This Ford concept car appears in the 1966 book Automobiles of the Future by Irwin Stambler. The description of the vehicle appears below.
"Exotic engines of tomorrow may provide the power for a sports car such as this, which could be mass-produced while keeping the appearance of a racing car."
Though Tremulis didn't design the 1956 DePaolo 3/8-scale model, another of Tremulis's designs (the DePalma) inspired Buzz Grisinger to submit the DePaolo design for Ford's Stylerama program. Named for Peter DePaolo, Indy 500 winner and, later, Ford racing coordinator, the design – which looks to borrow much from contemporary Bonneville streamliners and "represent an inversion of the form most typical of American automotive styling," according to the Farrells – eventually became the catalyst for Robert McNamara's interchangeability program, which aimed to reduce costs by creating standard body panels across the Ford, Mercury, and Edsel model lines.
The Farrells credit Tremulis with several other concept cars, including the DePalma and X-1000, the 1954 Mexico, the 1954 Taj Mahal, the 1955 Madam X, the 1956 999 dragsters, the late 1950s Wind Brake Car, the 1956 Scorpion, and the 1961 Astrion. He would find his own consulting and design firm after leaving Ford.
Source: www.paleofuture.com; Daniel Strohl - blog.hemmings.com
Images: Ford
