Cars & Car Accessories

Ford Comète

The history of the car displayed here begins with Ford of France, which was established in 1929, then acquired by Simca in November of 1954. Another company that played a key role was the coachbuilder, Facel Metallon, which not only produced bodies for various automakers, but also produced its own car, the Facel Vega, from 1954 until the firm went into bankruptcy in 1964.

In 1949, Henry Ford II, who admired Italian styling, commissioned Stablimenti Farina to design and built a sports luxury coupe on a Mercury chassis. This Farina Mercury became a prototype for the French Comete, built by Ford of France and bodied by Facel Metallon. Only 699 Comete Monte Carlos were built. At that time they were the most expensive Ford product in the world, and the only Ford automobile with custom coachwork.

The car displayed here spent its early life in the hands of Henry Ford II and others who guided the design of Ford products. The current owner purchased the car in 1967 as a young designer at Ford. He put it in long term storage before leaving for Vietnam, and began an extensive restoration five years ago (in the early 2000s). Several body panels were re-made by hand and the Dayton wheels were supplied by Ford Styling. With its distinct bumper and trim design, this specific car is unique from all other Comete Monte Carlos.
An extraordinary collaboration between Ford France and Facel-Metallon, the Ford Comete project was born in 1950. The Facel Metallon was a coachbuilding firm that was run by Jean Daninos. The Ford Comete was introduced in 1951 in France by Ford SAF, the Ford Motor Company’s French Subsidiary. The Comete was unveiled as the luxury model in the range, and the bodywork was done by FACEL, the same designer of the better-known Facel Vega luxury vehicles under their own name. Produced until 1954, the Comete featured an original engine that was a 2.2 L V8 from Ford SAF of French design. The same engine was found in the Ford Vedette, and a Pont A Mousson 4-speed manal transmission was used.

The Comete was a personal project of Francois Lehideux, a designer formerly with Renault. In 1950 Ledhidex took over as the president of Ford. He decided that his newest prestige model should be developed independently of the Ford organization, and to do this, he chose Facel-Metallon to undergo this project.

The Comete project was designed in complete secrecy by Daninos in Italy without even the Ford’s own design studio ever knowing until the Comete was unveiled at Biarritz in August 1951. The Comete didn’t even carry the Ford badge. In an stunning tribute to the advanced pressing and welding techniques of Daninos, the Comete featured beautifully proportioned line that were built on a Ford Vedette floorplan.

The Comete featured a severe elegance in its silhouette that was offset by huge steel bumpers, and later, a large egg-crate grille. A ribbed stainless steed dashboard and door handles were displayed on the interior, along with an impressive jet-age three-spoked steering wheel. The steering wheel was a tribute to Daninos work on aircraft design..

The Comete came with a single, horizontal bar across the grille with a chromed shield of bullet in the center, very similar to contemporary Studebaker products, along with steel wheels with chromed hubcaps. The engine was originally taken from the Vedette, and its meager 60bhp unimpressed buyers. The Comete was considered to be unreliable and underpowered with its small engine, though the looks and features drew admiration from onlookers. By 1953, the power was increased to 80bhp, and driving was shifted through a 3-speed column change manual gearbox.

The new Comete ‘Monte-Carlo’ model was introduced in 1953, and received a 3.9 L V8 engine that was normally fitted only to Ford trucks. The engine delivered 78 kW (105 hp) and featured plenty of torque. The public wasn’t a big fan of the new engine, as it was not only known as a ‘truck engine’, but its large engine displacement meant its tax horsepower that was rated at 22CV, making for high road taxes. The ‘Monte-Carlo’ model came with a fake hood scoop, wire wheels, and a typical Ford egg-crate grille. This vertical and horizontal equally spaced bar grille was called a ‘coupe-frites’ or a ‘french-fry cutter’ by the French.

Under the hood was a 3.9 liter V8 Ford Mistral engine that produced 105bhp. This model was capable of 95mph, despite an increase in weight.

A total of 2,165 Cometes were produced during its production run, with 699 of them being Monte Carlos.
Ford SAF was taken over by Simca during the Comete’s production, and for 1955, the final year for the Comete was produced under the Simca name.

by: Jessica Donaldson

Ford $8.48 Henry Ford founded his manufacturing company in America in 1903, and in 2003 the Ford Motor Company will celebrate its 100th anniversary. This wonderful book reveals Ford’s full history, from the days of Henry Ford, to its development into the massive corporation we know today. All the landmark Ford models including the Model T, the Mustang, and the Thunderbird, are featured in stunning pictures and detailed historical specifications. In addition to specially-commissioned color photographs, the illustrations also include hundreds of archive pictures, advertisements, and line drawings. As well as telling the story of Ford itself, the book also reviews some of the famous automobile designers and stylists associated with the company, including Edsel Ford, Henry’s son. This work of nostalgia is perfect for those interested in the development of car design throughout the last century and is an essential reference work for all automobile enthusiasts. In addition to the American side of the story, the text also covers the history of the company abroad, including a look into Ford factories in the United Kingdom.

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