Ford has secured a U.S. design patent covering the exterior appearance of the Mustang GTD, adding legal protection for the high-performance car’s distinctive styling. The move comes amid a dispute dating back to 2024, when automotive influencer TJ Hunt proposed an aftermarket body kit designed to give standard Mustang GT models a GTD-inspired look.
Ford Secures Design Patent for the Mustang GTD
The Mustang GTD’s exterior design is covered by U.S. Design Patent No. US D1,154,420 S. The patent includes drawings depicting the vehicle from the front, rear, sides and above.
The patent highlights the legal boundaries between automotive design inspiration and potential intellectual property infringement. Protecting the Mustang GTD’s appearance could complicate efforts by aftermarket companies to reproduce its distinctive styling on less expensive Mustang models.
TJ Hunt’s Mustang GTD-Inspired Body Kit Faced Opposition
In 2024, automotive influencer TJ Hunt and his company, Streethunter Designs, unveiled plans for a Mustang GT body kit inspired by the GTD.
The concept aimed to give standard Mustang GT owners access to the GTD’s aggressive appearance without spending more than $300,000 on the actual car. The proposed kit incorporated several distinctive styling features, including vented front fenders, a hood with prominent vents, reshaped rear bodywork and side intakes.
Hunt maintained that his design differed from the actual Mustang GTD, particularly when viewed in person. Ford, however, raised concerns about the project.
Ford sent Hunt a letter flagging potential issues with the proposed kit. Initial discussions suggested that the two sides might find common ground, but tensions escalated as the 2024 SEMA show in Las Vegas approached.
Hunt later revealed that Ford filed a formal complaint with SEMA organizers, resulting in his Mustang being removed from the show floor. The dispute highlighted the potential legal consequences of aftermarket designs that closely resemble a manufacturer’s protected vehicle styling.
What Ford’s Mustang GTD Design Patent Covers
The design patent protects the Mustang GTD’s appearance as depicted in its official drawings. Although the paperwork references applications ranging from actual vehicles to toy replicas, the central focus is the car’s overall shape, illustrated across seven pages of drawings.
The drawings omit the car’s large rear wing, but the patent still establishes protection for the design shown in the filing.
A design patent does not cover every mechanical component or automatically make all aftermarket parts illegal. The key issue is how closely a proposed body kit reproduces the protected design, leaving room for legal disputes over similarities between competing designs.
What the Patent Means for Mustang GT Owners
Ford has not launched a new lawsuit against Hunt. Nevertheless, the patent adds another consideration for aftermarket manufacturers seeking to produce Mustang GTD-inspired body kits.
For Mustang owners and companies developing aftermarket components, the distinction between drawing inspiration from the GTD and closely reproducing its protected exterior design remains important. Ford’s patent provides an additional legal tool to protect the appearance of the Mustang GTD.
