the age of 94. here s cnn s stephanie elam on his legacy. reporter: leo anthony iacocca, better known as lee, was born in the rust belt in allentown, pennsylvania in 1924. trained as an engineer, he vaulted to auto industry superstardom by helping design and champion the amazingly popular ford mustang. this is the car that dreams are made of. reporter: he also fathered the world s first minivan. dodge caravan, plymouth voyager. they re the most versatile wagons ever built in america. there s nothing like them. reporter: with a master s degree from princeton, iacocca started at ford in 1946 as an engineering trainee. he earned his reputation with ford s racing program in the 60s but found his place in history with the introduction of the ford mustang at the 1964 world s fair. the mustang can be tailored to be virtually anything its buyer designs. reporter: the mustang was an overnight success.