Dave Pericak: His Dream Was to Own a Ford Mustang – Now He’s in Charge of the Iconic Muscle Car
Dave Pericak, chief engineer
Background
Each work day for Dave Pericak is absolutely packed. And he couldn’t be happier about it. Pericak has attained a position that other Mustang owners can only dream about: He’s Mustang chief engineer. That means he is responsible for engineering, manufacturing, quality, cost – in short, everything.
“You hear a lot about how people have their dream job and how lucky they are,” said Pericak. “Well, I’m definitely one of those lucky few. It’s an honor to lead the Mustang team. This car, more than any other, represents the freedom we have in this country. It is raw power at its finest.”
For 2013, Mustang builds on that raw power with a modern design and new technology offerings. New technology includes a 4.2-inch LCD productivity screen with a Mustang-specific Track Apps, which gives drivers the ability to enjoy performance metrics right from the factory.
His life and passion
- Pericak has been married to KrysAnna for 16 years. They have two children, Dominic, 4, and Gianna, 15 months
- His favorite auto-themed movie is “Gone in Sixty Seconds.” Not surprisingly, the famous Mustang from the film – “Eleanor” – is his favorite car featured in a movie or TV show
- Pericak owns a 1968 Mustang, a 2000 Mustang GT convertible and a 2012 Mustang Boss Laguna Seca
- Pericak wrote a chapter in the book “Program Management Circa 2025"
What he does for Ford
- One of his goals as Mustang chief engineer is to bring even more edginess back to America’s favorite sports car. “I want to take a great car and make it second to none,” he said. “Our vision is to make Mustang a world-class sports car”
- Pericak has been with Ford for 17 years and began his career with the company as a manufacturing engineer at a parts plant working on door panels. This position afforded him the chance to interact with several chief engineers and inspired his desire to direct a vehicle program himself
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