"But how long from the time the C7 was known until the Mustang was designed? Cutting it pretty close, IMO."
From Iacocca's books, and others I've read through the years, in the industry there have always been spies that know what the other guy is doing waaayyyyy before it's released to the public.
I just find it very, very hard-to-believe that such a nearly-identical shape would make it onto two makers' top-image-sports cars without some inside scoop from somewhere.
I've argued on these forums before that Corvette is the only true American car like it, when others have compared a Mustang to a Corvette. I compare a Mustang to a Camaro, but not to a Corvette, in concept. I think Ford was trying to inject a little 'Vette into its Mustang. Your opinion may vary.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
The windows appear to be of a significantly different size, the Corvette being much smaller (and probably carrying it better). As you say, Mustangs also compete with Camaros, not Corvettes. One has usually been a bit smaller, lighter, and cheaper than the other.
I see it as more of a played out styling trend than specifically copying that car, seeing I can think of at least 3 other 2-door cars that have had a very similar trait for many years now. For some, a little upkick or flourish at the C-pillar is a way to show "character" - ask Lexus, who does something mildly similar.
Anyway, I see it as more coincidental than copycat. If that's a copycat, I can then say the Impala steals the greenhouse profile of the Fusion, who stole it from the A5/A7.
I think the Impala's rear-end styling is cribbed from the Sonata.
Personally, I believe it's more likely that somebody swipes a Corvette styling cue, than the Impala from an unknown sales/image quantity like the new Fusion, but that's me. I'm just glad the Impala doesn't have the latest Ford 'fish mouth' grille look...MHO only of course.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I'll agree with that, the big mouth look is getting old. Ford is milking the Aston connection for every penny it is worth, the Mustang has it too. And to their credit, it is working, the Fusion is a definite success.
Faces on cars are even more tiresome. It works on a Bugeye Sprite, not on everything else.
At far left looks like an Austin A40/Devon, another of which is seen perpendicular to the street towards the top. The car at the front of the line looks like a Ford Prefect, perhaps. Nearest the Beetle is a Fiat Topolino.
I think the VW is a bit earlier _ it looks like a split back window to me. The cars are all shiny because they were then fairly new - the picture was taken in Haarlem Holland, in 1954.
The two Austins are A40 Devons - well done for spotting the one in the distance - its not a very big picture. The Ford Prefect is the E493A model which was in production until 1953, I think, and the Fiat is a 500 Topolino - many were built before the war as it was introduced in 1936, but the 500A went on until 1948, and the 500B was in production for another year or so - the separate headights didn't go until right at the end of 1949with the 500C, so given how shiny this one is I would imagine it is post war. It is also possible that it could be a Simca, or even Neckar-Fiat from Germany, but the Italian version is probably most likely. So, what is the black car following the Prefect?
PS - the bus is apparently a British built Crossley - Dutch Railways had a large fleet of SD42's with local built bodies from the late 40's. (The guy who posted this picture knows his buses)...
The black car is a mystery to me. I can't pin it down - looks fairly British, but continental cars weren't much different. I know it's not American, for sure.
I thought this one would be more difficult. It looks very British, although it isn't, and although I can see where you are coming from with the Volvo it isn't one of those either.
I can see that too - it looks a lot like a Lea Francis, but it really isn't British. Another clue, then - the country it does come from used to drive on the left until the war, like we still do now - and it isn't Sweden which when this picture was taken was still driving on the left.
So Czech what else was made there - Czechoslovakia drove on the left from its foundation in 1919 until it was seized by the [non-permissible content removed] in 1938/9...
There's really one other large scale maker, still in business today (with design help from the fatherland - and I am trying to see if someone else can guess )
This has taken far more time and thinking than most, but I found a You-tube of a 1950 Skoda 1102 Tudor Saloon from somewhere in Canadian which looks similar. Even found a rear shot of another 1102 where the two boot handles are apparent.
Skoda enjoyed a good reputation in Australia in the 1950's and the local distributor was both profitable and listed on the Stock Exchange.
