1961 Continental and Thunderbird

Because they were to be built at the Wixom, Michigan factory that was set up for making unit bodies (rather than traditional body-on-frame contruction), and because the huge 1958-generation Lincoln did not sell as well as expected, Ford Motor Company executives ordered that there would be commonlity for the redesigned 1961 Lincoln Continental and Ford Thunderbird.

Some background on the 1961 Continental is here.

Although the new Lincoln was smaller than the previous model, it was an enlarged version of the four-passenger Thunderbird.  Ford executives liked '61 Thunderbird styling proposals and specified that the Continental be a four-door version with Continental-type ornamentation and other unique features.

Key dimensions:  Wheelbase -- T-Bird, 113 in (2870 mm), Continental, 123 in (3124 mm).  Length -- T-Bird, 205 in (5204 mm), Continental, 212.4 in (5395 mm).

Both cars shared the cowling and nearby details, as is shown below in the Gallery.  Unless noted, images are of for-sale cars or factory-sourced photos.

Gallery

1961 Thunderbird proposal model
Several such full-size models were built.  This one has a fenderline similar to that used on the Continental.

1961 Thunderbird Hardtop Coupe - Mecum Auctions photo

1961 Continental sedan
The windshields are the same.  And the fender tops have chrome strips on them.

Thunderbird - Mecum
Thunderbirds had a back seat which required a wide door to allow passenger entry there.

The Continental and Thunderbird share the windshield, ventipanes and door front cutline, items related to their shared cowling stucture.

Thunderbird - Mecum

Otherwise their designs are different aside from the tumblehome of the passenger compartment greenhouse sides.

Saoutchik Early Designs

French carrosserie J.Saoutchik, Wikipedia entry here, was in business 1906-1955.  The firm was amongst the most successful French coachbuilders because of the high quality of its craftsmanship and to some extent for its style.

That style evolved from being a little more flashy than the norm to becoming provocatively outrageous following World War 2.  The present post presents a few examples of Saoutchik's work in the interwar and early postwar years.

Gallery

1949c. Delahaye 175 by Saoutchik with Diana Dors
When I think Saoutchik, this is the kind of styling that comes to mind: elaborate curves, swathes of chrome accents and, not seen here, elaborate two-tone paint schemes.

1926 Hotchkiss AM2 Roadster by Saoutchik - Bonhams photo
This 1926 example seems fairly conventional for its time.

1928 Mercedes-Benz 630 K "La Baule" Torpedo Transformable by Soutchik - Bonhams
Now we see some dramatic two-toning and plenty of chrome accents.

1930 Bucciali TAV 30 La Marie Torpédo Sport Type Cannes by Saoutchik - Bonhams
Buccialis are known for being low and dramatic.   The chrome strip extending downward and forward from the cowling is similar to that on the Mercedes in the previous image.

1931 Bucciali TAV-16 by Saoutchik - Salon de l'Automobile Paris
Perhaps the most extreme Saoutchik design for Bucciali.

1935 Merceds-Benz 500 K Cabriollet by Saoutchik - Bonhams
Saoutchik touches include the unusual spare tire holder and the two-tone paint scheme.

1938 Graham Cabriolet by Saoutchik - RM Southeby's photo
The front and fenders are essentially stock Graham, and the overall design is in line with French coachbuilding practice at the time.

1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Sport by Saoutchik - auction photo
A postwar design that's restrained-Saoutchik.  It does have unusual two-toning and a chrome swath rock guard on the rear fender area.

1953-54 Nash Rambler Facelift -- With Big Nash Bits

Some posts are easy to research and find photos appropriate to the subject.  Others are not: This is one of those.

It deals with the Nash Rambler compact car's 1953 facelift and 1954 addition of four-door sedans and sation wagons whose wheelbases were 108 inches (2743 mm), up from the 100 inches (2540 mm) on previous Ramblers.

While examining photos of 1953 and '54 Ramblers I noticed similarities to full-size Nashes that I hadn't been aware of.  It looked like those Ramblers were given some sheet metal from the larger Nashes.

Could that have been true?

Perhaps some retired American Motors employees would know.  Or maybe there are archived records dealing with the creation of the new styling.  Then again, somebody who does car restorations might know.  Or a Nash enthusiast.

Since I don't know for sure, the best I can do is present some photos for your consideration.  Unless noted, images below are either factory sourced or are of for-sale cars.

Gallery

1951 Nash Rambler Country Club hardtop - Barrett-Jackson Auctions photo
This is the Nash Rambler hardtop coupe's original design.

1953 Nash Rambler Country Club hardtop
The 1953 facelift left the passenger compartment greenhouse untouched aside from the lower part of the windshield.  Major changes included higher, longer fenders, a lower hood, and new front end styling.  It's hard to see here, but the door handle and key lock positions have changed.

