Ford Mustang I Concept 1962
Film promotionnel de la Ford Mustang I Concept 1962
Transcript
00:00Within the giant industrial complex of the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan,
00:10is the Research and Engineering Center. Here a concentration of engineers and stylists
00:16each year create the Ford family of fine cars. They also explore new concepts for automotive
00:22designs, probe new ideas, and develop very special kinds of research vehicles to prove
00:29out new features and new ideas. You are about to see the results of one such research effort.
00:53This is the spirit of the wild Mustang, bred into a fine machine. There is only one, but
00:59it has spurred inquiry and comment from across the nation and from many other parts of the
01:04world. Actually, the Mustang is a research vehicle conceived and brought to the stage
01:12of development testing by a group devoted exclusively to evaluating the feasibility
01:18and desirability of new automotive design concepts. Concepts that might be applied
01:24to future production cars. Why a sports car? The sports car is far from being new in concept.
01:32True, but over the years it has influenced the development of passenger cars in all categories,
01:38and this type of vehicle is particularly suited to the plans of Roy Lunn, manager of the Vehicle
01:44Concepts Department. He explains that his group, in collaboration with Ford's advanced stylists,
01:51have in mind certain features potentially useful in a variety of models which could
01:56best be developed and proved out in a sports car type vehicle. He is thinking of aerodynamically
02:03clean body shapes with improved seating positions, lighter weight but stronger body
02:14structures, midship engines with proper cooling, and better handling qualities and road holding
02:22ability. The other group in the center associated with the creation of this research vehicle was
02:31the Advanced Styling Studio, and it was here the functional aerodynamic body was designed.
02:36The low drag clean front end was shaped, and a safety roll bar was incorporated in the styling
02:43concept. The efforts of the styling and engineering groups were given executive support by the vice
02:49president in charge of styling, Gene Bourdonnais, and the vice president in charge of engineering,
02:56Herb Misch. Together, these division heads endorsed the project. Having selected a sports
03:09car configuration, Roy Lunn's group set themselves additional objectives. They would design a high
03:15performance two-seater that would conform to racing category nine of the ruling Fédération
03:21Internationale de l'Automobile, and to Sports Car Club of America regulations. Because it was
03:30purely an experimental car, the engineers chose to use a welded tubular steel space frame,
03:36strong and lightweight for the Mustang. The test measurements for the frame were made on
03:46an accurate scale model that provided data easier and faster than calculating the many
03:51stresses. The model is detailed down to the attachment brackets for the front and rear
03:57suspension members. The actual frame was fabricated in California by the custom car
04:06builders Troutman and Barnes. In addition to being both lightweight and strong, the space frame can
04:14be built quickly. The engine and transmission pose no serious problem. Ford's recently developed
04:28V4 engine and four-speed transaxle combination designed for front-wheel drive in the German
04:34Taunus 12M proved a perfect solution. While unsuited for forward mounting because of the
04:42Mustang's small frontal area, the engine moved to midships not only made reduced frontal area
04:48possible and therefore allowed better aerodynamic form, but made for excellent weight distribution
04:54because it could be placed forward of the rear axle with no change in the drivetrain.
04:58With modifications, new cam, distributor, higher compression head, intake manifold,
05:08valve springs, and carburetors, this engine had excellent performance possibilities.
05:13The design of the clean small frontal area body that would be a two-seater and have a midship
05:26engine of course fell to styling and after many preliminary drawings, the final design evolved.
05:32Clean entry, stylized roll bar, functional air scoops at the sides,
05:41a body that housed and reflected the car's advanced engineering ideas.
05:49Of course the car needed a stylized embellishment to capture the spirit of the Mustang in its crest
06:00and this was rendered first on paper, then in clay and wood, finally in metal.
06:09The special body was first developed in clay starting with a wooden form called an armature
06:19which helps make a faster, lighter, and less expensive model. Special hot modeling clay is
06:26pushed and formed over the armature. Hot because when cooled, the clay becomes firm and hard,
06:32perfect for precise modeling. A special bridge mounted on rails ensures that each
06:40contour of the side being modeled is accurately transferred to the other side.
