The year was 1949. After years of wartime sacrifice and sameness in durable goods, postwar America was ready for an automotive design revolution. The '49 Ford - with radically new 'slab sides', integrated body and fenders, independent front suspension and rear quarter windows that opened - served as a symbol of optimism for the future.
To create the all-new concept Forty-Nine, Ford designers went back to the car's roots - simple shapes, clean body panels and modern conveniences. Clean, simple, design cues are conveyed in the rounded high intensity discharge (HID) and projector-beam front lighting. In the rear, sleek, narrow, wrap-around LED tail lamps make a distinctive statement.
The interior also is a modern interpretation of the original car's simple design cues. A cantilevered, bench-style front seat is power-actuated. A floating center console runs the entire length of the interior, giving the impression of four-passenger bucket seating, while also serving to stiffen the vehicle's structure. The floating console houses the five-speed shift lever and ventilation for both front and rear seat passengers. The car's primary gauges are contained within a single round instrument binnacle - similar to the production '49 and hot rods of the era. The analog tachometer takes center stage and is surrounded by the electronic speedometer. Audio and climate controls are presented in a flip-out panel located in the instrument panel, just ahead of the shifter. Their respective readouts, along with temperature, oil and fuel gauges, are displayed on either side of the centrally mounted clock, at the base of the windshield. The audio system features a multi-disc CD changer and a strategically placed speaker network, anchored by a massive sub-woofer, all driven by a 200-watt power amplifier.
The design under the hood is an obvious extension of the exterior design philosophy and the interior theme and homage to hot-rodders' obsession with performance and appearance. The engine bay is finished in satin black, stainless and chrome metal finishes throughout. The radiator and its associated structure have been re-oriented to take full advantage of the design opportunities on the engine itself. The intake manifolds are finished in satin metal and valve covers in gloss black and accented with polished stainless steel. Filtered interior air inlets are located at the trailing edge of the front wheel opening, and dual stainless steel exhausts penetrate the rear bumper fascia.
