Yahoo Autos These Were Ford's Best Concepts Of The 1990s and 2000s
Much like it was for Chrysler, the late 20th century into new millennium was an inventive time for Ford design. Not every idea knocked it out of the park, mind you — this was the Ovoid Taurus era, after all — but at least the automaker wasn’t afraid of taking risks. That ultimately led to design victories, like the New Edge series. Today we’re paying tribute to Dearborn’s most daring show cars that kept the spirit of the concept car alive throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
10. Ford Mustang Mach III (1993)
Long before the Mustang Mach-E came the Mach III, a strange roadster that looked unlike any pony car before or certainly ever since. Ford design was fighting two extremes heading into the mid-’90s: the aggressive compulsion to turn everything into a bar of soap, and the New Edge motif that ultimately won out, with its prominent cutlines and triangular motif. The Mach III is certainly more Taurus than GT90, but it still looks relatively lean and purposeful in profile. It’s almost like a Viper RT/10 crossed with a ’Stang, which is probably why I’m such a fan.
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9. Ford Forty-Nine (2001)
Plenty of ’50s revival concepts have fallen flat over the years, but Chip Foose’s Forty-Nine, which debuted in 2001 at the Detroit Auto Show, paid homage to the past while still keeping modern with a simple, timeless elegance. Like the Ford Thunderbird, the Forty-Nine was said to feature one of Jaguar’s AJ-V8s under the hood — though the coupe couldn’t actually run. That can be forgiven though, as the Forty-Nine made a statement enough standing still. The rear-quarter angle is easily my favorite on this car; the way the canopy melts into the rear deck, Foose’s clever incorporation of the taillamps into the wraparound cutline and of course those wheel spats conspire for a sinister-but-chill-about-it look that’s aged stunningly.
8. Mercury Messenger (2003)
There’s nothing to critique about the Messenger, a Mercury concept from 20 years ago that flirted with giving the brand a true enthusiast flagship. The Messenger merged Ford’s 4.6-liter Modular V8 with classic front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports coupe proportions, and wheels pushed as far to the corners as possible. Had Ford gone through with it, the automaker might’ve had a real competitor to the Chrysler Crossfire with unquestionably better styling and two more cylinders — a certain point of credibility for any American fastback.
7. Ford Mustang GT Concept (2003)
Try, if you’re able, to put the image of the S197 Mustang and all the baggage it may entail out of your mind and focus on this, the Mustang GT Concept. If you were around for its reveal 20 years ago, it was revelatory. The 2003 show car demonstrated a path forward for Ford’s tried-and-true flagship that was hip and forward-looking while still offering a nod to history. Ford’s designers always were the best at that, and the Mustang GT was them at the top of their game, moving away from the fourth-gen’s aged and forgettable look (pre- or post-facelift, it doesn’t matter) for something unique to the original pony car.
The eventual production version wasn’t quite as aggressive of course, and the rear styling and taillight design was an unquestionable step down, but all told Ford executed a solid conversion bringing this concept to the road. Also, the logo for this thing, visible on the license plate in the pic above, was excellent, and I’d be remiss not to point out that the ’03 show car was a standout star of Sega GT Online.
6. Ford 021C (1999)
Australian industrial designer Marc Newson was behind the Ford 021C, a concept that bowed at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show and garnered mixed reactions. Critics took issue with the show car’s simplicity and unseriousness, while fans likened it to Apple’s products; this was the age of the Bondi Blue iMac G3, after all. I happen to adore the translucent iMac, so you could say I’m a little biased. Thankfully, automotive journalists have warmed up to Newson’s vision in the decades since, and recognize it today as the masterstroke of fun, positive, anti-aggressive motoring the industry has always desperately lacked.
