Get the pieces right

Ford Forty-Nine, back	Ford Forty-Nine, front

There was no opportunity to attend the Detroit Auto show, so I had to settle for surfing selected rags to get a look at what the makers are up to.
Not much to light my candle, but must admit to being encouraged by the latest round of retro styling exercises. Yes, yes, others are faster, greener, more frugal, blah blah, woof woof. But most of them are either off-the-bus ugly, similar to their direct competitors or both. If they are bland or like something else then they might as well be something else. Let’s face it – today’s cars are so much better engineered than the ones of just a decade ago let alone the ones now being emulated. So why dredge up a couple of Ford designs from the middle of the last century?

Because the main offerings are so boring; inside and out.
There is no shortage of consumers that would choose a beautiful item over a plain one if the performance and price of the products were similar. Beautiful needn’t be prohibitively expensive. Many designs are both ugly and expensive by way of unnecessary additions and their assembly. A 1950 Ferrari Barchetta is not beautiful because it is hand made or a Ferrari. It is so because it’s tastefully elegant in line, proportion and materials. It was, and is, expensive due largely to its scarcity and, like most classics, it is as beautiful today as it was then. Can you imagine one offered with one of the many competent power trains now available, in Miata-like quantities? And yet we are besieged, year after year, with the same breed of dog.
The nose and hindquarter of today’s offerings are evolving into a soporific sameness. Most interiors have the same mind-numbing monochromatic plastic and vinyl. Instruments appear to be interchangeable from model to model and brand to brand. Gack! In the1950’s, any kid on the block would have little trouble discerning a Chevy from a Ford or a Studebaker, let alone from a Jag or a Peugeot. The steering wheels, speedometers, horn buttons, gear shift knobs, et al, were all part of the package. Each was distinctive, many a work of art.
Allow me to give you an example. There are probably finer gearshift knobs than those found on Hudson Hornets of the early 50’s, but none come immediately to mind. Color-matched to the interior and in the shape of an ascending balloon, they had inlaid figures of the sailing ship and the initial of their namesake. A white cross enfolds the big end like so many fingers clasping the knob itself. The devil is, indeed, in these details. I confess to having pilfered a pair of these splendid pieces from a wrecking yard before the galleries in which they resided met their fate with the crusher. Twenty-eight years on, my wife held the burgundy knob as her focal point during the birth of our son. It now resides in a display case with my model cars and motorcycles, vintage spark plugs and other object d’art. (The knob, that is, my son is 15 and watching Grand Prix as I write this.)

Hudson geadshift knob with inlaid figures of the sailing ship and the initial of their namesake

As a long time motor head and consumer, I hereby forward my heartfelt advice to the manufacturers; work on the details. Anything the hand touches should seduce the owner to caress it; for its shape, its texture and the quality of manufacture. Anything they see should at least make them smile in appreciation of a job well done. Better still, induce them to look again and thank themselves for spending the little extra to reward the company and the designers who made it available to them. This is the kind of satisfaction so many want, but few find. So, to the makers, I implore you; make our day!

(Text: M. A. Wilcoxen Mariposa, California)
(Pictures: Ford Motor Co., Detroit, M. A. Wilcoxen Mariposa, California)