car design thread | Page 513 | FerrariChat

car design thread

Discussion in 'Creative Arts' started by jm2, Oct 19, 2012.

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  1. bitzman

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    Anybody in the design world ever hear of Raymond Picasso?
    I think that's an adopted name but he's quite a talent with the airbrush or modern equivalent.At first I thought he just lowered the cars and added whitewalls but finally I found when he re-did the grille in the PF designed RR Hyperion he could do what pro designers do, create an alternative design that's more pleasing. I wish i knew more about his education and if he makes any money at this. I've seen at least two custom cars labeled "designed by Raymond Picasso" but don't know if the car owners went to him or just copied the picture. Any articles on him? Thanks
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  2. bitzman

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  3. jm2

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    Awesome!
     
  4. energy88

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  5. NYC Fred

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    Love the AMX 3. Panteraesque, if that's a word.
     
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  6. jm2

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    The EyesOn Design Car Show in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
    SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 BY MIKE GULETT 1 COMMENT
    EyesOn Design car show in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan on September 19, 2021.

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    1965 Iso Rivolta GT owned by John R. Gailey III

    Now in its 34th year, EyesOn Design has been named one of America’s top five car shows by USA Today and “one of the best car events worldwide” by Car & Driver magazine. The New York Times noted that it was “one of the rare concours to focus on design rather than collectability.”

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    1967 Ghia 450SS owned by Wes and Karol Spyrshak

    The show continued its tradition of honoring automotive design in a setting that is also a homage to design – the grounds of the historic lakeside mansion of Edsel Ford, who elevated his father’s namesake company by helping create such legendary cars as the Model A, the 1932 Ford and the 1939 Lincoln Continental.


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    1967 Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada owned by Billy and Tisa Hibbs

    Keeping with its origin, the show’s judging is done by active and retired exterior and interior designers from the leading automotive and supplier companies.


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    1969 AMC AMX/3 owned by Rick Biafora

    The theme picked for this year’s show was “Marques of Extinction: Significant Designs of Bygone Brands.” Besides brands that are no longer in production, the show highlighted early sports and luxury cars, the Big Three classics of the 1950s and 1960s, muscle cars and exotic European touring and sports cars of a more recent vintage.

    Among the stand-outs was a 1961 Dual Ghia L6.4 prototype that 60 years ago had a list price of $13,500, the equivalent of $118,000 today – if one were even available at that price.

    The event also featured a collection of one-of-a-kind General Motors design studies for today’s mid-engine Corvette, a handful of Ford concept cars and, seen for the first time in North America, the Hyundai Prophecy concept car.

    There was also a round-up of significant Studebakers – including the poster car, Dick Teague’s Packard Predictor. There was also an appearance by Sandra Studebaker, an eighth-generation member of the family who proudly exhibited her 1962 “Lady Lark,” restored by her son.

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    1960 Triumph Italia 2000 Sports Coupe owned by Harlan Schufeldt

    As always, one of the show’s most popular categories was the “stock to rock” class that showcases restored stock models next to their customized cousins.


    Another special entry this year was the gleaming Dream Roadster, an open-topped tribute inspired by a young boy’s favorite Hot Wheels toy car. The roadster was hand-crafted from at least seven cars, including such extinct brands as Corvair. Pontiac and Studebaker.

    To round things out, the show also included a display of classic motorcycles, among them a very sharp 1930 Excelsior Super X Streamliner and a 1935 DKW S8 200.

    This year’s show represented a return to normality with vehicles displayed across the spacious meadow in front of the Ford House.

    During the height of last year’s COVID crisis, the organizers managed to pull off two of the only outdoor car events in Michigan – by having a parade of 200 invitation-only vehicles drive by judges stationed in front of the home, while hundreds of spectators lined Lake Shore Drive in the upscale Detroit suburb to see the cars entering and leaving the estate.

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    1984 Bitter SC Coupe owned by Ken Lingenfelter

    Also shown was last year’s Sunday Drive “People’s Choice” award winner, a cute little 1961 Citroen 2CV, boldly sporting a Peter Max-style psychedelic paint job that dated back to the 1970s.


    And dotting the meadow were fondly-remembered marques like Austin Healey, Chrysler Imperial, Cord, Hupmobile, Kaiser Darrin, Mercury, MG, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and many others.

    One other unique feature of the show? A category of cars that were graded by touch by vison-impaired judges wearing white gloves – a nod to the event being a fundraiser for the non-profit Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology.

