- The Lincoln Futura.
- The Ford MA.
- The Ford Airstream.
From the Lincoln Futura (1954), to the Ford MA (2002) to the Ford Airstream (2007), Ford Motor Company concept cars have always left people asking: when are you going to build that thing?
Concept cars are prototype vehicles, created to showcase design, technology or new and innovative automotive concepts. Though the underlying ideas live on, and may eventually make their way into a production vehicle, more often, the extent of their “driving life” is limited to the Auto Show unveiling. Concept cars exist to gauge customer reaction to new designs and materials that may be too expensive or not commercially viable to be fully produced.
The concept car that becomes a production vehicle usually undergoes significant changes before the design is finalized. The biggest concessions are usually to less
expensive materials, and to comply with safety standards and practicality. Often, the concept cars that exist in their “pure” form can find other lives off the road. The Lincoln Futura went on to become the Batmobile in the television series Batman (1966), and Ford’s MA Concept has been exhibited in museums, going on to win the IDSA Silver Industrial Design Excellence Award in 2003.
There are, however, many concept cars that eventually make it to the road as production vehicles, with only slight modifications from their conceptual beginnings. The Lincoln Continental started as a concept car in 1938, and the Ford Probe III (1981) eventually saw life on the streets as the European Ford Sierra and then in the U.S as the Merkur XR4Ti.(1985) Likewise, concept cars can find inspiration in other “non-production” vehicles. The classic GT40 race cars of the 1960’s inspired the GT40 concept (2002), which quickly went into production as the Ford GT (2003).
More recently, the Ford Airstream (2007) concept created a stir on the Auto Show circuit when it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2007, but then so did the Ford Nucleon (1958), a car envisioned to be powered by an on-board nuclear reactor. The Ford Model U (2003) and Messenger (2003), and Ford Fairlane Concept (2005) are still on people’s minds. It remains to be seen whether we’ll see them out on the road in the near future – and more importantly, what will they look like?
Loading ...
The car comes in one colour black and has a few add ins….and it is called the “model A”
This would create the buzz and the low cost would take market share….
This car should attract children and cause them to tell there parents to buy the car and save there environment…..most schools talk about the environment and ford needs to place a product there so then the kids will tell there parents about ford. Cars…
Another point I wonder if you folks ever to the driveway test…..
When you design a car does it look good in the driveway….does it look like the car is watching the house….I have some friends at Toyota and I did the drinking thing with them this was in order to get there business for a supplier….they state an odd comment…they said the car must look as if it watching or guarding the house so when people drive buy they have an image that the car is guarding its owners….and thus draw more people to buy there product….they said that to old ford taurse looks like a beached whale in there drive way and said that becomes the perception….they pointed out that there car looks like a dragon or a house pet….thats the image they want….
Some thing to think about
Ford has excellent reliability and safety performance
This Flex car is ridiculous. Its ugly reminds me of a bad Hummer(GM), The 2008 Ford Taures(I spelt it wrong) could get better gas milage, and that grill is ugly. Likewise, for the Mercury Sable. I have a 2005 Mercury Montego, You almost got it right. Just missing side reflectors on the front sides and the head lights could have been designed better. You know those "do ever thing lights" that you guys like. Have you ever seen the 2005-2006 Lincoln LS? A beautiful looking car it just sits to low and cost to much. That car has a lasting design style.
My comments are all over the place like your technology and design. You are doing to much and not focusing on what works in USA market. What works are exterior and interior designs and styles that do have great transitions. Engines that get excellent fuel economy and fair torque with good exceleration. The Duratec 3.0( Did Porche make that for you) is a good engine could use the Mazda fuel injection system though. That engine matched to a hybrid electric motor could get you maybe 32 to 36 mpg. So what if the torque is 201lbs thats great. The tires we can't forget those, they don't have to be so thick, the narrower the tire the better the fuel economy and traction in snow, providing its a good all season radial(P6' four season not bad). Some of these cars that Ford has on the USA market remind me of upside down bath tubs, i.e. 2008 Ford Edge. If you gave me a team and the funds I could make you one good car and one good SUV, and a good small pickup. PS I do like biodiesel hybrids for mid sized SUVs.
I wonder what would happen if you matched a 3.5 cyclone motor and a electric motor? Maybe a Shock! jb at 45 years old.
A lot of young people, especially if they are fans of hip-hop music, think the best car speakers are the ones with the biggest subsonic boom.
Indication that nothing is to come other than doom for Mercury?? PLEASE DON"T DO THAT!!! I'm BEGGING! Mercury is an American institution. It deserves to be advanced as it is the brain child of Henry's son, Edsel
Thank you!
Alan, Bill, please listen!
Very nice on design, but the aspect of camper company doent thrill me.
In this day and age it is impossible to find anything in any medium that one could call over the top or jolting. We take everything in stride, but the job of the Ford stylists is to find designs that will awaken our passions. However, the vehicle must be capable of being produced in mass quantities. The two are mutually exclusive ninety percent of the time, so compromises are made for the sake of the business case.
Now, for my five cents' worth. Ford needs to make the Mercury the Audi of the company instead of a collection of poorly restyled renditions of Ford models, and Lincoln needs to have demonstrable differences from Ford and Mercury and stand up to the scrutiny of the Lexus buyer.
trasportation/car designer to bring us a bread box on weels, need to look back to the sixties for inspiration, I m so frustrated with THE FORD OF TODAY.
Thank you,
Tom Tartack Former Ford Salesmen and future buyer of Ford Flex.