06:45Skillful hands and watchful eyes of the stylist ensuring that every long
06:56sweeping curve is true to the evolved design. When the clay was completed,
07:04it was covered with a special plastic sheeting called Dynac which looks like metal yet can be
07:10applied in a fraction of the time it would take to do a similar job in the paint shop.
07:15The Americus in colors, white and blue, were chosen for the Mustang. When Herb Misch and
07:25Jean Bourdonnais saw the completed clay, they were delighted. With the clay approved,
07:32a female plaster mold was formed. The clay was first coated with a partition,
07:38then with a lime slurry, then covered with excelsior dipped in plaster.
07:43When hard, these plaster molds were removed. The fiberglass body form was made by coating
07:59the mold with resin after properly treating the plaster surface, then applying glass cloth over
08:04the resin coating, smoothing the cloth to fit the contours. After several layers of
08:25cloth and resin had been laminated, the forms were pushed back into place. When all the forms
08:32were joined and the fiberglass and resin laminate had cured, the molds were removed
08:37and the accurate fiberglass body form was finished. After being cleaned up and painted,
08:59the fiberglass body form was subjected to wind tunnel tests. The tests confirmed the
09:07car's clean aerodynamic design and proved the effectiveness of the side intake vents,
09:12which are located at high pressure zones in the airstream. Following the wind tunnel tests,
09:22the fiberglass body form was sent to Troutman and Barnes. Complete plans,
09:34specifications, and all component parts accompanied her. Roy Lunn checked every
09:40part with the builders to ensure that everything would function properly.
09:44The body was designed as a semi-unitized construction with the frame, which was now
09:54completed. The aluminum tank was installed, as were the one-piece special seats that were
10:00designed to be an integral part of the body and frame. The remaining body panels were formed under
10:10the watchful eyes of these expert West Coast bodybuilders. And their talented hands and
10:27aluminum into precise and graceful shapes. When finished, each of the aluminum panels
10:54was carefully fitted to the fiberglass body form to ensure accuracy before they
10:59were to be joined and welded to the frame. The completed aluminum body was flown airborne,
11:19where the Mustang was finally assembled. First of the advanced features to be installed in the
11:26car was the adjustable pedal mechanism, providing for varying sizes of drivers. The brake and clutch
11:34master cylinders were mounted on the same unit and connected to the body by flexible hoses.
11:39A one-piece competition windshield was put in place. The large,
11:49easily visible elements were mounted in a padded dash with a built-in grab handle.
11:53To cool the engine, two special radiators were installed. Each was equipped with a
12:13thermostatically controlled fan. And each was placed behind a side intake vent. Including the
12:25seats as a part of the body structure was an idea likely to see application in many kinds of future
12:30production cars. In addition to strengthening the body, it allowed clean, lightweight seat
12:36cushions with built-in headrests that easily could be fixed to the body. And safety belts,
12:42which readily could be made reachable. Special A-frame independent suspensions were designed
12:54for all four wheels. Those in front were equipped with nine-and-a-half-inch disc
12:59brakes adapted from the Ford console manufactured in England. Combined spring
13:07and shock absorber units were installed all around. In the rear, standard nine-inch drums,
13:23also from the English console, were fitted. And a new and unique steering assembly was
13:30designed, which has a rack and pinion steering gear, a flexible shaft, and three inches of
13:41fore-and-aft adjustment. The retractable headlights, spare tire, battery, and gas
13:53tank are up front. Access to both front and rear compartments was provided. Front hinged doors on
14:01either side. Exhausts through the rear, and all necessary lights were provided. And so the car
14:10was ready for testing. The faces of Ford's top executives reflected their surprise and delight
14:27in seeing this Racer put through its paces for the first time. There was good reason for their
14:32interest and pleasure. Advanced features made a lot of sense. They proved completely functional,
14:38added styling appeal, and could be applied to many of the company's future products.