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    1971 Monteverdi 375L High Speed 2+2 Coupe owned by Bob Lutz

    Related events included a 75-mile driving tour of southeastern Michigan on Sept. 17 that ended at a private car collector’s garage.


    Also, on Sept. 21, the annual EyesOn Design Awards honoring the best designs of a recently-debuted production car, concept car, vehicle interior and the best use of color and materials were handed out at the Motor Bella outdoor car show at a private racetrack in Pontiac, Michigan. That event filled in for the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which had been canceled because of COVID.

    As in the past, those cars were judged that day by a specially-assembled group of current and former automotive designers and specialists.

    Winning three of the awards was Volvo’s electric car brand Polestar while the new Ford Bronco took the honors for best production car debut.

    THE AUTHOR: Robert Musial has been a reporter, editor and columnist in Detroit.
     
  7. jm2

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    Featured Features
    The Benefits of Bearing Down: My Career in Car Design
    September 9, 2021Rod Williams
    Image Unavailable, Please Login I was a car designer with Ford and Chrysler in the 1950s, a time of powerful, classic cars. What made my employment as a designer unique is that I was a 23-year-old farm boy from Millinocket with no formal art training, and in the U.S. Navy, at the time Ford hired me. I still had a year before my enlistment discharge a year later in June 1954. I began work at Ford just a few weeks later. At that time Ford, GM, Chrysler, and American Motors all had a hiring policy that required new designer applicants to be art or design school graduates. How did I manage to slip between the cracks?

    Back to the past. I was just a typical young car nut in my high school teens, and I was good at drawing, so I did just that, doing drawings of cars . . . mostly my own designs.  After graduating from high school, I wanted to continue in art and design as a professional career, but I could not afford to go to art school. However, when the Korean war broke out, the GI Bill benefits were re-instated. I joined the Navy to obtain the college benefits upon my discharge in 1954.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Unfortunately, I never got to use or need the benefits.  Ford Motor Company had made me a design job offer while I was still in the Navy. This unusual situation took place because a national car magazine published some of my car designs in an article titled “Dream Car Sailor.” During my Navy enlistment, I had continued designing cars in my spare time. This was the totally unexpected, surprising result of that spacetime activity.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login I began employment with Ford in July 1954, just two weeks after my Navy discharge. I began work in their Advanced Design Studio, which was composed of a dozen or more newly employed design school graduates.  However, I was not a design school graduate, the only one without that qualification. It was an exceptional opportunity, but it presented many challenges to my novice art and design talent. I quickly realized I was “behind the eight ball,” so to speak, and that it would be a daunting task to succeed, compete, and advance in the situation I found myself.

    The answer was to bear down and continue the love and perseverance for designing cars that had gotten me to this point. I was determined to defy any doubts that I could succeed. Bear down. I did just that, working every evening in a small suburban Detroit apartment with my new young wife, both of us from the small town of Millinocket, Maine.  In a matter of just a few months, I was the one in my group who was getting the favorable comments and attention. In just four months I was promoted from the Advanced Studio to the top Ford Production Design Studio, well in advance of my design-school counterparts. In less than a year I found myself as one of the leading (and youngest) designers in this small group of highly experienced professionals.

    I spent the next three years at Ford working on the ʼ56, ʼ57 and ʼ58 models of the Parkland and Fairlane station wagons, sedans, and Thunderbird.  Despite the immeasurable experience I had gained at Ford and my enjoyment in working there, I then decided to make a change to Chrysler because of management changes. I began designing at Chrysler for the Plymouth and Chrysler divisions. 

    Image Unavailable, Please Login And soon, my young Millinocket wife and I made another change, leaving Detroit. By ʼ59, even while making a very good salary and experiencing success, I began considering moving back to the New England area and starting my own industrial design business.

    I did just that in 1960, starting AR Williams & Associates in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. It was another challenging chapter in our life. I was starting over from scratch with an office in the basement of our home . . . now with three children and a fourth on the way . . . and my wife in another added role, as my administrative assistant.  It was “bare down” time again but with much more at stake.

