All Entries Tagged With: "Henry Ford"
US Car Culture
Henry Ford with Tin Lizzie.
IN the beginning, it was all so simple.
When Henry Ford introduced the Model T, he said that a customer could have a car in any color he wanted, so long as it was black. His assembly line concept made it more efficient and less expensive to build a car. In so doing, Ford made the dream of owning a car a reality for the masses.
And so began our love affair with the automobile.
In chapter two, the Baby Boomers became the first generation of teenagers with enough income to afford their own cars. And these cars were much more than transportation. They were a reflection of a lifestyle. The ability to tune and modify their cars made these vehicles a reflection of their owners’ personalities.
Today, not only are there more choices than ever dotting our automotive landscape, but cars can be customized right on the assembly line. That’s not to say that the customization ends there, but it is certainly evidence that people still use their cars as a means of expression.
Want a humidor built into your glove box? Rolls-Royce will be happy to indulge you.
Seatbelts dyed to match your yellow brake calipers? Porsche can make it happen.
Bang & Olufsen speakers that rise out of the dash for a command performance? Audi says “Encore!”
A car painted to match your wife’s favorite nail polish? Bentley will happily oblige.
Doorsill logos that light up to show your guests what they’re about to experience? Mercedes has you covered. So do BMW and Lexus.
And while all this variance would have Henry Ford rolling in his grave thinking about the efficiencies lost in the production process, the reality is that today’s sophisticated customers expect it. That’s not to say that every customer lays down the big bucks for these options.
But then again, that’s making a statement too, isn’t it?
Just as people in different parts of the United States have different mentalities, accents and attitudes, there are cultural differences that extend all the way down to the automobile.
In sunny California, tinted windows and custom rims are de rigueur while motorists in the frosty northeast prefer all-wheel-drive. And aging Floridians can’t get enough of white sedans with beige interior.
But car culture isn’t just the options one chooses at the dealership. It’s how the automobile is celebrated.
In California, looks count. Case in point: the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Every August, collectors and enthusiasts gather to admire classic cars that have been painstakingly prepared and proudly displayed on the 18th hole to be judged on originality, authenticity, and preservation or restoration. Coincidently, many Californians judge one another based on merits of preservation or restoration.
At the other end of the spectrum is the Indianapolis 500. Echoing the timeless values embraced by its Midwestern home, this race has changed little since it was first run in 1911. Each Memorial Day this track plays host to dozens of teams with a time-honored goal: balance speed with endurance and be the first to complete two hundred laps of the famed oval track.
If the Concours is the automotive equivalent of the Miss America Pageant, then the Indy 500 is a heavyweight prizefight. One is a contest of beauty — the other, brawn. And the events themselves have flavors as different as Chardonnay and Bud Light, while participants fiercely compete for the title of Best in Class.
But that’s the beauty of America’s car culture: there’s something for everyone.
Supercar Forgotten: The De Tomaso Pantera
By Christopher P. Davis
AS I was scrolling through my iPhoto library today, I came across a few pictures of a De Tomaso Pantera that I had taken during a recent trip to Maine.
The owner of the super car, a good friend of mine who also happens to be the innkeeper of the inn my family has stayed at in Maine for more than two decades. Naturally, he obliged when I asked him if I might take a few shots of his car.
The De Tomaso-Ford Partnership was born out of the desire of the Ford Motor Company to have a high performance Italian automaker. Having been summarily dismissed by Ferrari, they set their sights on De Tomaso. De Tomaso, at the time had stakes in Ghia and Vignale, thus giving Ford even more reason to buy into De Tomaso.
The model that originally peaked Henry Ford, II’s attention was the De Tomaso Mangusta. However the model that was built under the partnership was the Pantera.
The Pantera was the first car to be built by De Tomaso using the uni-body technique. Although the styling of the Pantera was on par with the Lamborghini Miura, and the Ford sourced V8 sent the beast from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds according to Car & Driver.
While strong in the visuals and power, the Pantera was lacking in over build quality.
For many owners De Tomasos were as problematic as Nader claimed the Corvair was. This was epitomized when Elvis Presley reportedly shot his Pantera after it neglected to start.
Many examples of the Pantera have been unfortunately bastardized by Bondo, due to the poor build quality. However this was not the case for the Pantera I photographed in Maine this past fall.
Speaking with my friend, the owner, I found out that his car was a true barn find – coming from a chicken coupe on a farm in Maine. Miraculously even though the Pantera’s were not rust proofed, the car held up.
The only alterations he had to make to the car was an engine tune-up, full re-painting of the car, and of course new tires.
The Pantera was designed, engineered and did go toe-to-toe with the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the time. Fact is, a 70’s Lamborghinis can command upwards of $400,000. A Pantera, asks for just $50,000 – something for any aspiring Italian collector to seriously consider.
When I look back at the Pantera, I feel that De Tomaso and Ford deserve great praise for putting an effort in to creating a supercar and can only wonder what wonders would have been created if importation wasn’t halted in 1975.
While some say the 70′s Oil Crisis put a damper on Pantera sales Stateside, had Ford only considered bringing it back in the 80′s, the Italo-American would have fit in like a glove in that most decadent of decades.
[Linked: De Tomaso | Harraseeket Inn]