1955 Nash Rambler 4-door sedan
1954 four-door Ramblers had the typical covered front wheels.  But after George Mason's death (he was a fan of covered wheels), George Romney approved conventional wheel openings.  Compare this photo to the image below.  Note the sculpting below the side windows on both cars.  That sculpting appeared on the redesigned 1952 Nashes, but not on Ramblers until '54 four-door sedans and station wagons appeared with that detail.

1952 Nash Ambassador 4-door sedan

1953 Nash Rambler Country Club hardtop
Now for some door comparisons.  The door on this hardtop is all-but-identical in outline below the beltline to that of the two-door Nash below.  Especially note the lower cutlines and cutlines of the rocker panel below.  Also the form and positioning of the door handle and key slot.

1952 Nash Ambassador Custom 2-door sedan

1955 Rambler 4-door sedan - unknown source
The doors on this Rambler are similar to those on the four-door 1954 Nash Ambassador in the next photo.  The main difference is that they are less wide.  Also compare the C-pillars and aft segment of the adjoining windows.  Once difference is that the Ambassador's windshield is raked back more than the Rambler's.

1954 Nash Statesman 4-door sedan

1954 Nash Ambassador 4-door sedan - publicity photo
I looked for, but didn't find a picture of a Nash and Rambler together, so as to see if the distance from the bottom of the body to the beltline was the same.  However, this photo and the following one indicated that indeed the lower body sides are the same height, and might well use the same basic metal stampings.

1955 Hudson Rambler station wagon - publicity photo
Get a ruler and measure the distances from the lower body edges to the beltlines.  Then measure the height on the models standing by the doors (they're probably within an inch or so of the same height.  Computing the ratio of the door heights to the model's heights, you should get something on the order of 3/7, or 43 percent.
Conclusion?  The evidence presented above strongly suggests that Nash saved some tooling expenses by making use of some full-size Nash bodywork when 1953 Ramblers were facelifted and then augmented for 1954.

French Shovel Nose Grilles

I recently wrote about the early-1930s American "shovel nose" grille styling fad.   The present post presents some French versions.  The term shovel nose refers to grilles where lower segments of vertical bars curved forward creating a shovel-like effect.

These first appeared in America for the 1932 model year, were somewhat common for 1933, and the final new appearance was on a 1934 brand.  By 1936 grille fashions had changed to convex "fencer's mask" designs.

Only a few French marques had shovel nose grilles.  They first appeared for 1934-35, but stayed in production at Peugeot a while longer.

Gallery

1932 Packard Light Eight Coupe Roadster - RM Sotheby's photo
Early, classical American shovel nose styling.

1934 Peugeot 301 Cabriolet
Peugeot's 1934 version was much more restrained.

1934 Chenard et Walcker Aiglon Berline - for sale photo
A more aggressive interpretation.

1934 Delahaye 134 Berline by Sical - for sale photo
Another restrained design.

1935 Unic Cabriolet at the 1934 Paris auto show
Another strong shovel nose.  These were seen at the Salon de l'Automobile and in advertising, but 1936 Unics and perhaps some '35s had conventional grilles.

The "Beautifully Proportioned" 1959 Fords

Ford's 1959 models were the final versions of a body line introduced for the 1957 model year.   They were heavily facelifted from the already facelifted 1958 cars.

Ford advertising claimed that the '59s were "Beatifully Prportioned", as the above advertisement headline states (click on the image to enlarge).  Although it's hard to read, the text by the gold medals at the lower left states: "AWARDED THE GOLD MEDAL by the Comité française de L'Elégance, for beautiful proportions -- at the Brussels World's Fair"

Another marketing ploy was the cars' resemblance to the Ford Thunderbird, redesigned as a four-passenger car for 1958.  The red car in the ad's distance is a '59 T-Bird.

At the time these Fords appeared, I was perplexed with regard to the "Beautifully Proportioned" claim.  Even though I was majoring in Commercial Art in college at the time, I failed to see how Fords had such a feature.  In fact, I thought they weren't beautiful.  But one of my fraternity brothers who was an architecture student told me that one of his instructors backed up the claim, though he didn't provide the reasoning.

Perhaps there are details on '59 Fords that conform to the Golden Ratio (1.61803398875) and other mathematical relationships.  Readers are more than welcome to explain the wonder of 1959 Ford portions to the likes of me in Comments.

Photos of 1959 Fords are below.  Unless noted, they are of cars for sale or are factory-sourced.

Gallery

1959 Ford Galaxie Town Victoria
Publicity photo of the top-of-the-line four-door hardtop.  Behind it is a Thunderbird.  The Thunderbird styling link is the broad C-pillar found only on Galaxie models.  The horizontal trim on the pillar evokes the T-Bird's wings badge.

