There are many celebrated vehicles in Ford’s long history. In the June 2024 edition of Retroautos® I showcased four influential Fords which had been largely forgotten. In this second instalment of an occasional series, I champion three more Fords deserving of greater recognition.
1960 Ford Taunus 17M: Globally Influential
The styling of the 1960 Taunus had global influence. It inspired the shape of the iconic and award winning 1961 Lincoln Continental, 1961 Ford Thunderbird and many look-a-like designs. Even the 1971 VH Valiant reflected the lines of the Taunus.
Yet, the Taunus is mostly overlooked. Authors David Holls and Michael Lamm explain why we should pay more attention to the impact of this car. In their book A Century of Automotive Style they said:
“In June 1958 Elwood Engel (one of Ford’s most senior US designers) toured the Ford German studios…Engel took a keen interest in the 17M (Taunus) particularly its fender and hood contours. These looked like the designer had taken wire frames and formed stiff outlines of the fenders, covered the wire with light canvas and then had gently blown compressed air up into the canvas from beneath. The hood and fenders flared out ever so slightly, but there was a hard edge to where the ‘wires’ would have been. Engel was very taken with that design.”
Back in the USA, Engel applied the canvas-over-wire theme to his proposal for the 1961 Thunderbird. After a long and complicated sequence of events, Engel’s T-Bird became the Lincoln Continental. The production T-Bird also used the canvas-over-wire theme.
When converting his rejected T-Bird into the four door Continental, Engel was assisted by a team which included Colin Neale, who’d been in charge of Ford UK’s design studios. We will get back to Neale-Taunus connection at the end of this story.
A year after the Continental and T-Bird were released, Engel was headhunted to Chrysler as its vice president of design. As Holls and Lamm observed:
“Engel did himself proud with the 1961 Continental design. Without it, he wouldn’t have landed the Chrysler vice presidency.”
At Chrysler, Engel would use the Taunus 17M/Continental/T-Bird design theme over and over again.
There is no doubt that the 1960 17M influenced Engel’s “fuselage” design language of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Conveniently forgetting the Taunus, a 1969 Chrysler advertisement claimed that “fuselage” was:
“A fresh new styling concept. A fluid curved line that shapes a cylinder instead of a box. Every cubic inch of space is functional, designed to complement its occupants. Your next car can enclose you in this cockpit of curved glass windows.”
The Taunus’s styling was the work of German born Uwe Bahnsen and his American boss, Wes Dahlberg. Since the end of WWII, German Fords had been styled in the USA, and it showed. The 17M was the first to be fully designed in Germany, and Dahlberg and Bahnsen were determined that it would not follow US styling trends.
The duo devised a reoccurring oval theme, framed by sharp edges, and applied it across the exterior and interior of the car. Oval headlights, curved side glass (the first in a mainstream European car), an absence of rear fins, thin upturned bumper bars and minimal chrome helped to further differentiate the 17M from its main competitors. The design theme was called “Line of Reason” and was a sales success, going to almost 670,000 buyers.
Dalhberg returned to the USA in 1967, and led the styling of the 1972 Lincoln Mk IV and 1971 Pinto. He took early retirement in 1973 and began a successful career as an artist and sculptor.
Bahnsen had a stellar career with the blue oval, leading their European design studios and producing the Fiesta Mk I, Capri Mk II, Escort Mk II and Mk III, Cortina/Taunus Mk III and Mk IV, Granada Mk II, Sierra and Scorpio. He left Ford in 1986.
Now, back to the Taunus and the VH Valiant. In 1962 Colin Neale followed Engel to Chrysler. In the late 1960s he managed the company’s international design studios, and had much involvement with the fuselage themed VH. The VH is basically a larger Taunus, especially at the front.
For me, there is no doubt about the breakthrough influence of the 17M. Time for a reappraisal!
1963 Ford Corsair. UK’s Forgotten Achiever.
You would think that producing one of the UK’s most successful 1960s mid-sized family cars, whose annual sales exceeded those of BMC’s 1800s by 33%, would result in accolades down through the decades. For the strikingly styled Ford Corsair, apparently not.
Replacing the 1961 Consul Classic, the Corsair slotted into Ford’s range between the Cortina and Zephyr/Zodiac. It was aimed at Vauxhall’s Victor, BMC’s 1800s and Rootes’ Hillman Super Minx/Singer Vogue/Humber Sceptre.
Rather than design a completely new car, the folks at Ford simply added three inches/80mm to the Mk I Cortina’s wheelbase and wrapped it in new sheet metal. The styling was overseen by Roy Brown who’d shaped the Cortina, and the Edsel.
According to author Nick Hull in his book, Ford Design in the UK, when Elwood Engel was on a trip to Ford UK in 1960, he suggested the design team to use the ’61 Continental/T-Bird/Taunus 17M as inspiration. Which they obviously did.
Launched with a 1.5 litre four-cylinder engine, a 1.7 litre V4 engine was added in 1963, followed by a 2.0 litre V4 in 1966. The V4 was not known for its smooth operation.
