| What's New?
Two separate car lines, with
different body shells and wheelbases, plus station wagon line
... All new "equa-flair" styling to replace the
"Ford look" . . . Roadhugging lowness . . . A retractable
hardtop for spring delivery ... Safety features galore including
front-hinged hood.
Your Choice
If latest order count and resurging
employment in Dearborn factories mean anything, Ford is well
on its way towards another year like 1954 when Chevrolet's
sales lead was nebulous and the final results disputed. Actually,
who's ahead has little if any bearing on your choice. Both,
and Plymouth too for that matter, sell enough cars so that
you don't have to be in the uncomfortable minority to drive
any one of them. We aren't talking about psychology here,
but depreciation rate.
Ford Fairlanes and Fairlane 500s
are the lowest and longest cars in the upper end of the low-price
field, but Plymouth Belvederes run a close second. Chevrolet,
with its older style body shell, is higher and stubbier, which
may be desirable to many purchasers. Difference between Fairlanes
is in exterior and interior trim. Both offer two- and four-door
sedans and equivalent Victorias, Ford's name for hardtops.
The convertible, and presumably the retractable roof car when
it comes along later, will be limited to the top 500 series.
A squadron of station wagons
stands on the 116-inch wheelbase, ranging from the utility
Ranch Wagon to the luxurious nine-passenger, four-door Country
Squire with plastic side trim that simulates wood. These are
sleek and low, but a Big Three first was missed by not offering
at least one hardtop version.
Sharing the 116-inch wheelbase
are Customs and Custom 300s. The first is strictly for economy
and the other could well be a family's first venture into
new cardom. Like all Fords, any engine or transmission combination
can be installed. No hardtops are available in this line,
either, a situation that may be corrected by public demand.
Both Chevrolet and Plymouth offer them in their mid-line TwoTen
and Savoy series, a competitive advantage in attracting cash-short
but stylewise customers.
Ford Power
A 245-horsepower, 312-cubic-inch
(same size as Mercury) "Thunderbird Special" V8
is top optional engine temporarily until the racing version
with an extra four-barrel carburetor comes along. A slightly
smaller, 2t2-horsepower V8 is standard on all but the two
Customs, which have the smallest (272-cubic-inch, 190horsepower)
V8. The excellent overheadvalve six is one of those rare options
that cost you less when you specify it. Combined with overdrive
on any Ford but a convertible, it makes a hard-to-beat package
for economical, peppy long-distance travel.
Engine changes this year are
relatively minor. There is the usual hike in compression ratio
and displacement, larger valves and manifold, higher-lift
cams, and revamping of ignition and fuel systems. That 23-gallon
fuel tank is optional for greater cruising radius might be
construed as a gentle hint that economy isn't what it used
to be five years ago.
Beefed-up transmissions of all
three varieties (Fordomatic, manual, or overdrive) are refreshingly
available with any or all engines. Both a maintenance bonus
and a factory cost-saving item is the dropping of the standard
dual-exhaust system on Fairlanes except those equipped with
the optional largest engine. No material performance loss
should be noted as the headers are separated until the pipes
enter the single muffler.
Ford on the Road
Both Ford chassis are entirely
new and represent about the ultimate that a car with frame
can go in lowness. The next step is frameless construction.
Ford engineers scratched around until the lastminute deadline
trying to get all parts to fit. Frame side rails spread out
laterally between the wheels, allowing floor pans to be dropped,
but this in turn created clearance problems for muffler and
driveshaft. As would be expected, they were all solved with
ample road clearance left over.
Ford pioneered the ball-joint
front suspension in 1954 that the others are just beginning
to talk about. Change this year consists of slanting the A
frames and upper control arms back a bit. Wheel motion on
bumps is upward and rearward in what is aptly described as
"roll-with-the-blow" action. Even-keel ride, thanks
to the longer rear springs, is softer but with no loss of
control on winding mountain roads. Power steering and brakes
on a Ford are not too necessary options.
Inside Your Ford
Quality and Styling of Ford interiors
have been excellent of late, and the new models are not excepted.
Better attention has been paid to color-keying, now that the
word and technique have been relinquished by Chrysler to common
usage.
Biggest interior selling point
is still safety. The handsome, fully equipped dash has no
knob protruding beyond a basic surface line. Steering wheel
is more dished than ever and an inch smaller in diameter.
Legroom and headroom seems to have suffered less in Ford's
low look than in other makes.
Why Buy?
Flairful styling unlike any past
Ford . . . Wide selection of body styles and sizes within
a relatively narrow price range . . . As much protection from
depreciation as you could expect . . . A car chosen by the
majority of police organizations for its performance and handling. |
