Ford Motor Company has released a slew of incredibly rare images showcasing remarkable concepts and classics that few people outside of the Blue Oval know about.
One hundred new photos of Ford concept cars (covering forty-five new vehicles) have been uploaded to the Ford Heritage Vault. The site is a virtual paradise for Ford enthusiasts and automotive historians and features more than 1,800 photographs from 1896 to 2021, as well as brochures. and press releases about those concepts.
“That’s what you can’t locate anywhere,” Ford archivist Ted Ryan said of the latest footage, speaking to the Detroit Free Press. Regarding some concepts, Ryan noted that “designers were given carte blanche to believe what ‘could be’ rather than what was topical. Many of the inventions that have been presented have nevertheless come to fruition. »
Take the Ford Seattle-ite XXI designed for the 1962 Seattle World Fair. According to the original press release, it has four steerable front wheels and interchangeable power packs that would allow someone to use a 60-horsepower motor for short commutes and a 400-hp engine for performance driving. Other advanced features include a travel-programming computer.
Ford mentions a separate engine compartment that “could accommodate highly complicated fuel cells that drive electric motors or compact nuclear devices. ” It must have sounded like the science fiction novels of the early 60s. Six decades later, Ford sells 3 electric cars. in the United States, adding the popular Mustang Mach-E.
Some of these iconic cars, such as the Ford X-100 and Lincoln Futura, haven’t been seen in decades. “We changed that by loading more than 1,600 photos and brochures of over 300 different concept cars from Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury into the Ford Heritage Vault,” said Ryan.
The 1958 Nucleon is a nuclear-powered car Ford designers envisaged traveling around 5,000 miles without recharging. The “atomic-powered” Ford was designed around the assumption that the size and weight of nuclear reactors and shielding would be reduced in the future. We’re thankful this idea didn’t take off, but it’s interesting.
Had the Ford Aurora concept seen the light of day, pickup trucks might still have been popular family cars today. This long, futuristic roof has taken cabin design to a new level with an L-shaped living room-style living room. , swivel chairs in the front, and a TV, to name just a few of the home’s features.
Other amazing cars include the 1954 FX Atmos, the 1976 Anser, the Europe 021C, the 1992 Bronco Boss, and the all-electric Ford Commuta. If you have a few hours to spare and love concept cars, it’s worth checking out. those amazing creations. While Ford still creates concept cars, they don’t have anything you see in the Heritage Vault.