In 1954, in a moment of utter clarity, the president of Gifford Motors described his company’s latest luxury automobile: “Designed to appeal to the snob in everyone. Designed to turn your bank account into our dividend.”
You might be wondering why you’ve never heard of such an honest car executive. This is because they existed only in Hollywood. The lines come from the opening scene of the 1954 play Woman’s WorldIn which three businessmen – with the generous help of their wives – compete to become the next general manager of the fictional Gifford Motors.
What was the Ford X-100 concept car?
Onscreen conspiracies aside, the luxury car shown in the film was the real deal: the Ford X-100 concept car. The initial version debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in early 1952. The two-door convertible on display had no engine, gears or gadgets, but its exterior, presumably made of plaster and fiberglass, resembled a rocket ship, which was designer Joe Oros’ intention.
The Ford X-100’s V-8 engine had a three-speed automatic transmission.Henry Ford
Over the next year and a half, Ford engineers led by Hiram Pacific spent at least US$2 million (about $24 million today) to transform the display model into a fully functional car. Paul Adams was the chief electrical engineer and in charge of most of the gadgets; Paul Wagner was the electrical engineer tasked with getting the electrical system running. By the time they were finished, the car contained 302 kilograms of electrical equipment, including a 12-volt ignition system, an extra-large generator, 24 electric motors, 44 vacuum tubes, 50 lightbulbs, 92 control switches, 29 solenoids, 53 relays, 23 circuit breakers and 10 fuses, all connected by 16 kilometers of wiring. That’s a lot of electronics, but still, a lot of stuff was crammed into the car. Billed as a “laboratory on wheels”, this futuristic auto contained more than 50 innovations.
One of the most visible features was the clear, nonglare, heatproof plastic sliding roof panel. With the flick of a lever the windows rolled down and the top retracted. When an electrical moisture sensor detects rain, it will automatically seal the car. Sadly, the X-100 did not have air conditioning. I’m a South Carolinian, and let’s just say the idea of driving on a hot August day without freezing sounds distasteful. I suspect being in Detroit the designers didn’t think about summer in the Deep South.
In this 1953 photo, the roof panel of a Ford X-100 is retracted and the windows are down. Henry Ford
The designers took some types of climate into consideration as the windshield wipers could spray hot or cold fluid depending on the outside temperature, and the rear window had a defroster. Another feature that I’m sure enthralled people in colder climates was the car’s heated leather seats. The front seats were also electrically adjustable in six positions, with presets for two different drivers.
The car had a 10-tube, signal-seeking radio with separate controls and speakers for front and rear passengers. The radio was hidden under the dashboard, but a prismatic mirror could be lowered to reveal the dials.
The Ford X-100 had a radiophone (top), built-in electric shaver (middle), and a multifunction steering wheel with a clock and variable-volume horn (bottom).Henry Ford
Bluetooth pairing was apparently not available in 1953, but the Ford It also had a dictaphone to record all those great thoughts that came to your mind while driving in the wind. One innovation that did not stand the test of time was the electric shaver and the pop-up mirror that was hidden in the glove compartment.
Each wheel had a built-in hydraulic jack attached to the chassis to easily lift the car when you needed to change a tire. (Tubeless tires were not yet common, so changing a flat was something every driver had to do.) A clock was mounted in the center of the steering wheel, where you might expect to honk. Meanwhile, the horn can be activated by a thin circle around the watch or by buttons on the steering wheel arms. It had two different volume settings, slow for urban traffic and fast for rural roads.
The transmission had an electrically operated gear selector, which most cars did not have at the time. In addition to power steering, there was power braking which included an electric power-assisted hand brake. Electric switches on the instrument panel opened, closed, locked, and unlocked the hood and trunk. Unfortunately, however, there was no mechanical release to open the hood and trunk if the car lost power.
The X-100 had a built-in battery charger that could be plugged into an electrical outlet so that various devices could operate even when the car was not running. But not every feature was electrical: a brass pump-style fire extinguisher was housed in a black leather pouch in the front of the center console. Just in case of emergency.
Ford X-100 was big in Paris
The concept car’s second debut was during Ford’s 50th anniversary celebrations in the summer of 1953. As Douglas Brinkley writes, the anniversary presented a golden opportunity for Henry Ford II to redefine the company wheels for the world, A comprehensive history of Ford was published by Penguin in 2003 to celebrate the company’s centennial. For his 50th film, Ford produced the film american roadAn illustrated company history, Ford at Fifty: An American Story, two hours television special Edward R. Hosted by Murrow and featuring Ethel Merman, Mary Martin and Bing Crosby; and a calendar illustrated by Norman Rockwell.
As part of this celebration, the Ford X-100 hit the European circuit of auto shows. It covered approximately 10,000 km across the continent, from Paris to London, Bonn to Cologne and spent an average of 12 miles per gallon (about 5 km/l) of gasoline. Despite its gas gauge indicator lights, the X-100 ran out of gas at midnight on its final trip to the French port of Le Havre.
The Ford Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
The car also toured the United States, stopping at fairs and dealerships and adding another 12,000 miles (19,300 km) to the odometer. A Ford engineer was always with the car to demonstrate various features and answer any questions.
The X-100 wasn’t really a star women’s world, But the film industry estimates that 80 million people watched its features appear on screen, Four other Ford concept cars also appeared, including the XL-500, XM-800 and Ventura, as well as the Detroit Auto Plant.
Between movies and auto shows, Ford estimated that more people saw the X-100 than any other concept car. The company eventually donated the X-100. Henry Ford MuseumTo Dearborn, Michigan, where it went into storage. In 1987, the X-100 went back on public display Automobiles in American life Show. Although the car is not currently on display, it still occasionally appears at auto shows.
Concept cars are intended to excite the public with dreams of a possible future. The Ford X-100 did much more than that: It not only embodied aspiration and hope, it actually delivered on many of its promises. Car-connected phones, heated seats and power windows may seem commonplace now, but they had to be imagined in the first place. With the exception of that electric shaver, congratulations to 1950s Ford engineers for making those dreams a reality.
Part of an ongoing series looking at historical artifacts that embrace the limitless potential of technology.
An abridged version of this article appears as “Ford and the Road Mostly Taken” in the November 2025 print issue.
From articles on your site
Related articles on the web