    Within a few months I had several clients, and I soon had more work than I could do alone. I was able to rent a small office in the next year, and hire my first employee, then a second and third.  My design business became very successful and grew to six designers. The company won over 50 national and international design awards before I sold the business to a long-time client, Tom’s of Maine, in 2000 and moved back to Maine.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login For more information, see the Motorland Classic Car Museum in Arundel. It is planning an exhibit of Rod Williams’s ʼ50s car designs. They are located at 2564 Portland Road, (US Route 1), Arundel, Maine 04046. Call the Museum at 207-494-1940. Summer and Fall 2021 hours: Open Daily 10-5. Admission: $12 per person (Children under 7 free).
     
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  8. jm2

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  10. jm2

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  11. jm2

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  12. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Still looks like a boomerang (pregnant) to me!
     
  13. jm2

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  14. Jeff Kennedy

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    I like the wheels.
     
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  15. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    :rolleyes:
     
  16. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Much more believable and three dimensional. Becomes a part of the rear qtr panel and tie in with the rear tail light. The horizontal "Y" looks like something that would be in the J.C. Whitney catalogue for ricers.
     
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  17. jm2

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    #12817 jm2, Sep 28, 2021
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2021
    Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login And for something completely different, I have never seen this Brooks Stevens vehicle.
    1959 SCIMITAR Concept Car - Famed auto designer Brooks Stevens created three Scimitar aluminum-body models for dispay at the 1959 Geneva Auto Show, all built on a 1959 Chrysler New Yorker Chassis. The cars received great attention and acclaim. (not my words)
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    I like how the roof 'collapses' at the B pillar. Among other things. :rolleyes:
    The bodyside theme is...............hmmmm, at a loss for words.
     
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  18. energy88

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  20. tritone

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    Hmmm….surprised these didn’t make it to mass production…..NOT!
     
  21. NeuroBeaker

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    Was the 4-door actually a targa? The panel lines make it look like that roof section above the front seats might lift out or even slide backwards under the rear roof.

    All the best,
    Andrew.
     
  22. jm2

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  23. jm2

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    Cars for the Jet Age
    by A. Wayne Ferens
    Images Courtesy of the Wayne Ferens Collection
    Published 9.29.2021

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Hudson Super Wasp (Ferens Collection)

    With the advent of the "Jet Age' in the 1950s, automobile manufacturers were in an all-out product war to satisfy the growing demand for new and exciting vehicles. The economy in the United States was growing rapidly; people had jobs and were making good wages, especially in the manufacturing sector. To satisfy this pent-up demand for anything new and exciting, Detroit offered products that many called "irrational excess." They had flashy designs, offered a variety of premium options, and featured tons of chrome, wild looking tail fins and powerful engines. From the styling studios of General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Hudson, Studebaker-Packard and others came technological and design breakthroughs to satisfy a new segment of the buying public called the "Jetsetter."

    For some, the 1950s was a decade of struggle and merger, and the days of the independent car manufacturer soon would be over. In 1954, Hudson Motor Cars merged with Nash Motors to form American Motors, but not before Hudson produced the Wasp (Series 58) for the 1952 model year. The Wasp was available in two- and four-door sedans, and a convertible and two-door hardtop designated the Hollywood. Built on a 119-inch wheelbase, using the companies unitized, "Monobilt" step-down chassis design, the perimeter frame provided a rigid, low center of gravity and good side impact protection. The Super Wasp was powered by Hudson’s 262 cu.in. L-head six also offered with an aluminum "twin-H" manifold and twin two-barrel carburetors. Super Wasp performance matched that of the Hudson Hornet that dominated NASCAR from 1952 to 1954.

    Wasp model year production saw 21,876 units in 1953. Standard equipment on the Super Wasp included a combination fuel and vacuum pump, deluxe steering wheel, foam rubber seat cushions, front fender top ornaments, center rear bumper guards and full-size wheel covers. The twin-H was advertised at 127 horsepower.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Buick Skylark

    Buick's Skylark remained on the market for two years (1953-1954). The original Skylark was based on a Roadmaster convertible and featured various custom touches, including a lowered beltline and fully radiused wheel openings. Gleaming six-inch Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels complemented the "chopped" body and were set off by red inner fender liners. The 1954 Skylark Model 100 2-door convertible was full of Jet Age appointments and featured a 322 CID 200 horsepower 4-bbl V-8 engine. In 1953, a total of 1,690 were produced and 836 in 1954.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Chevrolet Corvette

    Two new “sports type” models were offered by GM and Ford to the buying public and a generation of young people who came of automotive age after the war. The 1953 Corvette, a beautiful fiberglass-bodied sports car that only came with a six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, attracted few buyers. Ford's Thunderbird, introduced as a V-8 two-seater for 1955 was much better received. It wasn't until the 1957 Corvette models were introduced, offering more luxury and performance features, that sales started to take off.

