When America Needs A Better Idea: An Alternate Ford Corporate History

1958
  • kernals12

    Banned
    Henry Ford II was sitting in his office. Named after his legendary grandfather, he had led the family company since his father Edsel died in 1947. His secretary informed him that Robert MacNamara, the Vice President of vehicle production needed to meet him urgently. "Send him in", Henry said.
    "Hello Mr. Ford"
    "How are ya Bob? What can I do for you?"
    "I have come to a decision to stop production of Lincoln-Mercury and Continental for the 1960 model year"
    "Seriously?"
    "Yes, we've been losing money on this for years now and given the way the economy is, I think it is best to cut back."
    "Well I didn't think things were that bad. Have you told Ben Mills (General Manager of Lincoln-Mercury)?"
    "Yes I have, and he was as shocked as you. I believe that focusing on our core brand is best for future, especially given the Edsel debacle. It'll also give us a lot more freedom, we won't have to worry about a new Ford encroaching on Lincoln sales."
    "Okay, Bob, I'm trusting you on this. I'll put out a press release."
    So it was the unceremonious end for Ford's upmarket division. Lincoln was bought by Henry Ford in 1922 as a competitor to Cadillac, Duesenberg, and Pierce Arrow. Mercury was founded by Edsel Ford in 1938 to go between them. In 1945, Lincoln and Mercury were merged. Throughout the 50s, L-M struggled against the GM juggernaut of Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac. In 1956, the famous Continental nameplate was spun off into its own brand offering a coupe that was comparable in price to Rolls Royce. In 1958, the economy fell into a nasty recession that wiped out demand for expensive cars.


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    1958 was a catastrophic year in general for the Blue Oval, coming off half a decade of successes such as the 1955 Thunderbird and the 1957 Ford managing to outsell Chevrolet. As a middle market competitor, the Edsel brand was rolled out. Despite the most expensive ad campaign in American history, people did not flock to the new brand. Some of this was beyond Ford's control. The 1958 recession damaged the entire middle market and forced the end of Chrysler's DeSoto brand. But much of it was Ford's own doing. The name, from Henry Ford's son, was unpopular. The model range overlapped with Mercury and more expensive Fords. Worst of all was the grille which some said looked like a horse collar and others said looked like a woman's private parts.


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    Ford's Thunderbird was redesigned. It went from being a Corvette competitor to being a 2+2 boulevard cruiser. Enthusiasts scoffed but buyers took to it, sales rose from 21,000 in 1957 to 37,000 in 1958, despite the economy.
     
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    1959
  • kernals12

    Banned
    With Lincoln, Mercury, and Continental to be shut down in 1960, things looked bleak for Edsel which was cut down from 4 models to 2. And on November 15, the company confirmed that 1960 would be the last model year for the brand.

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    Ford of Britain brought out a redesigned Anglia with distinctive transatlantic styling.
     
    1960
  • kernals12

    Banned
    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.

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    Ford of Germany brought out the Taunus P3. It was notably wider than its competitors which made it distinctive.
     
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    1961
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    The biggest news at Ford for 1961 was not car-related. President John F Kennedy appointed Robert MacNamara as Secretary of Defense. Lee Iaccoca took over MacNamara's role as company president, his biggest legacy would be removing corporate silos internationally thereby paving the way for sharing models across the globe.

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    The Thunderbird was redesigned for 1961. The car returned to being a two seater and sported sleek styling that made it look more compact than the 1960 model despite having the same exterior dimensions.

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    For 1961, Ford redesigned its pickup trucks. They tried something new. The cab and bed were integrated into a single unit body construction. This meant greater structural rigidity and lower stamping costs but this idea had some big downsides. Some owners complained that putting a heavy load in the bed would distort the sills and jam the doors shut. Others claimed the twisting motion from going over railroad tracks would pop the doors open. Ford scrambled to get a traditional seperate bed and cab model into production.

    Ford saw sales jump in front of Chevrolet in 1961 as former Mercury buyers migrated over, a position the blue oval would hold largely uninterrupted.
     
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    1962
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    For 1962, the long awaited Cardinal was released. It was an instant success. Reviews praised its handling and its interior space. 300,000 were sold, 40% of which had been VW owners. The Cardinal was also sold by Ford of Britain as the Cortina and by Ford of Germany as the Taunus.
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    For 1962, the Fairlane nameplate was moved from the full sized lineup to a new model. It was smaller than the Galaxie but bigger than the Falcon, it established the intermediate sector.

    With the Cardinal and Fairlane, Ford established the modern range of vehicle sizes, subcompact, compact, midsized, and full sized. This solidified their lead over Chevrolet.


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    The British Zephyr and Zodiac nameplates were put on the Falcon.

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    Chevrolet finally got a true competitor to the Falcon with the Chevy II.
     
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    1963
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    At the United States Grand Prix, Ford showed off the Mustang II concept. Speculation built about a new sports car for the next year...
     
    1964
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    1964 brought out one of the most famous Fords of all time, the Mustang. A rebodied Falcon with option V8 engines, it was a perfect car for 20 somethings. Ford initially projected sales of 100,000 per year. They were wrong, sales for the half model year of 1964 were 120,000. For 1965, it was 550,000. For 1966, it peaked at a staggering 600,000. The Mustang, contrary to popular belief, was not the first car of its type, that honor goes to the Plymouth Barracuda, introduced just weeks earlier. But Ford's Pony Car captured the public's imagination in a way Chrysler's Fish Car could never hope for.

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    The Falcon itself was also redesigned for 1964, with more squared off styling.

