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Having saved GM, it's time to save the Blue Oval.

1960:



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For the 1960 model year, Ford brought out the compact Falcon. It was a very conventional design with front engine and rear wheel drive and a tall airy greenhouse that offered practicality. As a result, the car outsold the rear engined Chevrolet Corvair 2-1.

Now Ford was aiming to follow up this success with an even smaller model. To be called Cardinal, it would be smaller than the Falcon but bigger than the Volkswagen. Most notably, it would have front wheel drive, the first American car to do so since the Depression Era Cord 810.

At the meeting to set the plans in stone in December was newly promoted company President Robert MacNamara and Ford General Manager Lee Iaccoca.

Iaccoca thought the car was a brilliant idea: "Nobody is doing anything like this, not GM, not Chrysler, even George Romney isn't planning on offering a Volkswagen sized car. This car will be more attractive than Volkswagen for many reasons. People trust the Ford brand much more than the VW brand, front wheel drive offers more interior space than rear wheel drive while avoiding the problems of handling and poor trunk space that come with putting the engine in the back"

MacNamara concurred: "The idea of a basically putting a Ford badge on a Volkswagen seems like a big success

Henry Ford II was convinced. A new subcompact would go on sale for the 1962 model year.
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1960 saw the end of Lincoln, Mercury, and Edsel. This meant Ford Motor Company's namesake was its only division. This would allow Ford to avoid the duplication of effort and company politics that was plaguing GM and Chrsyler.
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For 1960, Ford's full sized car was revamped with a more subtle appearance in contrast to the extravagance of the late 50s.


Ford of Germany brought out the Taunus P3. It was notably wider than its competitors which made it distinctive.
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