SECRET FORDS INSIGHT
Almost famous
Unseen protot ypes and stalled concepts are a fact of automotive life. James Attwood uncovers more hidden Fords that never saw the light of day
Former Ford product designer and planner Steve Saxty published Secret Fords Volume One last year. It covered the design of each European Ford from the early 1970s through to the mid-1980s. His new book picks up the story through to the early 2000s. The first book clearly impressed Ford: the design team offered to scan nearly 6000 never-beforeseen images for Volume Two. We asked him to share six of their secrets.
Mondeo alternative
The original Mondeo took an astonishing six years from first sketches to final car. Why did it take so long? Because it was such an important car. Its Cologne-based designers needed to create something that appealed to four-doorloving Americans as much as hatchback-buying Europeans. The idea was that Americans might pay a little more for a car with European flair and quality, while we got the Sierra replacement at a slightly lower price because of greater economies of scale. Therefore, the Mondeo was designed first as a four-door – and maybe that’s no bad thing judging by this car. This tough-looking machine was the runner-up design to the slippery, if slightly bland, design selected over it in preference.