Re: Backsliding

[farna@xxxxxxx]

You're correct John, that's NOt what I'm referring to! If this is so obscure you don't recall, I may as well tip the beans! 

My slightly fuzzy memory doesn't recall the designers name, but an independent designer showed George Mason a small car design circa 1948 (or so). Mason told him he'd get back with him. Well, the designer thought enough time had passed without hearing from Nash, so he showed the design to Ford. I don't recall if Ford made a deal right there or just didn't wait long, but got back with the designer before Nash did! Mason found out the hard way -- he saw a preview of the new 1950 Ford, and realized it looked like what he intended the new (and smaller) 1950 Rambler to look like! He was hopping mad and called the designer, and discovered what had happened. So the Rambler has no "bullet" nose and got some last minute restyling. Don't know what old George was thinking, maybe he intended to "borrow" some ideas and not pay the man? Or just negotiate piece-meal payment for ideas used? At any rate, he sat on the ball to long! Look at a 1950 "shoebox" Ford and the 1950 Rambler and you c!
 an see a resemblence. 

The "American Spirit" was a (slightly obscure, overshadowed by Breedlove's later attempts in rocket and jet cars) land speed record attempt by Breedlove with AMC as a sponsor. They broke the Class B record by going 407 mph with a sleeved 390 block. I made a post that got lost, apaprently, will have to retype the particulars and try again! This was in a three wheeled car that Breedlove built. The forward fuselage was later used for the jet powered "Spirit of America".


On December 1, 2005 Mahoney, John wrote:
>>
Now if you'd said how the 50 Ford and 50 Rambler were
almost the same car, I'd have had an answer for you!
<<

How was what George Romney called "the car of the future" when he first viewed
one in the late 1940s --- a new Nash that weighed (despite sheet metal
sheathing its wheels) as little as 2430 pounds (2006 Toyota Prius weighs 2890)
--- related to Ford?  Well, it was a Rambler, not Diplomat, and the Dodge
brothers, having taken stock in lieu of the $5,000 a cash- strapped Henry
couldn't afford to pay them, once owned 10% of Ford (and their stock was not
sold until after WWI...), so that's a "Six Degrees of Some Sort of Separation," 
unless Frank referred to the "America's First Compact Car" claim that Nash
could make because Ford couldn't.

<SNIP>

If "'Spirit of America' runs" means AMC-prepped-by-Traco-and-Breedlove- team,
Craig's fastest speed in an AMX (in Class B) was a 75-mile flying start of
174.295.  (Using that term more precisely, one would mean -jet propulsion- and, 
ahem, considerably higher speeds...)  


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