The body was made of white plastic with broad bands of red on a front luggage compartment lid and along the rear lower half of the wheel housing. The upper sides of the car were painted ice blue. The show car contained no engine, but featured a three passenger model with a bubble top dome. The driver would sit in the central seat while two passengers would sit slightly to the rear of the driver on each side. In order to move the vehicle at that time, the driver would have to steer manually with hand grips located at elbow level.
Within the cockpit design area, a radar screen was designed to indicate if any airplanes, rockets, and cars were ahead. Two extremely sharp spears, like auto aerials, protruded from the front fenders. This design was used for controlling the vehicle by radio and preventing it from colliding with other vehicles.
L.D. Crusoe, prior General Manger of Ford, commented, "This car is not intended for future production, although, the design represents one of the many avenues which styling could be used for future studies." However, no engineering considerations were involved in the cars development and the designers were unable to explain some of its unique features to the public.
Detroit Automotive writers previewed the 1954 Ford FX Atmos at the Ford Styling Studios in Dearborn, MI. In order to do so, the transparent top had to be unscrewed while the driver had to be lifted in. Clothing, such as shoes, had to be removed prior to entering the vehicle to avoid damaging the delicate finish.
The 1954 Ford FX Atmos was a design from the fifties where Buck Rogers and flying space models were a culture in many ways designers looked at for future ideas. The show car represented the jet age and today many historians would review this as one of the wildest dream cars ever designed.
A special thanks to Robert Tate, Automotive Historian and Researcher, for donating his story to the MotorCities Story of the Week program. Photographs courtesy of the National Automotive History Collection. Please do not use any photographs without the permission of MotorCities/Robert Tate. For further information contact Robert Tate at btate@motorcities.org
If you have a story that you would like to donate to be featured as a MotorCities Story of the Week, email Lisa Ambriez at: lambriez@motorcities.org