Johnny Lightning's 1960 Ford Country Squire, produced in 2002 for its Playing Mantis series.
M Y C O L L E C T I O N — As I mentioned in the post below, $1.19 Car-A-Palooza, scale model station wagons are scarce. That doesn't mean I don't have quite a few, lol. I've always been attracted to scale models of real-life cars, as opposed to racing cars or fantasy cars. Station wagons used to be as ubiquitous as SUVs and crossovers are today, so they fit into my aesthetic perfectly. When they're the versions with woodgrain, like this Country Squire, I can't bring them home fast enough. The metallic green exterior contrasts beautifully with the woodgrained sides and tailgate, and complements the very well-detailed six-seat interior. Johnny Lightnings are a step up from Matchboxes or Hot Wheels for roughly three times the price, a still affordable $4.99 eight years ago, if I remember correctly.
The design of the 1960 full-size Ford is of my favorite postwar Fords, based on a styling mockup known as the Quicksilver. I've read a couple of articles on this car, but can't find much about it online. It's mentioned in this great article at How Stuff Works on the development of the '61 Lincoln. From what I remember, it was designed by Alex Tremulis, designer of the late and lamented Tucker Torpedo, but I'm not 100% sure of it. I'll keep researching and update this post if I find anything.
Quicksilver styling model, the basis for the sleek and sophisticated 1960 full-size Ford.
What a cool model! And in a terrific color. Those 1960 Fords were pretty spectacular. They were a real step forward for Ford. The Starliner was fabulous -- the contrast between the 60s and the Fords of just a few years earlier was pretty dramatic.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the offerings of the low-priced three as they were called then, the first unit-bodied Plymouth and the scaled-back gull-wing Chevrolet, the 1960 Ford was the clear class of the class!
Ford was in a real transistion phase there -- the Falcon was new, Mercury was about to abandon it's last real attempt at having a car with little in common with Ford and Lincoln was on the verge of a renaissance. Come to think of it, Ford is in a very similar situation fifty years later, although it's a bit more extreme with the death of Mercury and the uncertainty that Lincoln is really going to rise from the dull.
Paul, NYC
I just like the visual of Casey playing outdoors on a sunny December day with his cool little station wagon toy! :)
ReplyDeleteKatie