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    In 1957, Chevrolet offered a 283 cu.in V-8 with optional Rochester Fuel Injection and four-speed transmission in both the Corvette and full size Chevrolet. These cars really appealed to the youth market and the Jetsetter alike. Many luxury and premium features were available, especially performance options that many young buyers wanted.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login 1957 Chevy Corvette

    Most auto enthusiasts and Jetsetters are aware of the handful of 1957 Thunderbirds that were equipped with the McCulloch supercharger on the 312 cu.in. four-barrel V-8 engines because only 196 were built in the latter part of 1957 production. The elite Jetsetter buyer not only wanted luxury and performance -- they wanted bragging rights by owning a low volume production model.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Plymouth Fury

    The Fury was a sub-series of the Plymouth Belvedere from 1956 through 1958. The Fury was introduced by Chrysler's Plymouth Division as a sporty, premium-priced model designed to showcase the line and emphasize performance and style. Introduced in 1956, it was only available in an off-white two-door hardtop coupe' with gold anodized aluminum side trim. The Fury had a special interior, bumper wing-guards, sharply peaked tail fins and was powered by a high-performance 303 cu.in. V-8 with twin four-barrel carburetors.

    The 1956 Fury was an instant success and increased showroom traffic within days after smashing two U.S. stock car records at Daytona Beach, Florida on June 10, 1956. Model year 1956 deliveries totaled 4,485 units and had a sticker price of $2,866.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login 1957 Chrysler 300C

    The 1957 Chrysler 300C series epitomized the pinnacle of the famous 300 letter-series cars. For the Jetsetter that wanted style and performance, these 375 horsepower, 392 CID dual-quad HEMI powered V-8 300s set the bar at Daytona for speed records that included an unofficial Stock Car record at 145.7 mph, and set an average speed of 134 mph at the Daytona Flying Mile. This luxury Jet Age hot rod came with options like power steering, brakes, windows, Solex safety glass, six-way power front seat, air-conditioning, all leather interior, rear defroster, upgraded lighting package, AM Electro-Touch radio and pushbutton 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

    To appreciate a car like the 300, the owner was all smiles when the hood opened to show off the massive Hemi. This early muscle car and favorite of the Jetsetter crowd added style to its overwhelming power with 420-lbs./ft. of torque and, of course, was built in limited numbers with 484 convertibles and 1,918 300C coupes produced in 1957.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Pontiac Bonneville

    Pontiac became known as a performance car in 1957, when a Bonneville broke the land speed record and also won many NASCAR races. In 1957, Pontiac decided to "Bring to market a car of the future today!" The Pontiac Bonneville Convertible had style, performance and all of the modern technology, including Hydramatic transmission, Wonder-bar radio, tinted glass, power windows, seats, brakes, steering, convertible top and antennae. The power came from the legendary 347 cu.in. Rochester Fuel Injected V-8 producing 317 horsepower. Pontiac made this a limited production vehicle and produced 630 of them, or one for each dealer. It was also expensive with a price of $5,875 including floor mats.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login 1958 Olds 98 (Hemmings)

    Oldsmobile showed a real propensity for style and power in the 1950s, and for the Jetsetter that wanted that extra kick in performance, you could order the J2 option (code W). 1958 was truly the year of flash and chrome as seen on this 1958 Olds 98 J2 Golden Rocket Holiday Coupe. The J2 option ran three two-barrel carburetors linked together via a progressive throttle linkage. The extra carburetion on the 371 cu.in. V-8 and compression bumped to 10.0:1 produced 312 horsepower at 4,600 RPM and 415-lbs./ft. of torque. Weighing in at over 4,500 pounds, it has a relatively firm ride, sits on a 126.5-inch wheelbase and can cruise effortlessly at 85 mph in quiet comfort. With color-keyed hub caps with faux spinners, Jetaway four-speed Hydramatic transmission, optional "transportable" AM radio, tri-tone trimmed interior, optional air-ride, 11-inch drum brakes and swaths of chrome, this Olds 98 makes a statement: "When too much was not enough.”

