Wednesday, July 21, 2010

I MIght As Well Call This One The "Left Field"

Technically, I named this Focus pillarless hardtop coupe the X-100, after the late- and much-lamented Mercury of 1969-70. In honor of that now-classic coupe, this X-100's rear trunklid is matte black, although it would be carbon fiber not painted sheetmetal. "Never Gonna Happen" or "Out in Left-Field" might be more appropriate names for this car. The days of pillarless coupes, especially in the entry-level class are most likely over and done with.

C H O P — This chop is both forwards- and backwards-thinking. While it's a small Ford, so I named it the Focus, it's a pillarless hardtop coupe, more in the vein of a Falcon Sprint from the Swingin' Sixties. While I used first generation Fusion taillights for a proper modern-Ford look, I purposely moved away from Kinetic Design styling cues. I went for more of a classic style, based on clean lines not the intricately linked and angular ones inherent in KD. 

When I was a child, most cars came in more bodystyles than four door sedans and wagons. Even entry-level lineups would include two- and four door sedans, a hardtop coupe, a convertible and a wagon or two. A generation or two earlier they would have included business coupes, club coupes, 2 door as well as 4 door wagons, convertible sedans, coupe-pickups. Going way back in time. cars like the Model T were available in as many as 20-25 different bodystyles. This chop pretends the last 20 years never happened, and that small-car buyers were still interested in high-style pillarless coupes. I know I would still be!

Ten points for anyone that can name the donor vehicle—redeemable at any artandcolour store in your area : )

5 comments:

  1. The Falcon name still exists in Australia and Ford is dump enough not to bring it here. It would have been great all around car and could have been built at their Flat Rock plant that they share with Mazda.

    http://tiny.cc/kpui5

    Think of it as a cheaper SHO.

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  2. thanks for that image link, woody. I'm aware of the Australian Falcon, but hadn't seen that updated version. I'm going to photoshop a coupe out of one of those soon, for a Fusion coupe. And I still have a new Merkur on my list of future chops.

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  3. OK, IF YOU GUYS SAY SO.

    GRANNY

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  4. I've been tormented by this one for days ! Was it based on the Renault Laguna - the side greenhouses are identical. Do tell !

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  5. lol. The base photo was a Rover! If I remember correctly it was a concept for a pillarless coupe of the large Rover line. I'm not sure if they ever produced it or if it was just a one-off.

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