I have always loved this car.. there was a guy years and years ago that was cloning futuras using 55 fords or something. They were going for like 100k. If I had the dough I would definitely drive that! probably the same guy mentioned earlier? I swear Ive seen big models of the mystere. Couldn't you scan one of those in 3d? It would help to get the proportions right etc. and you could scale it up.
Mystere models? never ever heared of one but if you come across it again, do post back. Luckily theres enough information in the pics to make a pretty decent 3d model from them, theres ways to calculate things from photos to 3d. there was a mystere clay model made but im sure that would have been destroyed. For the lincoln futura you can just modify batmobile bodies which is what Jay ohberg did. non of the lincoln models would be accurate as there were never any taken directly from the futura in its original form.
I know the Light Green one with the blacked out windows is a 1/8th scale.. I have the photo here sent to me from the maker.. that was the beginning of the Modern large scale Futura.. that one sold for 1000.00 just as pictured.. this is a neat thread..
Can you clarify that message? the green one with the blacked out windows. when you say modern large scale futura which one do you mean? the white high detail model one or marty martinos? EDIT Found this closeup of the museum one says is 1/10 EDIT2 found more pics of the blacked out window one. the last bit of futura window with it.
I haven't seen any of the original manufacturer's models. The 3/8ths scale ones were huge. The modern models, especially the 1/10 scale ones look great. There was an exhibitor at the auctions in Monterey about 10, maybe 15 years ago that was making and selling them. I forget who it was now, but he was taking commissions for just about any make/model. I think this Le Sabre model was one of his, but I didn't think to ask its owner the maker's name (I wasn't about to touch it, clearly very high quality): As far as the Ford models go, I think most of the 3/8ths models shown so far were before the "Stylerama" models of 1956. The Farrells wrote a lengthy topic for Hemmings (maybe it's in their book?) at http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2005/11/01/hmn_feature7.html In it they discuss the fate of the models: The Ford Styling Center later built a few of the Stylerama proposals as full-sized clay or fiberglass concept models, but none reached production, and a few of the 3/8-sized models were shown at events over the next several years. Designer Jim Power's Nucleon and Volante are the only Stylerama 3/8-sized models known to still exist. They were donated to the Henry Ford Museum in the 1980s, where they can be found today.
Its funny that I found that hemmings post lastnight just before you posted it. The saturn & scorpian are 2 new ones for the gallery. some quotes from a conversation with a guy I know re styling models. Most of the surviving Ford styling models are owned by one clay modeler from that era. Most are clay not resin so they are kept in humidified display cases in his home. The others were generally recycled. The clay was reusable. The pieces I own are fiberglass, but they did far more out of clay. Jim Powers a ford designer who lives in California has the biggest collection of these. He is reclusive and has a huge car and car design collection Many of the styling models 1?8th you seek were stolen from a Ford modelers home about three years ago. He was a tecnical stylist that did full size mock ups and clay and fiberglass models. They exist but are stolen and will not surface again for years.
Do you know which Ford models survived and which ones were stolen? Being one-of-ones, it won't be too hard to spot them. Even if you have just the names of the models, I'm sure there are photos of the actual models while at Ford. Unfortunately, whoever has them (how many?) probably won't take as good care of them as the original builder. Let us know so more eyes can be on the lookout for them when they do show up. I've seen the Powers collection and it doesn't include any of the 3/8ths scale models and the very few smaller scale models were ones he had personally made at Ford or Fisher Body Craftsman Guild models. His diecast collection, though, is in the 1000's. A beautiful place and a very generous man! Alex had a collection of his own models, and only one small 12" long Ford Gyron body. ALL but five of them are missing. Someone had visited his widow, Chrissie, and relieved her of all of her husband's models. This happened in 1998. We've been looking for them ever since. Some missing 35mm slides of his showed up on Ebay last year with a $700 price tag on them. The seller claimed he got them from a storage locker auction, but was very sketchy about them. He was in Hew Hampshire. They didn't sell. None of Alex's models were historically significant in that they were more his own personal design ideas, not ones that shaped automotive history, but they were still wonderful to look at and they were a part of his legacy. Here's a few from his patio in Ventura: The white/gold one at the far end of the styling bridge is safe with one of Chrissie's relatives. The others are all missing...
