The XL-500 dream car represented the Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln division in the automaker’s Golden Anniversary celebration. But reportedly, it met an odd fate. .
As the Ford Motor Comany prepared for its 50th anniversary in 1953, the Ford family was firmly in control. Henry Ford II, grandson of the founder, was its autocratic president, while middle brother Benson Ford headed Lincoln-Mercury and youngest brother William Clay Ford ran the new Continental division. (All three are prictured above, with Bill behind the wheel.) A lavish golden anniversary celebration was planned that included, among other things, a television special on both CBS and NBC and a coffee-table book titled Ford at Fifty.
When the Lincoln Continental 195X concept was rebadged as the Ford X-100 (see our feature here) for the celebration, Lincoln was left without a dream car for the presentations. Benson Ford and Lincoln-Mercury chief stylist Bill Schmidt then went to work on a quick replacement Originally called the Phantom, the group effort was utlimately renamed the XL-500. With little time to execute the vehicle, the actual construction was handed over to Detroit-based Creative Industries, a prototype shop with expertise in fiberglass and Plexiglas, the XL-500’s two chief materials.
Based on a 123-in wheelbase chassis from a production Lincoln, the XL-500 was equipped with power steering, power brakes, power seat, and a push-button automatic transmission, at least according to the press materials. But these features were merely hypothetical, as in fact the car was a pushmobile without a functional drivetrain. There were no doors, hood, or deck lid either, only simulated cutlines carved into the fiberglass. Young Bill Ford must have climbed in through the window.
The XL-500 did have a full interior, with red and white leather and a mock-up instrument panel with a complete set of controls. The transmission push buttons were nested in the steering wheel hub, a feature that later appeared on the 1958 Edsel. The browed headlamp treatment can be seen on the 1956 Lincoln, while the full Plexiglas bubble top may be one inspiration for the the clear roof panel on the 1954 Ford Skyliner and Mercury Sun Valley. The arched rear fenders, also featured on the D-528 prototype, aka Beldone, never made it to a Ford production vehicle.
The XL-500 appeared at the Chicago Auto Show in March of 1953, in the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn, and it also received extensive coverage in the workbench and automotive magazines (below). But apparently, the dream car’s life did not extend beyond the 50th anniversary year. According to interviews gathered by Ford styling historians Jim and Cheryl Farrell, the car met a remarkable end, it seems. As the unpowered dream car was unloaded at Madison Square Garden, a tow rope broke and it zoomed across the street and into the front of a restaurant, wrecking both the dream car and the restaurant. Reportedly, the XL-500 hasn’t been seen since. .
Ford’s 100th anniversary was invisible to me, save for cheap badging on the Taurus and Explorer. It seemed the company didn’t care or was too economically strained to do anything special. Maybe I missed the hoopla, but I owned a Taurus then and read the biz and car books. Just didn’t see much of anything.
I’m fearful Ford will not make it to its 150th. If the buying public sours on $100,000 F-150s, as it did with sedans, personal luxury coupes, station wagons, convertibles, and pony cars, I fear the company does not have the imagination to adapt.
Well Randy you really did miss the hoopla. There was a 2 day event at the World Headquarters with a car show and entertainment. They presented the first 3 2005 Ford GT’s. There is also a 100th anniversary book similar to the 50th and 75th anniversary and a commemorative coin.
It did happen. I was at the 100th anniversary celebration as well in Dearborn. Of course I was a little embarrassed that I drove up there in my new Honda CR-V.
The 100th anniversary celebration was a lot of fun. I am glad that I was able to go!
In fairness, only a tiny sliver of F-150s even get to the $100,000 price point … likely not more than 1%. The same can be said for Silverados, Sierras, and Rams. The $100k price number is a great headline-grabber, but most trucks sold are way below that number.
With respect to adapting, all of the automakers will have to do it. The marketplace is dynamic, and adaptation is the name of the game. The low-priced Maverick shows that Ford can adapt, and other automakers are now working on competing products. Ford’s history shows that the company is a survivor … I see no reason why that will not continue.
Not much hoopla considering the achievement! In Canada, Ford celebrated by handing out “Ford 100” fake-tattoo transfers. Whoopee-ding!