Vedette: A Funky French Ford of the 50s

Let’s be honest, the French have always gone their own way: Music, fashion, art, and yes, automobiles (I’m looking at you Citroen/ Peugeot/ Renault). By the late 1940s, Ford was already a global car company, establishing manufacturing hubs and unique models in the UK, Germany, and Australia markets. In France the company was called Ford SAF (Société Anonyme Française), and the postwar model they created for their local market was called the Vedette. Designed by Bob E.T. Gregorie, the Vedette was sort of a ‘greatest hits’ of Dearborn design; proportions of the ’41-’48 Ford, some bit of Shoebox Ford, and a heavy splash of the ’49 Mercury. The result looks a bit like a clown car version of a Merc, especially in the the coupe version, but I still think it’s cool. Ford SAF even ran their own Frenchie version of the Flathead V8, with aluminum heads no less. The Vedette was even made in a commercial vehicle version with an opening back half called the Abeille, which is arguably the world’s first hatchback!