The original conversation which was a while ago now, the guys called Dave Collins btw was me trying to determine how ford disposed of their styling models, so I could perhaps figure out the fate of the mystere and fx-atmos. (if they had gone to scrap yars like the bortz gm stuff so i could go down that route) this was before I read bill boyer say they were destroyed. he thought I was talking about the small models hence the first quote, said he knew designers from the era (Bill Michalak, Wayne Kady, Howard Payne, Carl Cameron, now deceased, John Perkinsas) he collected concept art. To keep the conversation going I said I only knew of two in museums the nucleon & the small futura. I said id be interested in knowing what happened to the la tosca and the seattl-ite, and that id just discovered more, the cougar, the taj mahal,centaur, vulcano. Suggested maybe he could ask this Jim powers, he said Jim is impossible to get a hold of. & Many of the styling models 1?8th you seek were stolen from a Ford modelers home about three years ago, never said which one. I didnt bug him for details. He had to sell all of his concept art recently to pay for his wifes cancer treatment so I dont bring it up, maybe in the future I`ll find out more but its not a top priority. I consider myself lucky to have even got that information & to know such a person. You obviously seem to know more than me, everyone seems to know everyone else I assume from meet ups concept art displays, I dont have the luxury to mingle.
the 3/8s versions are heavy.. I know the one I have weighs in at about 85 lbs.. more than anything. its awkward to move..
Here's the 3/8th scale X-1000 (fiberglass?) in front of the full size X-1000 (clay). From the Advanced Styling Showroom around Christmas, 1955...
wow I didnt know they built a full size x-1000 clay. guess its fair to assume then that there were full size clays of all of them? la tosca, X-2000 et all. heres a design I quite love just because you can see the many ideas that would go on to feature on other concepts. theres a little bit of fx-atmos in the spikes and base of the fins, a little x-1000 in the rocket like projectiles on the fins. http://public.fotki.com/mrjynx/ford/ford-concept-art/mgmkkgrhqvl8ez2n8tg.html#media
Thanks to this thread, while looking for Ford photos, a light suddenly flashed as to why Alex had kept some of these photos. Apparently he was to give a tour of the Advanced Styling Studio to Henry Ford II and the Product Planning Committee in January 1956. He had photos taken of the various exhibits that match up with his proposed tour and he also kept the memo that he sent around prior to the tour. It's the next best thing to stepping into a time machine. I'll be adding in more pics where they belong, but here's the first cut: http://www.gyronautx1.com/live-updates.html This one was also dated 12-21-1955: Tremulis flanked by George Walker and someone who looks like it could be Robert McNamara(?):
Are there any Designers around still from back in the day? From what I read.. the ones that did the one I have are Long gone..
It all depends on which one you have. Any pics? I'm sure there are people here with a lot more info about whichever model it is. There are plenty of designers still around from the 1950's, but very few kept with designing automobiles for their entire career. Auto styling was very stressful and you had to have thick skin. Alex would say you never knew who did a successful design because everyone would lay claim to it. But with a bad design, you knew who did it because everyone else would usually point to just one guy. He received his share of finger pointing...
I have this one.. its Not a Ford.. But I thought I read somewhere that Ford Bought Willys From Brazil... Maybe Im wrong on that info..
If that's plaster, it's gotta be heavy! Do you know who designed it? Now if there's a Mystere, La Tosca, or Futura model around, you could 3D scan it, splice it together, then print it and reassamble it in ABS plastic. You could also do that with yours if you wanted to copy it and make some pretty amazing one-offs. It's easy to scale it down so it wouldn't take up so much space, weight, cost of materials, etc... Or up, and drive around in it. Either way, that's quite a showpiece!
I was Told Howard (Dutch) Darrin Designed it.. who knows ? it is Plaster.. its heavy.. who does 3D images as your mentioning? That would be something to consider for sure..
Did you have these pics already mrjinx? http://www.allfordmustangs.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/17742
The mustang clays? I laid out the rule that ideally my gallery was going to be 49 to 59. with the exception of a few like the 64 thunderbird as it was about 50s styling, not the 60s reserved "boxy" styling that was totally the opposite of the all out 50s styling. If that was the intended link. But hey thanks for thinking about me, its not often people even recommend shit.
Love all the info. This link is for an ebay auction but has a pic that I have never seen before of a Futura model.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/You-can-bui...970?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eacdc2c12
Ive seen those middle two pics of the last attachment before. Im pretty sure those were concepts for the 63 Impala`s.
No offence but if you just want to post concept car stuff in general, could you do it in this thread? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=379801&page=11 so this doesnt get too off topic. I know I brought up the futura but that was just to see if there was anything unseen he had access to. everything else futura related you can find there also. http://1966batvehicles.yuku.com/forums/3/The-1955-Lincoln-Futura EDIT I want back and deleted a lot of my own OT posts to try keep it on track.
One more that I'm surprised that no-one has posted yet. Dave Grainger from the Guild of Automotive Builders in Bradford Ontario had this experimental for quite a few years in his possession... Here's a link to the story page.... http://www.guildclassiccars.com/55concept.html
This is a thread about the ford mystere and building or locating concepts, please post other cars in http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=379801&page=11 I fear if it ends up full of ot stuff it will get locked.
A friend of mine worked there when they restored this...said it was quite the project for a non running car!
http://public.fotki.com/mrjynx/ford/mystere/ uploaded more mystere pics and articles to get back on topic.
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