Corsair production ended in 1970 after 330,095 had been sold. Except for minor grille alterations, the styling was not changed. It was replaced by the MK III Cortina, which was approximately the same dimensions.
Corsairs were never officially sold in Australia. Those here are private imports. A 1966 model is owned by David Fotheringham. He estimates there are less than twenty in this country.
David is a member of the Hunter British Ford Group, and is also the owner of a Mk II Lotus Cortina. Here’s how he acquired his Corsair:
“I heard about it from another member of the club about 25 years ago. It was due to be taken to the crusher. It was driveable, so I bought it.”
The original 1.7 litre V4 had been replaced with a two litre,
“I have no real history on the car or why the motor was replaced. The body was sound and the mechanicals were OK.”
As to why the Corsair is another overlooked Ford, David reckons that:
“The Cortina offered slightly better performance at lower cost due to lower weight, and was universally known around the world as a race and rally winner.”
I’d also add that the Corsair’s image of being “a conservative, stretched Cortina” combined with a V4 engine that was not as smooth as it should have been, have not helped its reputation. But, as its sales numbers demonstrate, British car buyers preferred its conservatism to BMC’s innovative 1800.
A reason for a re-assessment, as far as I’m concerned.
1960 Ford Fairlane/Galaxie: Future Shock
If ever a car has been consigned to its maker’s heritage dust bin, Ford’s svelte 1960 full size model is a prime example.
Back in 1957 GM had been spooked by Chrysler’s stylish new cars and hurriedly reshaped their 1959 models to regain design leadership. Then, during 1958, Ford obtained a sneak peak of the ’59 Chevrolet’s styling. Combined with information from other sources, Ford became convinced that GM were planning to restyle their cars every year. That’s when alarm bells rang.
To match GM’s perceived changes, Ford decided to ditch the face lifted 1959 models they had planned for 1960 and search for something more futuristic—less 1950s—and something that would look more like the Chevrolet.
The answer was a concept car called Quicksiiver, which had been styled by Alex Tremulis in Ford’s advance styling studio.
The Quicksilver’s shape firmly pointed into the sixties. Long, low and wide, with thin pillars and expansive glass areas, it abandoned the 1950’s wrap around windscreen in favour of straight front pillars. The rear fins were flattened into gull wings, somewhat like the Chevrolet.
Henry Ford II and George Walker, Ford’s design boss, were enamoured by the Quicksilver. They authorised a fast-track development program to bring it into production, using the 1959 platform. This all happened almost a year before the 1959 car was on the market.
The design to driveway conversion task went to Joe Oros, who was the Ford studio manager. In his biography of Walker, The Cellini of Chrome, author Henry Dominguez quoted Oros as saying Henry Ford II:
“…spent forty-five minutes with me in the studio talking about (the Quicksilver). He was taken with the design, and he wanted that car right away…”
Oros was legendary within Ford. He’d championed the idea of a truck-as-a-car with the 1953 F100. He’d established Ford’s “tubular” side body and circular rear lights design theme with the 1952 model. His 1957 design outsold Chevrolet and, ironically, his soon-to-be 1959 range, which Ford thought was too 1950s, would win a design award and, according to the Encyclopedia of American Cars 1946-1959, beat Chevrolet again.
Trouble was, the Quicksilver’s dimensions did not match the inner structure and chassis of the 1959 model. As a result, the Quicksilver’s shape was altered and the ’59 chassis significantly modified to enable it to fit together. Despite the changes, the design team was able to retain most of the Quicksilver’s advanced elegance, including the “bubble top” glass, gull wing rear and straight front pillars. Oros wanted circular tail lights, but was overruled.
Although the 1960 range gave a glimpse of Ford’s future styling direction, it did not appeal to Ford buyers. Only 910,000 customers bought one. Chevrolet, meanwhile, sold over 1.3 million.
A few reasons are given for the failure of the 1960 Ford. Its styling being too much like the Chevrolet is one. Poor quality because of its rushed chassis development is another. “Stolen” sales by the new Falcon and Mercury Comet—this duo went to over 540,000 buyers— is also cited. Looking too much like the cheaper Falcon is a yet another explanation. Whatever the reasons, the 1960 car was soon erased from Ford’s corporate history and hardly mentioned.
For me, the 1960 Ford is one of the early sixties’ great shapes. It is more integrated than what GM were selling in 1960 and streets ahead of the tortured sheet metal that covered Chrysler’s products. Oros summed it up best when he said:
“It was miles ahead of anything we had done previously.”
The 1960 Ford has been on the sidelines of automotive history for far too long.
More great reading
Retroautos® Four Forgotten Fords - June 2024
Retroautos® is published with passion and with pride by David Burrell. Retroautos® stories and all images are copyrighted. Reproducing them in any format is prohibited. Retroautos® is a registered trademark. Reproducing it in any format is prohibited. Special thanks to David Fotheringham.
