The Wikipedia
entry on the Ford Taurus categorizes four design generations between its 1986 model year introduction and 2006, when the name was temporarily abandoned, later to be used on what was for a while the Ford 500. I prefer to see only two Taurus generations (1986-1995 and 1996-2006) during that period, each having to do with its own body design. The Wikipedia writer(s) claim facelifts as new generations.
This post deals with the styling of what I consider the second-generation Taurus that, as it happened, was not as well received in the marketplace as the initial design.
Jack Telnack was in charge of Ford styling when the second-generation car was developed.
The redesigned Taurus was given a soft overall shape that was softened further by use of rounded details inside and out. One practical defect was that the Taurus' trunk was smaller than many potential buyers probably wanted. Let's take a closer look.
Gallery
This is a 2001 Taurus, a slightly facelifted version of the 1996 car. The rounded side windows are the same as in the earlier version. The front has minor changes, but retains the character of the initial design. The trunk seems a little taller.
An image of the 1996-vintage Taurus I grabbed off the Internet because it shows the car from the side. The small trunk height is apparent. Note how the shoulder character sculpting is soft like the general body shape. Something more crisp could have provided some contrast to good effect.
A rear view of a car of the same vintage showing the low trunk and a strongly rounded backlight (rear window). Plus more rounding in the tail light assembly. The only really straight line on the exterior is the rub strip along the doors.
This photo shows the 1996-vintage Taurus to its best advantage. I was always fond of the shaping of the hood and front end.
I think the reason for my fondness for the Taurus front end was because it reminded me of the hood shaping of the classic 1953 Studebaker coupe, shown here. This is a puzzling Internet-grab image, because I'm not sure when the photo was taken, though it probably dates to 1953. The car is in as-new condition. The girl's swim suit is early 1950s style, and the same might be said for the house. And the background countryside reminds me of the South Bend area near the Studebaker proving grounds. Nevertheless, for some reason I can't quite rule out the possibility that it is a carefully staged comparatively recent photo; perhaps it has to do with how sharp the image of the car is. Assuming this is a publicity photo, it's interesting that the girl is blocking the view of part of the car. I think this was done to emphasize how low the car is, because the Studebaker coupe was very low compared to other 1953 American cars. The girl is clearly taller than the car, and placing her a short distance in front of the roof makes the car seem even lower than it actually is.
The reason I include this image is that it shows the Studebaker from a similar, if flipped, point of view as the red Taurus above it. The Studebaker has 50s features such as sealed beam headlamps with frenched bevels and high front fenders. But if you mentally strip those details away, the result is something like the Taurus' sculpting.
Here is a Champion Starliner in the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana. I include this picture because lighting and camera angles combine to dampen the effect of the comparatively sharp fold at the front of the hood. Again, potential kinship with the Taurus can be apparent, given a little imagination. I have no idea if Telnack or one of his stylists was inspired by the Studebaker, but I do wonder.
2 comments:
The 92-95 was the 2nd gen officially no matter what you think.
I completely agree with the anonymous commenter above: the 1992–1995 models were officially the 2nd generation, no matter what you personally prefer to call them. As I mentioned earlier when discussing the wagon, it's not just Wikipedia stating this—the entire community, and the official enthusiast site Ford-Taurus.org recognize the 1996 model as the official 3rd generation.
As noted before, the entire styling of the 3rd-gen Taurus was built around the oval theme—a direct nod to the Ford logo. When it comes to the overall silhouette of the sedan, its lines actually trace back to Ford’s 1991 Contour concept car. If you analyze that specific concept, you’ll see exactly where the heavily sloped, fastback-style rear deck originated, which was designed to echo the front-end treatment.
Admittedly, this fastback slope did sacrifice some trunk volume—especially if the car came equipped with the optional full-size spare tire instead of the standard space-saver mini spare, which otherwise allowed for a completely flat trunk floor. However, the absolute masterpiece of this trunk design is something most critics miss: first, the trunk lid is made entirely out of aluminum. Second, because of its lightweight aluminum construction and the specific angle of its geometry, when you hit the trunk release on the key fob, the lid automatically swings all the way open into the air on its own. If your hands are full of groceries, you can easily load everything inside without having to lift the lid manually. Furthermore, on the 3rd-gen sedan, the standard split-folding rear seats found on the GL, LX, and later facelifted SE trims immensely save the day, allowing you to utilize the cargo space much more efficiently than it appears from the outside.
It is true that by the 4th generation (2000–2007), Ford ultimately raised the trunk deck lid to make it more practical, though they did so at the expense of the original, cohesive aerodynamic styling. As for your stylistic comparison to the classic 1953 Studebaker, it’s a highly interesting and beautiful parallel. Whether Chief Designer Jack Telnack and Lead Exterior Designer Doug Gaffka were actively inspired by it, or if they arrived at those lines independently, it remains a fascinating piece of automotive design discussion.
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