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1969 Ford Thunderbird Saturn II
Ford Thunderbird Saturn II, 1969
Ford Thunderbird Saturn II, 1969
Ford Thunderbird Saturn II, 1969
Ford Thunderbird Saturn II, 1969
Ford Thunderbird Saturn II, 1969
Ford Thunderbird Saturn II - Chicago'69
Bilder: Ford Motor Company; www.conceptcars.it
Thunderbird Saturn II is a low, sleek idea car modified from a production 1969 two-door Thunderbird. The lower, longer show car features an inset grille with center-mounted dual roadlamps. The interior is handsomely tailored in gold metallic fabric to complement the Colorado Topaz gold exterior color. Saturn II contains an array of special electronic equipment for computerized travel, two-way voice
communications and tape recording. The car was created at the Ford Design Center in Dearborn, Mich.
Ford Division Press Release, 3/6/69
Ford exhibited the Thunderbird Saturn II as a personal luxury car of the future. With a hood that was 4-inches longer and roof 2-inches lower than stock 1969 T-Bird, the Saturn II featured special electronic equipment for computerized travel, two-way communications, radar screen, and more.
www.chicagoautoshow.com
For the second time in as many years, Ford released another spectacular show car for the 1969 season. The Thunderbird Saturn II was similar in overall appearance to the 1968 Thunderbird Saturn, but had a completely restyled front end, rear end, and interior. The Saturn II was painted in a pearlescent Gold metalflake paint, a striking bright gold with a high level of metallic particles embedded within the pigment. The high back bucket seats of the 1968 version were replaced by new ones with a more traditional look, and were upholstered in metallic gold leather. The front fender vents were eliminated, new wheels appeared, and white sidewall tires replaced the red band tires. Stock 1969 Thunderbird front turn indicator/parking lamp assemblies appeared in the center of the vertically divided grille.
The Saturn II hood was 4 inches longer than the hood on a stock 1969 Thunderbird, and the roof panel was 2 inches lower. Onboard, special electronic equipment ensured that personal luxury passengers of the future had everything necessary at their disposal—including two way communications, radar, and a computerized trip monitor. Stock accessories were also included, most notably the Rear Lamp Outage Monitor [image link opens in new window] which used fiber optic tubes to transmit light from the tail lamp bulbs to a monitor mounted on the rear package tray. The driver could view the monitor from the rear view mirror and check rear lamp operation.
Ford usually designed its show cars to gauge public reaction as they toured the country at local auto shows. If a design was especially popular, it would quite often appear within a couple of years on a production model. The fastback roofline of the Thunderbird Saturn and Saturn II was quite popular, and showed up in a somewhat modified form on the 1970 and 1971 Thunderbird production models.
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