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Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Automobile History: The 1953 Ford X 100 Concept Car : Two Decades Ahead of its time!





There are times that a technology is ahead of its time, and this was clearly the case of the Ford X-100, also known as the Ford 195X.  It should have been the Ford 197X!

One to two decades before integrated circuits and miniaturization, the Ford X-100 was a 1953 concept car that served as "a laboratory on wheels." With a 123-inch wheelbase and weighing in at a hefty 5900 pounds, the car included 665 pounds of electrical equipment connected by 8 miles of wires.  Remember, this is 1953 electrical technology and not hte 1970s, hence the added weight and reliability issues.  Transistors were only a few years in the future, but there is more to miniaturization than just the transistor.  But it was an important start to where auto electrical systems would ultimately go.

The X-100's ignition system powered 24 electrical motors, 44 electronic tubes, 50 light bulbs, 92 control switches, 29 solenoids, 53 relays, 23 circuit breakers, and 10 fuses.

Front seats were adjustable 6 ways. Power-operated hood and rear deck lids open, closed, locked, and unlocked by switches on the instrument panel.  Other accessories included a dictaphone, radio-telephone, electric shaver, and a ten-tube signal-seeking radio.

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