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Studebaker Golden Hawk

    The Studebaker Golden Hawk SC was produced from 1956 through 1958. It was only available in a two-door pillarless hardtop coupe. Later in the 1957 model year, a luxury 400 model was introduced featuring a leather interior, a fully upholstered trunk and special trim. Only 41 were made. What made this Studebaker special is the 289 cu.in. V-8 with the addition of a McCulloch supercharger producing 275 HP. In 1958, the Hawk switched to 14-inch wheels from 15-inch, making the car ride a little lower. The interior had a padded dash, a vacuum gauge on the instrument panel and rear seating for three. With excellent power-to-weight ratio, the jetsetter had bragging rights on performance that was faster than the Corvette, T-Bird and second only to the Chrysler 300B. A fiberglass overlay on the hood was needed to clear the supercharger which was mounted high on the front of the engine. Golden Hawk sales took a hit due to the recession in the late 1950s recession. Only 878 were sold in 1958.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

    Named after the French resort town of El Dorado on the Bay of Biscay, the Harley Earl/Dave Holls-designed 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible was influenced by jet planes and rockets, boasting the tallest tail fins ever seen on a production vehicle, standing 45 inches tall. The Biarritz was powered by a modified version (Q code) of the 390 CID V-8 found in all Cadillacs at the time. It got a boost in power from three two-barrel carburetors and was rated at 345 horsepower. With a top speed of 130 mph, these fully equipped 5,000 pound “land cruisers” needed lots of room on the road with a turning radius of 24 feet. With a staggering sticker price of $7,401, the high cost led to low sales numbers -- only 1,320 were produced. No single automotive design better characterizes the Fabulous Fifties Jet Age than the flamboyant Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible.

    So, who are those Jetsetters? Well, by definition, they are the wealthy and fashionable people who traveled widely and frequently in style for pleasure ... the only way to fly!!

    Bibliography:

    Hemmings Motor News

    Walter P. Chrysler Club News

    American Cars of the 1950s. Consumer Guide, 2005.

    Chevrolet & Ford Sales Brochures

    Great Cars of the 1950s. Random House Publishing, 1986.
     
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  24. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    How about Lincoln Design?
    http://www.deansgarage.com/2021/lincoln-design-heritage-zephyr-to-ls-1936-2000/
    check out the great photos on the link.

    Lincoln Design Heritage: Zephyr to LS (1936-2000)
    October 1, 20211 CommentArtwork and Books
    Lincoln Design Heritage: Zephyr to LS (1936-2000)
    by Jim and Cheryl Farrell

    Review by Joseph M. Sherlock

    Image Unavailable, Please Login This large-format (approx. 10″ x 13″) heavy (over six pounds) hardbound book offers coffee table appeal along with a plethora of photographs, artwork and images (1,600 photos total), over 230 bios of designers and clay modelers and a comprehensive history of Lincoln’s most important decades. It is a 475-page story plus bibliography and index – over 200,000 words. This limited-edition book is a labor of love by the Farrells, who traveled to Detroit/Dearborn on numerous occasions to scour the Ford Archives, the Henry Ford Museum historical records, as well those at the National Automotive History Collection at the Detroit Library. They also did research at the Art Center College in California, the Collier Automotive Museum collection in Florida as well as other resource sites. The Farrells interviewed hundreds of former Ford employees in order to factually document events chronicled in their book.

    In 1999, Jim & Cheryl Farrell wrote and published the highly-acclaimed ‘Ford Design Department Concept & Show Cars 1932-1961’ (399 pages, over 900 photos, published in 1999) now fetches $2-300 on the used book market. In that book, every chapter was about a different car; therefore, each chapter stood alone and the book could be read out of order without losing continuity.

    ‘Lincoln Design Heritage’ flows chronologically, beginning with the pre-Zephyr John Tjaarda experimental rear-engined streamliner and subsequent concept/development cars which evolved into the finished 1936 Lincoln Zephyr. Then the book continues from the 1930s through the early 21st Century.

    As the story of Lincoln unfolds, it becomes obvious that many of Lincoln’s problems were caused by a lack of identity and the authors mention this throughout the book. The original 1920s Model L had undistinguished styling, although Edsel Ford tried to create excitement by encouraging independent coachbuilders to add some magic to the brand. In 1931 the handsome and expensive Lincoln K-series was introduced but it was never successful because the Great Depression caused the ultra-luxury market to evaporate. The Lincoln Zephyr was a great success and saved the brand, because it was designed to compete with upper-middle and near-luxury segments of the market alongside the Packard 120 and LaSalle. The 1940 Lincoln Continental was Edsel Ford’s attempt to move up in price with a personal luxury car. World War II and Edsel’s death in 1943 caused the Lincoln brand to lose its way.