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    The Thunderbird was redesigned.

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    After Enzo Ferrari's refusal to agree to be purchased by Ford, Henry Ford II gets revenge with a Le Mans winning supercar, the GT40.

    The decision was made to merge Ford of Germany with Ford of Britain to create Ford of Europe. Since 1952, the Cologne based division had sold just 2 seperate cars, both named Taunus, leading to confusion and poor sales compared to GM's Opel as well as Volkswagen. Ford of Britain on the other hand was outselling GM's Vauxhall, the only Western European nation where Ford outsold GM. As such, it would be the Dagenham based division that would be in charge. The Taunuses disappeared, making way for Cortina and Zephyr.
     
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    1965
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    For 1965, Ford's full sized models were redesigned. The company decided to re-enter the luxury game with the LTD, the new top trim level. The car was advertised as being "quieter than a Rolls Royce".
     
    1966
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    The Falcon was redesigned with a Mustang esque long hood short deck appearance.
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    The Bronco was introduced as a competitor to the Jeep CJ and International Harvestor.
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    GM got a competitor to the Cardinal with the Chevrolet Vega. A rebadged Opel Kadett, it sold well and ate into Ford's market share.
     
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    1967
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    The Cardinal was restyled with a more modern appearance.

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    The Thunderbird was once again redesigned. It grew in size and was positioned as a true luxury car, even getting a 4 door version. Most notably it moved to front wheel drive just as GM's new competitor, the Oldsmobile Toronado did so.

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    GM introduced dedicated pony cars to compete with Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird.

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    The F-series was redesigned.
     
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    1968
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    Ford brought out the Escort for the European and Australian markets. It was a replacement for the Anglia and featured front wheel drive and a coke bottle shaped body. It was smaller than the Cortina/Cardinal and as such believed that it would only cannibalize Cardinal sales so it stayed out of the US market.

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    The Fairlane was redesigned and a new model was added as the top trimline; Torino
     
    1969
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    Ford's full sized line was redesigned. They grew in size and gained coke bottle styling and hidden headlights.
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    For 1969, Ford Europe brought out the Cortina-based Capri sports coupe. Meant to transfer the appeal of the Mustang to the European market, it offered 4 and 6 cylinder engines and was billed as "The car you've always promised yourself".
     
    1970
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    The Fairlane name became a sub series of Torino with this redesign of Ford's intermediate.

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    The Thunderbird was revised for 1970. The front "beak" was meant to be a reference to the car's name but it wound up looking like a rip off of the Pontiac Grand Prix.
     
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    1971
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    The Cardinal/Cortina was all new. The V4 engine was replaced by an inline 4. The new motor was cheaper to build and maintain but produced more vibrations.

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    The Falcon became the Granada after being redesigned for 1971. The new model was very European in its design.

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    The Mustang was updated, gaining significant length and weight. Buyers were not impressed with this bloated Mustang and sales suffered accordingly.
     
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    1972
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    The Torino was redesigned. It got bigger and switched from unibody to traditional body on frame construction. It was now roughly as big as the 1965 full sized Ford.
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    The Thunderbird was redesigned. It got bigger and with the 385 Cu in (7.5 liter) V8 engine weighed a staggering 4800 pounds.

    For 1972, gross horsepower ratings were replaced by the more accurate (and lower) net horsepower ratings. Compression ratios were lowered to accomodate upcoming emissions standards.
     
    1973
  • kernals12

    Banned
    1973 was a seminal moment for the auto industry
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    New regulations required that cars be able to survive a 5 mph crash with no serious damage. This meant ugly and heavy front bumpers.

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    In October, the Arab oil producers announced an embargo of oil exports in retaliation for Western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur war. The price of oil doubled and price controls caused long lines at gas pumps.

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    The Ford F-series was redesigned.
     
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    1974
  • kernals12

    Banned
    1974 was a dark year. Demand for cars, particularly profitable big ones, plunged thanks to the energy crisis.
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    The Mustang was redesigned for the first time since its 1964 launch. The new model was substantially smaller and lighter than the bloated 1973 model. This helped bring the car back to its roots and was good as the energy crisis meant demand for small cars was up.

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    The Mustang's European counterpart, the Capri, was also redesigned. To broaden its appeal as demand for sports cars shrank, it became a hatchback.

    Ford decided it would downsize its cars starting with the 1977 model year after they got wind of GM's plan to do likewise. They also determined that front wheel drive was the future for all cars besides the Mustang.
     
    1975
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    To compete with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Ford introduced the Elite, a stylized Torino coupe.

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    The Escort was given squared off styling.

    1975 was notable in regulatory changes:
    -Square headlights were made legal for the first time since 1940, but they still had to be sealed beams
    -Catalytic converters became mandatory
    -Corporate Average Fuel Economy laws, to go into effect in 1978, required vehicle fleets to have an average fuel economy of 18 MPG rising to 27.5 MPG for 1985.
     
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    1976
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    1976 brought the Fiesta. With a 90 inch wheel base, it was Ford's smallest car. It was billed as a "supermini" in Europe and as a "microcar" in the US. It was stylish, fuel efficient, and fun to drive. It was another home run from Dearborn.
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    The Cardinal gained squared-off styling.
     
    1977
  • kernals12

    Banned
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    The LTD was redesigned for 1977. It lost 800 pounds in weight without sacrificing any interior space. It was now smaller in all dimensions than the Torino. Sales rose 50% over the year before.
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    The Thunderbird nameplate was moved to a redesigned Elite. With a drop in price, sales rose to 318,000.
     
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