A 1965 Mustang and a 2015 Mustang, side by side

WASHINGTON — You can see — and sit in — the interior of an original 1965 Ford Mustang next to the interior of the Mustang’s 2015 incarnation, side-by-side at a museum in Alexandria, Virginia.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office asked Ford to help tell the story of the evolution of patent trademarks and intellectual property in the automotive industry, and the side-by-side Mustang is on display at PTO’s National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria.

The split-personality Mustang is part of the museum’s new, permanent Intellectual Property Power Exhibit.

Visitors can sit in either side of the car and compare features and styling details, from the 1965’s AM radio, roll up window, vent air window and retractable color-keyed seat belts to the 2015’s touch screen display.

The display will also include the sounds of the 1965 and 2015 Mustang V-8 engines at idle.

Ford did not apply for any specific Mustang styling patents when the Mustang was launched. The 2015 Mustang Convertible has 36 individual styling patents.

Watch a video about the arrival of the exhibit:

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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