The online world is changing how companies interact with their customers. For instance, Ford Motor Company has opened its picture archive to its nostalgia crazed faithful in Metro Detroit.
With the release, demand ended up being so strong they’ve now taken the wrapper off the highly sought-after prize of concept cars.
One of the biggest reasons to go to an auto show is to see the concept cars.
They are the stuff of fantasy, of the future, and give us a window into what auto designers see the industry and vehicles could be.
And because we don’t get to see the old ones often, there’s a clamor to see them again, and Ford has decided it’s willing to oblige.
What’s old is new again, and we saw that in the tiny toaster of a car called the Ford Comuta, a 1966 concept electric commuter car.
The vintage car is a little more than a golf cart; It’s the forerunner of the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Ford F-150 Lightning half a century later.
There, of course, is sheer eye candy, like the 1955 Mystere or the 1963 Cougar concept.
Five years before that, though, was the Nucleon, a nuclear-powered car. It didn’t actually run but no doubt a cool idea.
Another concept car in that same vein was the 1961 Gyron. It was very George Jetson-looking.
The cartoon came out the following year. You decide whether a cartoon artist borrowed an idea.
Ford Archives and Heritage Brand Manager Ted Ryan gave Local 4 the story about that futuristic vehicle.
“The Gyron was actually designed by Sid Mead, who later went on to be the set designer for Blade Runner the movie, and the Gyron was a three-wheeled vehicle that was going to be controlled by a Gyroscope,” said Ryan.
Hollywood has always loved cool cars like the Lincoln Classic, which may be one of the most famous of all time. It’s the 1955 Lincoln Futura.
“It did its road shows, college campuses, and showed the future,” Ryan said. “Then it was sold to George Barris, who turned around and turned it into the Batmobile, so when you watch Batman on TV, you see the Batmobile rolling, you’re seeing the Lincoln Futura concept. We sold it to him for $1.”
Ford’s picture archive contains 1,600 images and also has the original brochures available to see and download for free.
