OCR Text |
Show From the road up, 1957 Fords are a complete departure from previous models. They will be unveiled by Ford dealers in 19 body styles, of which this is the four door Victoria, a member of the new "Fairlane 500" series. Fairlane models are nine inches longer and four inches lower than their 1956 counterparts. Though the new models are lower, interior headroom is as great as last year, since the car's chassis and floor are re-designed for a lower center of gravity. Ford Motor Company Unveils New 1957 Cars, Alpine Motor Invites the Public in for a Look For the first time in its 53-year history, Ford Motor Company will produce .two sizes of Ford cars, the company announced today. The 19 new models were unveiled by Ford dealers Wednesday morning and will have the highest performance per-formance engines ever offered in the low price field. R. S. McNamara, Ford Motor Company vice president and Ford Division general manager, said the 1957 Fords "represent the biggest changein the modem history of the Ford car." The new Ford line divides into two basic sizes, Fairlane and Custom, Cus-tom, plus the station wagon series, ser-ies, each with its own body and chassis. In addition the Fairlane series has been expanded to offer "Fairlane 500 models, which have extra luxury features. The 1957 Fairlane and Fairlane 500 sedans are nine inches longer and four inches lower than last year's comparable models. Custom and Custom 300 sedans are more than three inches longer and nearly three and one-half inches lower than the 1956 models. Station wagons are three and one-half inches lower and nearly six inches longer. Fairlanes and Fairlane 500's are built on a 118-inch wheel base. Station wagons, Customs and Custom 300's have a 116-inch wheelbase. "There has been no sacrifice of headroom inside the car, in spite of their reduced height," Mr. McNamara Mc-Namara said. "The new frame extends ex-tends to the sides oof the car, and this permits the floor to be lowered inside the frame rails. "The design and styling are new from the ground up. Every dimension dimen-sion is changed. Wheels, frame, rear axle, drive shaft, engines, and every inch of sheet metal in every body style are definite departures from past models," he explained. Riding ease has been greatly improved by using a longer, wider frame with lower pressure tires on wider treads, and employing redesigned re-designed ball-joint suspension in front and outboard-mounted longer leai springs in back. Because there is more spring length ahead of the rear axle, front end dip on quick stops is checked better than ever before. "Durability is built into the 1957 Ford through stronger alloy metals, met-als, greater use of insulation and sound-deadening materials, longer-wearing longer-wearing fabrics and plastics, and strengthening of mechani c a 1 parts," Mr. McNamara pointed out. For the first time, a high performance per-formance V-8 engine is available as an optional power plant on all Ford cars. The engine, called the Thunderbird Special, develops 245 horsepower, and is equipped with a four-barrel low silhouette carburetor. car-buretor. Standard engine for the Fairlane and station wagon series is the 212 h.p. Thunderbird V-8. A 190 h.p. V-8 is standard for the Custom and Custom 300 series. Both have two-barrel carburetors. In addition the 144 h.p. Mileage Maker six is available on all models. All engines can be ordered with standard, over-drive or Fordomatic transmissions. transmis-sions. Advanced design of the engines' carburetion, combustion chamber, and exhaust system, plus stepped-up stepped-up compression, provides increased increas-ed operating economy in all models. mod-els. The dry-type air filter, carburetors, car-buretors, intake manifold, intake valves, camshaft, and distributor are the new components which give Ford increased performance. Ford's new styling starts with wide hooded headlights and a for-slanting for-slanting grille and includes streamlined stream-lined wheel openings, a windshield that wraps further around the sides for better visibility, dislim-h-ive fins at the rear, and contoured sides that give the car a sculptured Continued on page 2) ' " U i k ' - - . . .v J . . - ' 5w--f . 1 . .... , .. 1 This is Ferd's 1957 Country Sedan, one of five station wagons in the new line of 19 body styles which Ford dealers will unveil. The new station wagons are longer and lower than in 1956. Four engine sizes available range from 245 down to 144 horsepower. This Country Sedan comes in nine- and six-passenger models, and has new self-raising rear liftgate with 20 per cent bigger opening for easier loading. the new safety steering wheel, which is one inch smaller in diameter. dia-meter. It is mounted lower in the car for the best driving position. Roofs have been strengthened with steel center bows. Hoods are hinged at the front so air will hold them down if they open accidentally. accident-ally. The hood release has been moved to the instrument panel, making the engine compartment tamper-proof when the car is locked. lock-ed. The fresh air intake has been moved to the cowling in front of the windshield so exhaust fumes are not drawn into the car. For 1957 Ford offers a broad range of optional features including includ-ing power-operated steering, brakes, seats and windows, as well as air conditioning, tinted glass, 6 and 8-tube radios, and heaters. New Ford Cars (Continued from page 1) look. "Hardtop" styling is the trademark trade-mark of the conventional two door and four door sedans in the Fair-lane Fair-lane and Fairlane 500 series. The effect is achieved with thin side pillars. Frd's true pillarless "hard-tops," "hard-tops," the four door and two door Victorias, also are offered in these series. Station wagons have flatter roof lines, with a contoured step-down midway back from the windshield. At the back, the rear window and liftgate wrap around the sides to provide 20 per cent more opening for bulky loads. A new latch opens the entire tailgate with one pull, and the liftgate swings up automatically auto-matically on concealed torsion bar springs. Special side mouldings and ornamentation or-namentation distinguish each of Ford's five series, which are available, avail-able, in 19 two-tone paint combinations combin-ations or 12 solid colors. Inside, upholstery is color matched to the body's paint. Ford's pioneering safety features introduced in 1956 have been improved. im-proved. There is a new safety instrument in-strument panel with recessed control con-trol knobs clustered under the redesigned re-designed deep center steering wheel. Instrument panel and sun visor crash cushions are. available, and the safety rear view mirror is continued. Safety door latches have been reinforced to withstand greater great-er impacts. A three and one-half inch shock absorbing area is provided pro-vided over the steering column by |