Heres an image of some comparisons, the fronts easy, but im really struggling with the back to see differences. noteworthy things are that little sphere just under the boot lid, which is where the downward facing lamp would have been in the mystere. its like someone was setting it up so they could mount a lamp there once they got the grill on. however, i could be wrong and it could be a boot locking mechanism. does the car have a functioning boot would be a good question, how far can you open it with that big chicken wing on? or was it never intended top be used as a boot? red lines note position of door above arch on mystere, behind on chicken car. but that whole boot looks correct.
Heres a small image with bumper pods, but the size of the openings dont match. so theyre probably imitation. This could by a very small chance actually be the back half of the mystere. it was fiberglass, it had no scrap value. what would be interesting to find out would be the shop who did it, why it was made to look like the mystere when it was just a yellow car to drive round.
I am interested in the fate of the atmos too. I could easily image the dome being in a junk yard somewhere. it would be cool to find out waht junk yards ford actually sent their cars to. Id bet it would be local to the round headquarter building where they were stored.
The wheel base on the Mystere looks longer than the Chickenmobile. I do wonder if the body from the windshield back is the original Mystere, or maybe a fiberglass mold taken from the original. It does look like the back end of the Chickenmobile could have once housed the chrome trim seen on the Mystere. The front is of course very different and that looks like where the difference is in the wheel base as well. The Mystere's front fenders would have never fit the shorter wheelbase. Mrjmyx, it sounds like you've done alot of research to find out the original didn't survive. At least knowing gives you some closure so you can stop looking.
I feel kinda stupid for being so convinced it was the mystere. but it certainly isnt. Ive had a long discussion with the current owner. It was actually built as a batmobile, the idea to copy the lincoln futura idea but using the mystere. I go into depth on the subject here. http://1966batvehicles.yuku.com/topic/4291/Another-1950s-concept-car-batmobile-Almost I guess Im happy it isnt. Another mistake I made was thinking it would have gone to warhoops, but only GM sent their stuff there. Currently I`m piecing together more and more about it, I`m in contact with the ford benson research center, to pay for a reasearcher to go through their archives & see what they have. payments just a bit difficult atm cos they dont accept paypal. they want an american cheque from an american bank Little bits of info come out here and there, Ive gained so much knowledge since I started looking some years ago now so who knows what cool things will turn up. My thoughts on the fate of the mystere and atmos. Nothing worked on them, they were big and clunky and had to be rolled around everywhere. I can easily see how they would have been destroyed now.
Slight update - Ford researcher sent me an article. "After it was introduced to the press, the Mystere was turned over to George Hackett of the Lincoln-Mercury marketing department, and it went on the show circuit. After the 1955 show season, the Mystere was returned to the design center and put in storage, occastionall to be removed, dusted-off and shown to new designers and sometimes to Ford executives at their request. In 1960-61, dsigners in Elwood Engel`s corporate advanced studio repainted the Mystere a pearlescent-white. Several designers report seeing it as late as the mid-1960s. In 1970, Bill Boyer was transferred to ford of Australia as chief designer. The Mystere was still intact when he left, but he was later told it was destroyed while he was in Australia.
I think that pic may be older than 2001. So anyway, heres the fate. Originally Owned by some Jim white from michigan- where it deteriorated just like that picture. In 1971 sold to someone last name baker - owned body shop in lima ohio did some restoration, how much unknown. in 79 Ray Sabo & son Al at swap meet in ohio, purchased car for 3k they trailered it to ohio. In 1982 they sold it with an advert in hemmings motor news. To a Ray Cosh who purchased it from them in michigan for 10k took it to california. Cosh now lives in Ojai California with plans to restore it some day. Anyone know Ray Cosh? This one, the la galaxie again rolling shell. In 1959/60 it was being transported to Budapest Hungary when it fell off a forklift truck damaging it, It was taken back to michigan and destroyed. This was around till the 60s, the fiberglass began to sag and the plexiglass canopy discoloured, it was broken up and destroyed. But a small scale model of this is still apparently around somewhere. Re the 62 Seattle-ite XXI Ford has nothing on this, I have a suspicion it was a model too. I have a doctored photo of the mystere with 2 women sat in it. theres a photograph of the seattlite with a woman near it. would not suprise me if it was also doctored. So I guess I`m done. Anyone still reading?
