Ford's had a long history of visionary moves, starting with Henry Ford's adoption of the moving assembly line that enabled efficient mass production. The Model T went down in history as "the car that put America on wheels." The 1932 Ford introduced the first V-8 engine in a popularly priced car. Ford introduced the Fairlane Skyliner in 1957--the first mass-produced car with a folding metal top, and invented the "personal car" with the four-seat Thunderbird of 1958. Ford's Mustang revolutionized the American autoscape on its introduction in 1964. Ford's original Taurus shook up the American car market with an aerodynamic design that was a generation ahead of its competition in 1986. Today, Ford's Rouge Plant is the greenest auto plant in the U.S.
Today, Ford Motor Company enjoys an enviable position as the only U.S. automaker to carry on without a government bailout. This appears to be inspiring great public goodwill, while it keeps the company free to pursue its future without governmental meddling.
Ford concept cars peaked, as all U.S. manufacturers' did, during the halcyon 1950s. Optimistic postwar America lapped up wild futuristic concepts like crazy and Ford stylists were happy to oblige. They showed wild finned wonders with innovative engineering alongside fantasies like the Levacar, a wheel-less air car and the Nucleon, a nuclear powered coupe.