    Lincoln’s objectives changed throughout the 1950s. The authors wrote, “Every model Lincoln produced between World War II and 1960 was totally different from the last. As a result, Lincoln lacked continuity in design and message. It’s little wonder then, that during the period 1958-60, Lincoln was almost relegated to the ash heap of has-beens like Hudson, Packard, Studebaker and Edsel.” The 1958-60 Lincolns and Continentals models did not sell well because of the unusual, bizarre styling (apparently championed by Vice President of Design George W. Walker) and quality issues with the new unitized body construction. In the 1958-60 period, more than five Cadillacs found buyers for every Lincoln sold. During that period, Lincoln “racked up $60 million in losses,” according to the book. Soon-to-be Ford President Robert McNamara seriously considered discontinuing the Lincoln marque – he claimed that the Lincoln brand had never made a profit – but relented after seeing the proposed 1961 Lincoln Continental, a clean, slabsided design which later won the Industrial Design Institute award for its overall appearance and execution.

    One of many interesting and obscure stories brought to light in the book is the ‘Continental Mark II 1953 Studebaker Club’.

    The 1960s slabside era was good for the brand and its profile was raised when a special Lincoln was provided for President John F. Kennedy. In 1966, the addition of a coupe model helped Lincoln sales considerably – almost 16,000 coupes were sold during its first model year. The debut of the Mark III personal luxury car as a 1969 model provided Lincoln with a direct competitor to the Cadillac Eldorado. The Mark III was a big success. Over a three-plus year period, over 81,000 examples were sold. Its successor, the Mark IV coupe had 51% higher unit sales than the ’72 Cadillac Eldorado coupe.

    The book also contains the story of small Lincoln proposals in the 1970s and ’80s as product planners agonized over the combined ever-tightening federal regulations, the uncertainly of future fuel supply and price increases due to growing inflation.

    The development of the 1984-92 Mark VII and its successor, the Mark VIII, is covered in detail. I found the Mark VII chapter interesting because its development began when Ford was considering downsizing all of its cars – fearful of continuing stagflation and gas shortages. The book noted that in the 1979-82 period, Ford Motor Co. had lost $2 billion. Management was freaked out. An April 1981 memo from Executive VP Red Poling mandated that all future Lincolns were going to be FWD with smaller engines. A V6 front-wheel-drive Mark VII and VIII were under consideration. The make-it-smaller edict disappeared when sales perked up due to an improving economy. This book is full of such surprises because the Farrells were given access to a lot of insider information.

    There are separate chapters on the first, second and third generation Continentals. The book points out that there was never any market research for this model. Jac Nasser once said that the Continental was “a car in search of a market.”

    Much space is devoted to the Lincoln Town Car, deservedly so. When the TC was downsized and restyled for 1980, Lincoln kept the crisp lines and signature upright grille. Yearly styling changes and the use of Designer-Series special editions kept the metal moving.

    Following the severe double-recession of 1980-81, Lincoln sales drastically improved. In 1986, Cadillac reduced the size of their vehicles and offered styling which – from a distance – was hard to distinguish from its lesser stablemates, Buick and Oldsmobile. Lincoln reaped the benefits of this as Caddy’s sales dropped by almost 40%. Prospects fled from Caddy showrooms to Lincoln dealers because the were turned off by the new, smaller Fleetwoods, DeVilles and Eldorado, all of which were front-wheel drive. During the 1987 model year, Lincoln’s sales grew by 155% and it went from 11th in auto brand sales to 9th position. Lincoln outsold Cadillac in 1988 for the first time since 1940.

    The Town Car was redesigned for the 1990 model year and remained Lincoln’s best-selling offering for the next decade. The chapter on the new 1990 Town Car was riveting. Because the design and engineering departments in Dearborn had been so downsized over the years, the final product development of the 1990 Town Car was done by IAD of Worthing, England, a independent company and FoMoCo sub-contractor. The problems encountered, as described in the book, are part Keystone Cops comedy and part tragedy. Nevertheless, the end result was successful – in a save-Nell-from-the-RR-tracks kinda way. When the Town Car was restyled for 1998 there was much gnashing of teeth over the styling of it. A proposal from Ford’s California Concept Center battled with Dearborn’s in-house design. Then Jac Nasser stepped into the picture and wanted it to look more “European.” The result was a more rounded and bulbous vehicle. In the 1998-2000 period, Town Car sales averaged 90,000/year. Then they began to slide. A refresh in 2003 was based on owner input and the result was a nicer-looking front end and more useful interior. Sales perked up but then began to fall again as the market shifted to SUVs. By 2008, Town Car sales declined to about 13,000/year. The last Town Car rolled off the line in 2011.