Hi, Im defi itly reading. Im very interested in finding more documentation about the Mystere and im pretty sure the only way would be to track down the man behind it, Bill Boyer. Ive done some research but have not been able to come up with anything yet. Ive fell in love with the design of the Mystere many years ago and as an experienced car restorer/painter it would be a great challenge to build a fully working replica like the Ford x-2000 build by Andy Saunders in the UK. Would you be interested in contacting your sources ar Ford again to see if mr. Boyer is still alive and if so where he resides?
Bill Boyer is long dead I`m afraid. I google the mystere every month to see if anything new comes up. theres not many people left to talk about it & the ones who can probably arent on the internet. Andy saunders did a real rush job on that car, it would have been cool to see it with the true bubble top the original had but he built it as a road going vehicle. To really copy the mystere you would have to build it as a static display model, because the way it was built means you cannot raise the cannopy. It was pure design, the whole canopy had to be lifted off to get inside. To made a working street legal vehicle you would have to change it a lot especially in europe. steering would be a big issue, the throw over steering wheel you would have to come up with a working design for that if u wanted to keep that feature. There isnt a week goes by when I dont think about the logistics & possibility of building it which I do want to do before I die. Firstly it will need to be built in CAD to get all the remaining dimensions of parts needed to be cut. It would be fiberglass bodied, built on a light wooden buck filled with foam. Marty Martino is a much better replica builder, you can see some of his projects in my fotki. http://public.fotki.com/mrjynx/fan-built-replicas/ I also have most mystere stuff in there apart from documents which only say what can be read around the net. There are some other bits of concept art that are just as cool as the mystere that Id love to see built. What more are you looking for?
The X-2000 is a nice ride considering it was build from just one pic. I agree many details especially the glass could have been done better but id rather see it like that then dont see it at all. Im looking for more pics basicly, perhaps relatives of mr. Boyer still have them in albums from that era. Mainly to determine what details would be used or left out if id build one. I would base it off a 59 Cadillac cause it resembles the most and would mean alot of panels can be reshaped instead of build from scratch. Obviously a completely identical version is impossible if you want it to be operational but it can be real close. I would definitly prefer to do it in metal to get the endresult better looking and durable. The glass can be made in Calfornia i know a shop that does custom made domes. The front part could be made to lift forwards electricly with the doors opening regularly. The trims can be done by shaping molds from fiberbondo, have them casted in brass, polish and chrome. The interior would be slightly different cause i wouldnt want to have a sliding steeringcolumn although it could be done.
Am I wrong, but does this car make you want to eat their chicken? At least the Oscar Meyer weinermobile didn't look angry. this thing looks like it crawled out of Tokyo bay after a nuclear accident. Look out toy tanks.
I grew up in a house,just across the street from Ford engineering property. In the 50's-early 60's,the property was not fenced,and there was a thick wooded area across from our house. Ford had a dump site in those woods. Most of the fiberglass and plaster styling cars,and models were dumped there,and then crushed with a dozer or tracter,then covered with dirt. I remember dragging home a fiberglass 1/3 or 1/4 scale car body, that they had not yet destroyed. I think my dad threw it away or took it back to the dump.
I initially thought about the 59 cadillac but its really not similar at all, the closest you would get in body shape would be a 57 ford with a 58 front clip then modifying that. other issue with a cadillac may be engine height and bonnet slope. main problem is that the pod ontop and the lip from the bar that goes across all sit above the front glass preventing it from lifting. the pod has electricals in it that run down the arms powering a heater and cooler. so as it sits non of it was ever intended to move. also from a safety point of view there isnt much rollover protection. I dont know about the legality of getting it on the road. funnily it was going to have cadillac bumper pods as seen here. http://public.fotki.com/mrjynx/ford/mystere/concept.html that image comes from the boyer family. I think if there was more they would have released them with that. there wasnt a great deal of documentation done, one wall blueprint was all it was built off. all external details can be found in photos in my gallery. internals I havent put up yet. but ill upload on now. http://public.fotki.com/mrjynx/ford/mystere/0401-1649-1.html inside its mirrored. the tv with dials, those dials may also control heating/cooling. theres a telephone between the seats. 3 buttons by the door, logically i imageine one for the door, one for the dome, maybe one for heating. central column I have a list of dials. the dial in the center with the pink button is to enter a key combination to start it.