14:43Although advanced features, such as those incorporated in this development, are usually
14:49kept as company secrets for competitive reasons, Ford recognized that this particular research
14:55vehicle, being in sports car configuration, would have wide public appeal. The decision
15:02was made, therefore, to show the car publicly as a candid example of advanced automotive
15:06engineering and styling. An example of the exciting kinds of projects in which Ford automotive
15:12engineers and stylists are engaged. Sterling Moss greeted the crowd at the premier showing
15:20of the Mustang at Watkins Glen, New York, on a leisurely lap before the start of the United's
15:25Grand Prix. Car and Driver magazine was one of the first of the many publications to recognize
15:35the engineering and performance potential of the Mustang, and its technical editor,
15:40Jan Norby, was invited to test the car. Roy Lunn went along to questions.
16:05The other magazines shared Jan's enthusiasm. The Mustang is a V4 for fun. The car is a real
16:19eye-catcher, and the far-out features are all functional. The Mustang is a very serious,
16:26engineering study. Its fresh new appearance, its unique styling, generated immediate interest
16:38wherever it was seen. Here at the University Ammy, the Mustang pulls up in front of the
16:43student union, and is engulfed by students who are seeing the car for the first time.
16:48As everywhere, they are full of questions, want to know all about a car they had only heard about.
17:00The features of the car are explained, starting with the twin exhausts that go through the rear
17:08body shell. The twin engine ventilating grills emit hot air to leave the engine compartment,
17:14and the twin horizontal rear lights that house left and right turn indicators, and stoplights.
17:22The Mustang emblem is also the latch that releases the rear deck lid. Derived from the
17:30new German Ford Taunus 12M engine, this road version has a single carburetor, high-speed cams,
17:3711 to 1 compression ratio, 60-degree V4 block of 92 cubic inches, alternator, twin radiators,
17:51four-speed synchromesh transmission and transaxle, with independent suspension,
17:57and drum brakes. The radiator hoops are located at high-pressure areas on the body. For normal
18:04operation, the cooling is by ram effect. Otherwise, the thermostatically controlled
18:09fans come into play. The cockpit has a complete set of color-coded instruments in its paddash,
18:16including tachometer, oil pressure gauge, ammeter, and water temperature indicator.
18:25The steering wheel has three as three inches of fore and aft adjustment.
18:30The pedals are adjustable, and can be moved back and forth,
18:41forwards by means of an easily accessible handle.
18:44The gearshift lever is located on the central console. It operates four fully synchromesh
18:58forward gears, and one reverse. The handbrake is of the fly-off type. Horn, choke, and directional
19:09signal control are also on the console. The wheels are magnetic and reduce unsprung weight,
19:15and the tires, 550-13s. The spare wheel and tire are up front, where their weight will do the most
19:25good. As are the floor-mounted battery, the rack and pinion steering gear, 13-gallon fuel tank,
19:39with flip cap, and horns on either side. The master brake cylinders are a part of
19:49the movable pedal unit and move with it. For the cleanest possible front entry,
19:57the headlights swing through 180 degrees for night. They'll hide above the road,
20:02go flush for daylight driving. Similarly, the license plate can be flipped down for
20:10normal driving, driving, or folded away for racing. As a car, the Mustang demonstrated
20:29excellent roadability on the closed-circuit road course at Daytona Beach. Its fully
20:34adjustable suspension was responsible for its optimum road handling and road holding characteristics.
20:59On road courses, the car further demonstrated its versatility.
21:18And on the high-speed OVO, it proved capable of impressive performance for a car with piston
21:24displacement of one and a half liters. Here at the Daytona Speedway, Bill Frantz watches
21:37the Mustang go by. Clocked at 120 miles per hour, comfortable 6,100 RPM.
21:54Yes, the Mustang turned out to be the kind of car that dreams are made of. But a dream,
22:09it must remain. For this car was created by engineers and stylists only to prove out the
22:14feasibility and desirability of certain new design features. A number of the advanced
22:21features represented in the Mustang, along with its performance and handling characteristics,
22:25proved out workably well. Although there are no plans to bring the car into production,
22:31you undoubtedly will see some of its features incorporated in other cars we do bring into
22:36the market. That was the purpose of the Mustang project, a pioneering experimental
22:43development by Ford engineers and stylists.