    The TC has become an icon of sorts. In 2019, Mike Seely of The New York Times wrote an article on the “Comfort-Loving Cult” of the legendary Lincoln Town Car. Jim Farrell remarked, “It will be missed.” Indeed. In 1988, Lincoln sold 201,113 Town Cars. Total sales of all Lincoln models was 105,405 vehicles in 2020.

    It is interesting that the book ends with the development of the Lincoln LS and the Lincoln Navigator. The Navigator was the first Lincoln SUV – a response to ever increasing sales of truck-based passenger vehicles. Such vehicles now dominate the automotive market, as well as the luxury segment. It was developed on a relative shoestring and quickly too because it was derived from Ford’s Expedition SUV. The Navigator came out almost a year before the Cadillac Escalade and its popularity was a surprise to most Ford execs. In 1998, Lincoln outsold Cadillac because of the sales added by the Navigator. The Navigator continues to be part of Lincoln’s all-SUV lineup although the brand’s smaller – and less expensive SUV models – account for far greater sales.

    The 2000 Lincoln LS four-door sedan was an attempt to lure 40-something age prospects away from the siren song of sporty, rear-wheel drive, status-building imports like Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Lexus. This younger buyer strategy was important for Lincoln. In 1999, the average age of the Lincoln buyer was 63 years old, compared with 52 for Mercedes and Lexus and 44 for BMW. The LS was built on the same platform as the sporty Jaguar S-Type sedan. When introduced, the LS received some very good reviews in the automotive press. It won the Motor Trend ‘Car of the Year’ award. Consumer Reports called it “the best American car we’ve ever driven.”

    The LS sold briskly for the first three years, then sales declined. One reason was that Ford Motor Company never fixed the shortcomings of the original model. Part of this was due to the turmoil caused by Ford CEO Jacques Nasser and his many programs and schemes which hurt future product development. The book is sprinkled with detailed stories of political infighting and intrigue over the decades. Much of the information came from retirees who were reluctant witnesses.

    The 21st century luxury vehicle market is much different that the market of the early 1990s. Entry-level luxury models are now priced the way mid-priced models (Mercury, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, etc.) used to be stickered. Lincoln and Cadillac once fought for first place among luxury car sales leaders. No more. First of all, the top sellers aren’t cars – coupes or sedans, they’re SUVs and crossovers. Secondly, foreign brands now dominate the luxury vehicle market. In 2020, Mercedes-Benz was the luxury vehicle leader (selling 325,915 vehicles in the U.S.), followed by BMW, Lexus, Tesla, Audi and Acura. Cadillac and Lincoln duked it out for seventh and eighth place respectively. Compare this with 1993, when Mercedes-Benz sold only 61,899 cars, compared with 255,869 Cadillacs and 177,208 Lincolns.

    The book is full of photos I’ve never seen before and information I never knew … and I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about Lincolns. The book is also sprinkled with artwork by well-known professionals such as Ken Eberts, the late Randy Mytar, Richard Nesbitt as well as numerous retired Ford designers. Rare prototype photos and text reveal the painstaking and precise development for each model.

    Verdict: Highly recommended.
    This is absolutely the best Lincoln book I’ve ever read and one of the best automotive books I’ve ever encountered. It is thorough, accurate and a very satisfying read. I learned much from it.

    Price of the book is under $100. A copy can be reserved by phone (541-673-4039), e-mail ([email protected]) or mail (Jim & Cheryl Farrell, 870 Black Oak Drive, Roseburg, OR 97471).



    Many Thanks to Joe Sherlock for permission to post his review. Be sure to visit his very interesting website.


    Lincoln Design Heritage: Zephyr to LS (1936-2000)

    Published: 2021—Just released
    ISBN 978-0-9672428-1-1
    10×13
    480 Pages
    Fully Indexed
    1,600 photos and illustrations
    Cost: TBD
     
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