1959 Ford Galaxie Club Victoria
Long trunks and rear overhang were fashionable in those days.  But at the price here of a stubby hood and front end ... questionable proportioning.

1959 Ford Galaxie Town Victoria
I think the chromed V on the trunk lid detracts from the generally horizontal styling theme.  I suppose it was justified as being a counterpoint.  Or maybe it had to do with the V-for-V8 theme common in those days.

1959 Ford Galaxie Club Victoria
The tubular elements atop the rear fenderline are residues of tailfins found on 1957 and '58 Ford Fairlane 500s (the previous line-toppers).

1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Town Sedan - Barrett-Jackson Auctions photo
Below Galaxie-level, C-pillars were narrow and backlight windows were panoramic.

1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Town Sedan - Barrett-Jackson
I've always thought that the '59 version of traditional 1950s round Ford tail lights were too large.

1959 Ford Custom 300 Tudor
An entry-level '59 Ford.  Windows on the passenger compartment are awkward.

1959 Ford Custom 300 Fordor
Here we see the two-tone paint scheme for Custom 300s.  The decorations on the rear fender area add some visual balance, but seem too "spotty."

1959 Ford Custom 300 Tudor
The V on the rear of the trunk lid was part of the metal forming.  That is, the chromed V's on Fairlane and Galaxies were not simply decorations.

Pegasos with Factory-Built Bodies

I wrote about an astonishing Pegaso design here and here.  For me, that  Berlina Cúpolo is what I think about when Pegaso comes to mind.

But there was only two of those built.  What of the other 80 or so Pegasos?  The present post presents two early cars with factory-built, rather than custom-built bodies.

Gallery

1952 Pegaso Z-102 2.5 Berlineta Cúpula - ENASA Body - unknown image source
ENASA (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones S.A.) was a Barcelona based builder of trucks (and a few Pegaso automobiles).  This, perhaps the most famous Pegaso, is clad with a body made at the factory.  It seems that two were made, and one survives.  Most later Pegasos had bodies built in Italy and France.

1951 Pegaso Z-102 Berlineta prototype - ENASA body - for sale photo
Styled in the spirit of contemporary Italian custom designs, this car established Pegaso's frontal theme.  Wheel openings are extended towards the rear and topped by character lines intended to reduce the visual bulk of slab sides.  The vent on the front fender doesn't relate well to the items just mentioned.  There is no front bumper.

However, there is a minimal rear bumper.  The curved trunk lid and nearby rear fenderline are simple.  An interesting touch is the three-segment wraparound back window.  It's clearly influenced by American designs, but is rather short, cramped, perhaps due to glass forming limitations of the time.

1952 Pegaso Z-102 cabriolet - ENASA body - Bonhams auction photo
This is the open-top version.  Both cars have an odd, tacked-on air intake behind the door cutline.  The front has tiny bumper-guards, but no bumper.

Another type of minimal rear bumper.  Again, a simple, rounded shape.  Fender openings conform more to wheel shape than on the previous car.

1954 Pegaso Z-120 berlinetta by Touring - unknown source
An example of a later, Italian-built body found on many Pegasos.  Touring was doing excellent work in those days.  Yet there is still no front bumper.

1961 Pontiac Ventura Hardtop Coupe Walkaround

The Ventura was a mid-range Pontiac line for the 1961 model year.  Only two body types were offered, both hardtops (no full-height B-pillar) -- the Sport Coupe and Vista Sedan.  Today's post is a visual walkaround of a Sport Coupe Ventura.

General Motors brands all received essentially redesigned bodies for 1961.  A major difference from 1960 was the return to aft-slanting A-pillars from the panoramic (wraparound) windshields the corporation offered from 1954 or thereabouts through 1960.  Tail fins were in the process of being phased out in 1961 as well.

All GM divisions used the two-door hardtop body featured here.  The Pontiac Ventura version was not necessarily the most attractive (that might have been the Chevrolet Bel Air), but it's a nice-looking if slightly over-decorated machine.

All images bellow are via Mecum Auctions.

Gallery

1961 saw the return of Pontiac's two-segment grille introduced in 1959 but dropped for 1960.

The lower body isn't tall compared to what was common a decade earlier.  Its contrast with the tall, curved, airy passenger compartment greenhouse enhances that effect.

The beltline is horizontal, but the nearby flowing fenderline reduces a potentially static appearance.

Rear fenderline tops retain hints of tail fins.

The little V-shaped logo on the trunk lid is Pontiac's, the letters between the tail lights spell "VENTURA."

The sculpted side decoration hints of jet planes or space ships and probably should have been eliminated or perhaps replaced by something simpler.

End of walkaround.