Ford ruined the Focus

At its inception, it looked good, distinctive. Now it looks like every other Jap mobile. They'll probably all come in silver too....

Reply to
Rich
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Not their first screwup. Just look what they did to the Edsel! LOL

Reply to
D E Willson

For quite a while it has looked like all the major manufacturers use the same design studio. It's like the difference between Pontiac and Chevrolet, Ford and Mercury, etc. Essentially the same cars with some minor tweaks.

It's what I love about driving my 65 Fastback. Even people driving the late model Mustangs honk, wave, thumbs up, etc. They may have the new version, but they recognize the ride that theirs copied.

Reply to
D E Willson

Me too... nothing like driving a classic vehicle with character and having people tip their hat to you... I remember a few years back a young boy of Indian descent looked out the window of his family's car and asked me what I was driving, when I replied a "Mustang" it was like magic to the kid's ears as well as his eyes and as I drove off he ducked in and I heard him tell his father "I'm going to drive a car like that" might be another few years until he can but probably converted another youngster to stanger!'

As for the Focus, I remember it started out like a 'Jetta' styled coupe and could have been a real contender if Ford had cheapened out the interior - I test drove one around 2001 I think it was and was appalled at the bland interior, got a Ford Escape instead.

Today's Focus... albeit the ones with the alloy rims and smoked headlight casings actually do look quite sharp, especially in silver... it's the plain-Jane secretary models that continue to disappoint, but hey, not everyone can afford a GT.

Styling-wise, almost every manufacturer except Ford [now the Focus hatch is gone] continues to carve their little hatch-coupes from the same boring shape... Mazda, Toyota, Saturn, Hyundai, they all have virtually identical, insipid-looking wedges... and good riddance, I love to breeze by in the '65 coupe... ah, I sure wish it was summer again!

Reply to
andrew

I love it. Daughter just picked up a 2008 Focus, a perfect car for her. The

2012 redesign makes her 2008 look dated and appears to out-Mazda Mazda. It's flawless. Make mine a four door in Yellow Blaze, please!

Ford's going to sell a million of them.

dwight

Reply to
dwight

SNIP

SNIP

Of course, we must also remember that the original Mustang was definitely NOT a sports car. As Ford put it, it was a 6 cyl Falcon with an updated body and just right for secretaries to run around doing errands like getting the dry cleaning for their bosses. It was the crazies who turned it into the icon it remains today.

Reply to
D E Willson

Actually, I think the Mustang broke the mold there... compare the '64 Falcon design to the '64 Mustang design and the Mustang is superior in styling, curves, fit... Mustang's bumpers wrap into the shape of the body and fit the flow of the design rather than look like guardrails bolted to the bottom lip and ass end. People salivated over the design of the car like no other before and few since, much of that certainly due to Ford's marketing. But the car was definitely significantly different.

I think people who bought the 6 cylinders may have been underwhelmed by the performance, but that's to be expected, and that's why you buy the

8 cylinder as I did in '92 and again in '96. My '65 is a straight 6 but I still manage to get myself intro trouble ;-) And now I want to put a late-model 8-cylinder into it so I can continue to enjoy it even more.

Styling-wise, the Mustang was a refreshing break from the bland boxes that ruled the day, and continues to turn heads everywhere. They continued to kick ass in '67 and again in '69 with designs that simply crushed most of the other carmakers.

Could you image buying a '66 fastback, brand new, only to see the new '67 come out just a few months later?! Same with the '68, and then have the '69 Mach 1 come out?

The only thing close to this, for me, being a later Mustanger... was Ford of Canada's launch of the '94 in Oakville. They had 3 GT coupes and the local club members in groups of three for a scream around the parking lot. You couldn't wipe the smiles off our faces for days. Would have been the same for the '04 'cept the concept car they had been dragging around the shows had already let most of the cats out of the bag so to speak.

When I drive around I see people lock their eyes onto the car - not just a hey, look, a classic car, that guy's an idiot for driving that in zero temp [celsius] weather. But they continue to look only because the design interests them like few others, it's not just an old car, it's a Mustang.

Andrew

Reply to
andrew

Instead of going through the momumental task of changing a '65 from I6 to V8, why not simply get more power out of the the six? While not really all that feasible in years past, the new aftermarket cylinder head makes it a reality today. Goto

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Classicinlines sells the head. Here's a recently done '69:
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The head and intake look good in the plain aluminium, he just decided topaint his ford blue. Lot's more examples in the forums and on theclassic inlines site. With this route you'll make the car lighter instead of heavier so you won't need to change springs and the rest of the suspension... 5 lug set ups, etc and so forth.. well at least until you want upgrade the handling, but it still won't be as difficult a job.

Reply to
Brent

Hi Brent,

Thanks for your input - what I want to do is have a modern EFI engine which means less maintenance, and the upgraded suspension of a V8, but more importantly, the V8 burble from the tailpipes! :-)

Thanks!

Andrew

Reply to
andrew

The classic inlines head and intake supports fuel injection. Your choice of injectors in the head or throttle body injection. Some have already done it and they are working on a kit form of it as I understand it.

Reply to
Brent

correction underlined.

Reply to
Brent

My '65 FB (bought in 1970) was a C Code C4 drums power steering and it ran great.

I bought this 65 FB in 2002. It's an original straight from the San Jose assembly line A Code C4, dual exhaust, front disc/rear drum, manual steering (a beast to park!)

I sold my 66 FB in order to purchase my present 65 FB. The one thing I see as being missed in the 67 and later was the larger engine bay. Boy did I know the difference with my 1972 Sprint coupe which I bought in 1974. And then came the gas crunch!

The 289/302 has plenty of power for me. It's dependable, and it's economical. Well, with the 4-bbl, it's ecomical when I keep my foot out of it! LOL

Turkey day I was stopped at a light when a car pulled up on my left. I glanced over and this child had his face mashed against the window as he stared in wide eyed amazement

Reply to
D E Willson

Actually, back in the 60s, hotrodders were doing all kinds of things to 6 cyl cars, and they raced them. Primarily it's because they "inherited" the 6 cyl car from the family, and they couldn't afford jumping up to an 8 cyl.

Today, you go to the drag strip and you see the BIG blocks, but there is a rising tide of smaller, including 4 cyls. Why? Because a good share of the challenge for many in racing has been the mechanics of getting more out of less.

Reply to
D E Willson

the sound? Mine comes from a) the cam, and b) the exhaust system. A nice sedate, unobtrusive little rumble which increased horses, but doesn't kill my neighbors when I start it in the middle of the night.

I have a neighbor across the street who has his machines in the killer decibel zone.

Reply to
D E Willson

yes, but ford making the one piece head and log manifold made things difficult and ultimately limited what could be achieved.

Reply to
Brent

"dwight" wrote in news:ictp45$7c6$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Yes, ape Mazda, the also-ran of Japland.

Reply to
Rich

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