You know how long ive been looking for someone to tell me the location of that dump? my god. could you perhaps point it on a map? id love to google street view it. dont suppose you saw the mystere or atmos there? anything from my gallery bring back any memories? http://public.fotki.com/mrjynx/ford/
this one is a better view of the phone. http://public.fotki.com/mrjynx/ford/mystere/0401-1650-1.html you can also see the little pins that hold the roof canopy on.
I dont agree with using a ford, if you look at the Pic, you can see youve got the round sides that slope downwards to the rear, the body doesnt come back down again after it goes up from the rocker to the rear wheelarch and how the underside of the front bumper can be easily changed up. Also the way the back of a 59 is shaped the trunklid can be brought down while the end of the fenders that house the rounded rearbumperends can be modified to house the rearlights. The engine would possibly be a problem when fitting a sloped hood but ive worked on a few 59s, theres definitly space plus the airfilter can be changed for a much flatter one. As for the scoopornament on top, it can be attached to the glass and split from the bar going across the 2 windows. To be honest a detail like that is so minor i wouldnt worry about it.
Im kinda amazed you come up with a pic of a 59 ragtop with the dimensions of the Mystere drawn through it and not see the resemblence haha. If the body itself was to be slided forwards youre half way there already. Do you happen to have dimensions of the Mystere? If only just the size of the wheels to figure out the exact length or are the green dimensions exact? This is a project i want to think through thoroughly, im starting on a `96 fleetwood first this year thats going to be converted from a 4door sedan to a 2door convertible before id do this.
I do, like I said that was my initial thought too, but the more I understand the physical volume of the two cars which I both love the more I see how different every part is. which is why I would opt to build a fiberglass body over custom frame. There arent that many measurements out there as it was built visually over the clay model. the ones ive got are. * length 220 inches * wheelbase 121 * width 78 inches * max width 80 * with a height of only 52 inches the volume and height of the (what do i call am?) rocketboosters at the back of the cadillac, from the door too the rear are too square and too high. the body may need sectioning. and everything from the window forward would need rebuilding.
Ofcourse, yes. It would be easier to shape it out of polyester but ive been doing cars professionally for close to ten years now and i try to stay away from it as much a possible. A polyester car will never be as straight and good looking as a metal car done right. It still is something to think about cause a 59 Cadillac doesnt come cheap anymore these days and polyester would allow for basicly any late 50s early 60s car, the time to build it would probably be the same both ways.
Its whatever you feel most comfortable doing, I know I could more accurately produce something over a wooden buck using fiberglass sheet than through metal shaping. mirroring wont be a problem as both parts can be cut at the same time. its cheap enough to be redone if im not happy and its just what i feel comfortable doing. The body would be over a supporting metal frame like the wing of a B-17. I think some people do it badly and give a bad name to the process. its not chicken wire and chopped strands. Cars like the xm-800 are really a testament to good fiberglassing. Are you going to draw up blueprints or just get stuck in?
You can get polyester looking good, especially if its painted white afterwards But with a car thats going to be half highgloss jet black id definitly prefer metal. In polyester theres always this urethane waveyness to it if you look alongside the car that i detest. I also like showcars to be cut and buffed to mirrorshine which is very tricky on a polyester surface because of the heat generated when polishing. Im more of a jump-in kinda guy, i dont have a measurement-fetish like some builders. If i were to do this i would make a scale 1:1 sideview print on the wall for the dimensions and to determine how far the (cadillac) body would have to slide forwards etc. and go from there.
Well Im interested in every step you want to discuss or things you want to work out. first thing ill produce is a 3d model with measurements, a lot can be calculated in 3d ie getting the measurements to stuff you dont know. but im in no rush & dont want to rush either. Im not going anywhere, I`ll give you my personal email which you can message any time night or day. I still have more pics to upload to my gallery which i will get round to eventually. dont go disapearing. & I`m still interested if anyone else has any memories or information to share that ive missed.
The Jalopy Journal
