The Ford Unitron

The early 1960s were a time of fever dreams and wild-eyed ambition. Ford, that lumbering behemoth of American industry, had its bloodshot eyes on the burgeoning RV market, seeking to sink its teeth into this new vein of potential profit. But commitment was a fleeting mistress in those days, and Ford’s enthusiasm was tepid at best. So, they tossed the task to what amounted to a glorified coffee-fetcher—a greenhorn with just enough fire in his belly to sketch out a fever dream of his own.

Enter Dean Beck, a raw talent with a mind buzzing like a hornet’s nest. Beck envisioned a rear-engined van, a modular marvel that could shape-shift between a camper, a mobile office, a pickup, or a delivery van. His design was slick and low-slung, hugging the ground with an audacious height of less than 56 inches. It was a vision of versatility, a Swiss Army knife on wheels, born from the mind of a young man with nothing to lose and everything to prove.

Ford gave up on the idea almost immediately, but those early concepts remain some of my favorites of all time. This thing just feels like an Apollo era moon lander or some shit… and that’s sort of my thing.

Check it out: