Alright Ryan, I'm piggy-backing off your great Ford Comete Monte Carlo post from yesterday. There was another European-inspired Ford prototype that came a mere two years after the '51 Comete called th... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Very sweet looking... the grill is awesome, almost Buick like...the body seems kind of English looking to me, or maybe it's just that it influenced them
This car was at Hershey fall show many years ago. I think that's an AACA badge on the front. As I remember the owner was from N.Y. and the car sounded excellant. Lots of people questioned the authenticity, because of the engine.
Wow, a very attractive mix of what appears to be morgan and jaguar lines, looks like those comanies may have run with a few of the lines later in the decade as well.
Pretty car, and unfamiliar to me. I particularly like the rear bumperettes, although the taillights are pretty vulnerable.
Nice, it shows what a designer could do when the bean counter wasn't breathing over his shoulder. I think the design may have influenced some of the cars mentioned in the previous posts. As is often obvious, what comes out of a design house as a design exercise often gets emulated by other designers from other manufactures. And as shown by the hidden headlights designers tend to use their trademark items in later designs.
Have a look at a Nash Healey, Austin Healey 100 and AC Ace (the car the Cobra was based on) which all show similar styling themes. As gorgeous as the Vega is, Ford made the right decision in building the original T-Bird and later, the Mustang, using off-the-shelf parts. Still it's a work of art, isn't it?
Another obscure Ford I never knew existed! From the rear quarter view it kind of looks like an elongated A/C Cobra...especially aft of the door opening.
Looks like a vette no way!!!!!! If that car had come out with the vette in 54 it would have spanked. V-8 comparied to a straight 6. I would have loved to see that. Question how does the shifter work? Knuck from indiana.
interesting set-up ALL RIGHT. DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE A IDEA HOW THIS WORKS I WOULD LOVE TO PUT ONE ON THE COUPE IT WOULD SAVE ME THE CUTTING OF THE CENTER SECTION OF MY BENCH SEAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Interesting that GM later used both the Monte Carlo and Vega monikers from those Ford prototypes. There must be a story behind that.
what a suprise it would be to see that car at a concourse and see a flathead under the hood. not what I would expect at all. needs a set of Ardun heads... maybe a blower.
Hey, If I remember correctly (probably not!) the Ford Vega was an answer to a design challenge issued by HFII. The spec. wa s for an open two seater sports model. I don't remember if Gardner handled all of the design details, but remember the body was made of aluminum and that it was originally built on a English Ford (Popular/Anglia) chassis. Vince Gardener could well have handeled all the mock-up, as he was a very skilled modeler and prototype builder. It's sad he never got the aclaim he should have, and sadder still ruled by his demons that he chose to take his own life. The magazine "Collectable Automobile" did a piece on this vehicle some years back, but hell if I can remember when! '' Beware the irrational however seductive"
Jalopy Jim said: "Definitely influenced by the MGA, The only sin was it did not go into production. " I agree that the body shape is very reminicent of the MGA, pictured below. But the MGA didn't appear until 1955 or '56. Maybe the Ford Vega influenced MG to finally modernize the old T series design. (which I still love too). In any case this is an interesting thread, and another reason why I dig the HAMB.
So it's got a Weiand intake and heads, eh? I wonder if those were installed as a part of the original build. And yeah, that interior looks fabulous, but where the heck is the shifter that people are talking about? Is it one of those chrome stalks hanging down from the dash? One of those things might be to raise the hidden headlights, but the other?? I'm assuming the car has a 3 speed manual transmission of the sort that was commonly coupled to the flatheads of that era, but I honestly don't know where the shifter for it is.
Interesting - saw this beautiful little Ferrari on Sunday - a gift to Henry II in 1952 - also said to have inspired the '55 bird
In the interior shot, look for the alloy plate below the center of the dash., showing the "H" pattern. The shift lever protrudes horizontally directly above it. Sorta hard to see!
Looks like a vette, but i can see some euro inspiration. 50's sports car, made by ford, roots of Vector Aeromotives maybe?
I had the same thought, but a little research turned up this car: Built by MG for a private owner on a TD chassis in 1951, it ran at LeMans that year and got a lot of publicity. It is obviously the prototype for the MG-A, and could have influenced the design of the Vega as well.
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