Guide: Ford FX-Atmos
Background
For several years following the end of World War 2, American design was at the cutting edge of automotive styling. Space age creations from the United States began to heavily influence top European coachbuilders and, for a brief period, futuristic features started to appear on vehicles from even the most conservative auto makers.
Some of the wildest concepts came out of Ford’s Dearborn studio. From here, a series of dream cars were built to explore potential styling routes. These machines generated considerable publicity and also helped Ford shed its rather old-fashioned image.
At Chicago’s Motor Show in March 1954 the wraps came off the legendary FX-Atmos.
FX stood for Future Experimental and, although it had little production potential, the car caused a major stir.
Chassis / Engine
The FX-Atmos was built on a custom chassis with a 105-inch wheelbase. Thanks to generous front and rear overhangs, total length was 221 inches (over 5.6 metres).
As a non-running push-mobile, there was no provision for a powertrain. However, Ford promoted the idea such a vehicle might use nuclear-power for its mid-mounted engine.
Bodywork / Interior
The bodywork was painted pearlescent white with metallic red, silver and bright metal accents. It mixed influences from jets, rockets and UFOs and was fabricated from glass-reinforced-plastic.
The flanks comprised two full length pontoons which, at the front, featured ramjet-style headlight pods.
Instead of conventional headlights, the FX-Atmos was equipped with radar antennas. These fed road information back to a dash-mounted ‘Roadarscope’ that was located behind aviation-style handgrips for the driver.
At the rear, the pontoons were given aileron fins and tail lights that glowed red to simulate rocket exhausts. The actual exhausts were housed in a central outlet.
Despite its substantial length, the FX-Atmos was not a full four-seater. Instead, it adopted the same 1+2 seating arrangement later used for the McLaren F1.
The cockpit was covered with a panoramic three-piece dome, but passenger access was clearly not a priority for the stylists.
Only one example was ever manufactured which Ford retained.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ford - https://www.ford.com
