The Most Innovative Ford Vehicles of All Time

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Ford has a long history of making breakthroughs and introducing new technologies and innovations to the car manufacturing industry. But here are the most innovative Ford vehicles of all time.

Model T

The Model T truly set the precedent for Ford. In fact, not just for Ford, but the entire car-making world at the start of the 20th century. It’s true innovation was in being the first ever car to be produced on an assembly line, the method by which cars are produced to this day. Not many cars have that kind of lasting legacy.

Before the Model T was produced by Ford, cars were only available to the very richest and most prominent people in societies. But the Model T changes all that by bring the car within reach of ordinary middle-class Americans at the time. Ford has a reputation for making affordable and accessible cars, and this is where it all started.

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Model B

Yes, the Model T was great for the first middle-class car buyers, but the Model B was even better. It was released in 1927 and has a more recognisable layout to modern day drivers than the original Model T did. For a start, it has a much more conventional pedal layout, ditching the old system that older Fords used.

This pedal layout has remained relatively unchanged in the intervening years and decades. The Model B is now loved by hot rod enthusiasts and people interesting in the history of car manufacturing generally. This is because it was the first car to bring refinement and class to the car market.

1949 Ford

The 1949 Ford was a real landmark for the company. It was a car that hailed a whole new era, and I think it’s quite important to recognise the choice of name that Ford went with. It was simply a 1949 Ford. This underlines the fact that the car was a real post-war innovation, marking the end of the 1940s and looking towards the 50s.

All of this can be seen in the car’s design. It looks a lot more like a modernist car, the like of which become popular in the economic boom years of the 1940s. In this regard, Ford was well and truly ahead of their time, quite possibly offering the basis for car designs to come for the next 20 years or so.

Galaxie Skyliner

Ford didn’t stop innovating in the 1940s as some would have you believe. Yes, their first few decades in the history are often considered their golden period. But, if you ask me, the 1950s was their best decade. As as the Thunderbird, they released the even better Galaxie Skyliner, a truly beautiful example of American car-making at its best.

So, how was the Galaxie Skyline innovative? Well, it was the first retractable hard-top convertible car to hit the market. Watching it lift off its roof and smoothly store it in the back is joyous! Nowadays, technology means it can be done much faster, but for the 1950s, this was impressive! It’s no surprise that it costs so much if you want to own one today.

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Falcon

Ford continued pushing the envelope well into the 1960s, and the Falcon was their best car of this period for the company. It might not stand out as a particularly innovative car initially, but it’s definitely a landmark in muscle sedan cars. We wouldn’t have the same kinds of sedans today if it weren’t for the Falcon.

The car lasted for the entirety of the 60s in most countries, making it the prototypical Ford car of its era in the minds of many car enthusiasts. But, strangely enough, the car has remained in production to this day in some parts of the world such as Australia. The classic model has to be the best though.

Mustang

The most enduring and iconic car that Ford has ever produced is, undoubtedly, the Ford Mustang. It’s a beast of a car and has been proving a hit with drivers and critics alike for the last 50 years after bursting onto the scene in 1964. It’s quite a surprise that it did so well though because it’s car that was made by sticking together components from existing Ford models.

But it’s the fact that it’s a lightweight and affordable sports car that looks great that attracted buyers to the Mustang. And it’s those same principles that continue to attract new, enthusiastic buyers of the Mustang to this day. It’s so known and loved and that it’s virtually become a symbol of America.

Transit

A vehicle that emerged just after the Mustang and has proved just as popular and enduring is the Ford Transit range. The fact that the Transit has lasted so long and still pulls in buyers is testament to Ford’s ability to offer practicality-focused vehicles as well as the stylish ones.

There are have been 4 different releases of the transit; in 1965, 1986, 2000 and 2013. Each one is available as a minibus, van and pickup truck. 7 million new ones have been sold, not to mention all the used models that are bought and sold on sites like http://trucks.autotrader.co.uk/ each year.

Explorer

To this day, the Ford Explorer stands as the greatest off-road vehicle the manufacturer has produced. It’s most often bought by drivers with families and no intentions of driving off-road, which goes to show the versatility the vehicle offers. It can do pretty much anything you could ask of it.

It was first produced in 1990, but 4 years ago it was released in an all-new full-size crossover. This investment in the model shows how seriously Ford take it. It’s fast becoming a staple of their catalogue. Another reason that they’ve become so iconic is because they were the vehicles used in Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park movie. Some people have even given them Jurassic Park paint jobs!

Ford is one of the best car brands in the world; it has a reputation that’s been established over more than a hundred years in the industry. And in that time they’ve been constantly looking to innovate as these vehicles all demonstrate.