure That It Is More than the Sum of Its Parts

When customers go into a Ford showroom to buy a new Mustang, they are looking for a single vehicle, not a bucket of parts and systems. As vehicle engineering manager, it’s Tom Barnes’ job to ensure that customers get a cohesive vehicle where all of those thousands of parts work in harmony. 

It takes a team of hundreds of people to design, develop and test an all-new car like the Ford Mustang from the ground up, and most of them are focused on only a single system or function. Modern vehicles are packed with interdependent systems that share sensor data over networks. Even more traditional mechanical systems like engines, transmissions, suspension and brakes have interactions that affect how the whole car feels. 

Barnes and his team take a high-level view, testing dozens of prototypes on the track, road and in the lab over more than three years before the first car is delivered to a customer.  

“A sports car always has to be fun to drive and put a smile on the driver’s face,” said Barnes. “Our team strives to make the car both fun and functional for our customers.”

Background 
Barnes has been immersed in car culture from an early age and continues to devour all things 
automotive. As a child he was into the vehicles he saw on television such as Speed Racer’s Mach 5, the Batmobile, Magnum P.I.’s Ferrari 308GTS and the self-driving and smart-talking K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider. 

Barnes’ father worked for an automotive supplier, and family vacations were always road trips where counting car brands from the car window was a favorite way to pass the time. After earning master’s degrees from both Michigan State and the University of Michigan, Barnes followed his passion into the auto industry, starting his Ford career in research before moving into chassis engineering and vehicle integration.

Barnes now has been part of the Mustang team for more than 10 years, helping to bring both the current-generation Mustang to market in 2004 and the all-new model in 2014. 

“My vision for the new Mustang was to create a car that transforms the world to a better place for the driver,” added Barnes.
 
His life and passion
• He likes to get outside for fun, with bird watching, gardening, fishing and running among his interests
• Barnes owns a 2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca that fittingly has seen plenty of miles on the track as well as the street?