A 1952 story, originally appearing in the Melbourne Truth, is interesting reading
INGENUITY KEYNOTES NEW SKODA The Melbourne "Truth" writes: Trust the Continental people to produce something just a bit dif ferent in the way of motor cars. We are referring to the Skoda, for many years well known in Europe, but entirely a newcomer on the Melbourne market It comes from Czechoslovakia and arrives on the Melbourne wharves wanting only the wheels braced on, a battery connected, and petrol put in the tanks. The Czechs know their body building and the first impression is of flawless finish. The second is of accessibility and a more de tailed examination discloses many refinements on what is basically a conventional o.h.v. of 11.4 h.p. Among the refinements we listed: Gravity feed petrol tank, which. with the radiator, generator, coil or distributor could be removed in a matter of a couple of minutes; "One-shot" lubrication, which means that by stepping on a lung er near the pedals the chassis can be lubricated without hoists or. grease gun; That the back seat can be en tirely removed in 30 sees, and the 6-ft. long flat space extending into the boot used for commercial or camping purposes; That the conventional form of back axle has been replaced by a differential bolted to the chassis so that the back wheels are driven through universal joints as in front-wheel-drive cars. This gives independence of springing on all four wheels. We tested the springing on a slhort test at 40 m.ph. over the cobbles near Victoria dock with very pleasing results indeed. Among other things we discov ered that the car went to the cus tomer with a really comprehensive set of tools even to tyre gauge and spare light globes. There appeared to be enough tools to tackle a rebore-except that the Skoda is not rebored. The principle is that you leave your car at the service station in the morning and pick it up at night, by which time the cylinder liners and pistons have been re placed. which is a slightly differ ent story from having to leave your car for a week. The cost is a bit different, too about £30 for a Skoda, and any thing from £60 to £80 for most other cars. Maker's specifications claim maximum speed of 70 and petrol consumption 35 m.p.g. at 30 m.p.h.
I am intrigued by the reference to the ease of doing a rebore as a one day changeover. I cannot imagine doing a major engine out rebore in a day, even now!
Well done - and to graham for finding a lot more about it... This is either a four door version of the 1101 or more likely (because more were made) the 1102 - that also had a slightly longer wheelbase I think and the one in the picture looks longer.
They made about 67000 of these (more common in two door form) between 1946/52,and according to the author David Randall in his history of Skoda, the whole range was known as Tudors - including the four door. Presumably it was a reference to a noble sounding name rather than the Ford way of naming a car according to the doors, but it wasn't sold in Britain so we never found out.
Not the 405. I had thought it might be the 110, which is the oldest, but I have driven that path a lot of times. It is the 101 south of Highland street.
You beat me to it - I was going to say I knew the highway, if not the cars!
And on the WA coast where my mother lives, the rainfall is usually 60-70". No thanks. Although this part of the country still has the best summers of anywhere I know.
There was indeed an estate version of that car sold in NA, along with the sedan. They seem to have a good survival rate for something that might have dissolved when wet.
Comments
From Iacocca's books, and others I've read through the years, in the industry there have always been spies that know what the other guy is doing waaayyyyy before it's released to the public.
I just find it very, very hard-to-believe that such a nearly-identical shape would make it onto two makers' top-image-sports cars without some inside scoop from somewhere.
I've argued on these forums before that Corvette is the only true American car like it, when others have compared a Mustang to a Corvette. I compare a Mustang to a Camaro, but not to a Corvette, in concept. I think Ford was trying to inject a little 'Vette into its Mustang. Your opinion may vary.
I see it as more of a played out styling trend than specifically copying that car, seeing I can think of at least 3 other 2-door cars that have had a very similar trait for many years now. For some, a little upkick or flourish at the C-pillar is a way to show "character" - ask Lexus, who does something mildly similar.
Not to my eyes, but I haven't seen the Mustang in person and only saw a C7 in person for the first time this morning.
As for folks calling the Mustang the equivalent of the Stingray/Corvette:
hahahahahahahahahaha....
You're correct, it's always been the Camaro/Mustang war.
The Shelby GT500 is a real beast though--it'd give a Vette a run for the money.
Anyway, I see it as more coincidental than copycat. If that's a copycat, I can then say the Impala steals the greenhouse profile of the Fusion, who stole it from the A5/A7.
Personally, I believe it's more likely that somebody swipes a Corvette styling cue, than the Impala from an unknown sales/image quantity like the new Fusion, but that's me. I'm just glad the Impala doesn't have the latest Ford 'fish mouth' grille look...MHO only of course.
Faces on cars are even more tiresome. It works on a Bugeye Sprite, not on everything else.
Is this a movie still? Those cars are all pretty shiny.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
So, what is the black car following the Prefect?
