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Ford Vedette
[[File:Ford Vedette Coupé 1950|frameless|upright=1.25|alt=]]
Manufacturer Ford SAF
Also called Ford Vendôme
Production 1948–1954
Class Large car
Body style(s) 4-door hatchback
4-door saloon
4-door landaulet
5-door estate
2-door coupé
2-door cabriolet
Layout FR layout
Engine(s) 2.2 L Aquillon V8
3.9 L Mistral V8[1]
Transmission(s) 3-speed manual[1]
Wheelbase 2,690 mm (106 in)[2]
Length 4,500 mm (180 in)[2]
till 1952
4,670 mm (184 in)[3]
from 1952
Width 1,720 mm (68 in)[2]
Height 1,570 mm (62 in)[2]
Curb weight 1,180 kg (2,600 lb)[2]
Related Ford Comete
Simca Vedette
Simca Ariane
Chrysler Esplanada
1951 Ford Vedette Fordor Sedan CRB178

Ford Vedette Sedan 1950

1958 Ford Vedette ABXC Chambord EAB529

Ford Vedette ABXC Chambord 1958

The Ford Vedette is a large car manufactured by Ford France SA in their factory in Poissy from 1948-1954. Introduced at the 1948 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris, it was designed entirely in Detroit (resembling contemporary Mercury models), but featured the Poissy-made 2158 cc Aquillon sidevalve V8 engine of Ford's Flathead engine family, the same as in pre-war Matford cars.[1][4] It was and would for at least six years remain the only French car with a V8 engine.[3] Importantly, the Vedette was the first car to feature the new independent front suspension concept developed by Earle S. MacPherson, known today as MacPherson struts.[5]

Uneasy beginnings[]

Due to the fact that the Poissy factory could not resume complete automobile production immediately after World War II, many vital components had still to be made by various subcontractors, which reportedly had an adverse effect on the quality of the car and contributed to its limited popularity.[6] Over the six years in production, the Vedette was available in several body styles, ranging from the original four-door fastback (with rear suicide doors) through the later four-door saloon, a Sunliner two-door landaulet based on the saloon (with a roll-down roof over the entire cabin), a two-door Coupé and, based on it, the Cabriolet Décapotable (a two-door convertible).[4][7]

Enter Mr. Lehideux[]

Under the direction of the new company president, Mr. François Lehideux, Ford France refreshed the car for 1950, and again in 1952, when the car finally received a one-piece windscreen, new interior and bumpers, better brakes, lengthened rear overhang and trunk - and a cigarette lighter. The 1953 October Mondial de l'Automobile also saw a luxury version of the Vedette, the Ford Vendôme, fitted with the bigger 3923 cc Mistral V8 engine, previously used in Ford France trucks. Also debuting in 1953 was the five-door, five-seat Abeille (French for "bee") estate with a two-piece tailgate, advertised as both practical (with a payload of 500 kg (1,100 lb)) and comfortable.[1][6][7][8]

Enter Mr. Pigozzi[]

Facing unsatisfactory sales results, as well as disruptive strikes at the Poissy plant at the turn of the decade, Ford had been trying to dispose of the factory since shortly after the end of the war. An opportunity arose in 1954, when Henri-Theodore Pigozzi, the founder of the increasingly successful French automaker Simca, was looking for a new plant to expand its operations. Ford France was merged into Simca with both the Poissy plant and the rights to all models manufactured there — including a newly-designed new Vedette. The new car had debuted already in France under the name of Simca Vedette, but was sold as the Ford Vedette in some markets (including Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany) at least until 1956.[1][6][8][9]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Ford Vedette". Ford Oldtimer und Motorsport Club Cologne. Retrieved on 2006-08-16. (German)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Free Car Brochures". Ford Vedette 1951 (Dutch brochure). Retrieved on 2006-08-16. (Dutch) (technical data for 1951 Dutch-market saloon model)
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Automobilia", Toutes les voitures françaises 1953 (salon Paris oct 1952) (Paris: Histoire & collections) Nr. 14: Page 30. 2000. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Ford Vedette 1951". Phil Seed's Virtual Car museum. Retrieved on 2006-08-16.
  5. "4Car 100 Greatest Innovations". Retrieved on 2006-08-16.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Ford SAF". Ford Oldtimer und Motorsport Club Cologne. Retrieved on 2006-08-16. (German)
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Ford Vedette 1953-1954". Phil Seed's Virtual Car museum. Retrieved on 2006-08-16.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "SIMCA VEDETTE and SIMCA ARIANE". Simca Talbot Information Centre — Simca Club UK. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
  9. "Vedette (1955-1961)". Phil Seed's Virtual Car museum. Retrieved on 2006-08-13.

External links[]

Smallwikipedialogo This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Ford Vedette. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia


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