Ahead of the future - Ford Aurora 50 years ago
07/17/2013
Even today, it still seems futuristic what the Ford designers presented at the New York World's Fair almost 50 years ago: a station wagon or estate packed with visionary elements and technologies called the Ford Aurora.
It was described in Automobil Revue No. 21/1964 as a "highly comfortable long-distance touring vehicle of impressive dimensions" and with a length of 5.78 meters and a width of 2.01 meters, the concept vehicle also went beyond conventional ideas of size.
The driver and front passenger sat on voluminous armchairs, steering was via a stub steering wheel that achieved full wheel lock with half a turn and had a variable gear ratio.
Behind the driver was a comfortable, rounded three-person sofa, which not only offered plenty of space, but also good entertainment on long journeys thanks to the built-in television. There was also space for children at the very back.
Innovative ideas were implemented in the lighting system. Instead of conventional headlights, a chain of 12 individual lamps provided the kind of adaptive light output that LED lighting systems promise today.
The designers and engineers around Gene Bordinat had built everything into the car that they considered useful for greater travel comfort, such as air conditioning, a refrigerator for drinks and an early computer with punch card control.
Putting all this into a station wagon required a lot of courage, because at that time station wagons were primarily used by craftsmen and were not lifestyle vehicles as they are today.
The pictures can of course be found in the Zwischengas archive .