PS - the bus is apparently a British built Crossley - Dutch Railways had a large fleet of SD42's with local built bodies from the late 40's. (The guy who posted this picture knows his buses)...
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Another clue, then - the country it does come from used to drive on the left until the war, like we still do now - and it isn't Sweden which when this picture was taken was still driving on the left.
No, that can't be right. Maybe a Czech car?
I cannot think of any Skoda which looks like the black car and cannot think of any other Czech manufacturers from that era.
Regards
Graham
This has taken far more time and thinking than most, but I found a You-tube of a 1950 Skoda 1102 Tudor Saloon from somewhere in Canadian which looks similar. Even found a rear shot of another 1102 where the two boot handles are apparent.
Skoda enjoyed a good reputation in Australia in the 1950's and the local distributor was both profitable and listed on the Stock Exchange.
A 1952 story, originally appearing in the Melbourne Truth, is interesting reading
INGENUITY KEYNOTES
NEW SKODA
The Melbourne "Truth" writes:
Trust the Continental people to
produce something just a bit dif
ferent in the way of motor cars.
We are referring to the Skoda, for
many years well known in Europe,
but entirely a newcomer on the
Melbourne market
It comes from Czechoslovakia
and arrives on the Melbourne
wharves wanting only the wheels
braced on, a battery connected,
and petrol put in the tanks.
The Czechs know their body
building and the first impression
is of flawless finish. The second is
of accessibility and a more de
tailed examination discloses many
refinements on what is basically a
conventional o.h.v. of 11.4 h.p.
Among the refinements we
listed:
Gravity feed petrol tank, which.
with the radiator, generator, coil
or distributor could be removed in
a matter of a couple of minutes;
"One-shot" lubrication, which
means that by stepping on a lung
er near the pedals the chassis can
be lubricated without hoists or.
grease gun;
That the back seat can be en
tirely removed in 30 sees, and the
6-ft. long flat space extending into
the boot used for commercial or
camping purposes;
That the conventional form of
back axle has been replaced by a
differential bolted to the chassis so
that the back wheels are driven
through universal joints as in
front-wheel-drive cars. This gives
independence of springing on all
four wheels.
We tested the springing on a
slhort test at 40 m.ph. over the
cobbles near Victoria dock with
very pleasing results indeed.
Among other things we discov
ered that the car went to the cus
tomer with a really comprehensive
set of tools even to tyre gauge
and spare light globes.
There appeared to be enough
tools to tackle a rebore-except
that the Skoda is not rebored.
The principle is that you leave
your car at the service station in
the morning and pick it up at
night, by which time the cylinder
liners and pistons have been re
placed. which is a slightly differ
ent story from having to leave
your car for a week.
The cost is a bit different, too
about £30 for a Skoda, and any
thing from £60 to £80 for most other
cars.
Maker's specifications claim
maximum speed of 70 and petrol
consumption 35 m.p.g. at 30 m.p.h.
I am intrigued by the reference to the ease of doing a rebore as a one day changeover. I cannot imagine doing a major engine out rebore in a day, even now!
Cheers
Graham
They made about 67000 of these (more common in two door form) between 1946/52,and according to the author David Randall in his history of Skoda, the whole range was known as Tudors - including the four door. Presumably it was a reference to a noble sounding name rather than the Ford way of naming a car according to the doors, but it wasn't sold in Britain so we never found out.
Notice that half the drivers don't know they should turn their lights on in the rain. Some things don't change much. :mad:
Might as well call em off by rows.
Bigger.
.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4
I'll pick off the Triumph TR10 behind a ~55 Ford truck at lower left. Lots of good pickings in this pic, many should be able to chime in.
It never rains in southern California.
Check out the grades of the exit and entrance ramps.
Third car in outside lane - is it a 57 Pontiac?
2009-2010 16.36 inches rain
2010-2011 20.20 inches rain
2009-2010 16.36 inches rain
2010-2011 20.20 inches rain
Put it in perspective - fin is in Seattle and annual rainfall is 36".
Just for kicks I looked up my locale of Boston: 43" of rain and 41" of snow. Seattle is like Phoenix and LA is the Sahara desert in comparison.
You beat me to it - I was going to say I knew the highway, if not the cars!
Fin, salute Fort Lewis for me. Been there, done that.
I was naming an old song
Nope - it's all just Pacific Shelf Overhang as the weather people call it :-)
Here's one: