1975 Ford Flashback (Ghia)

Quirky and retro did not mix well with Ford’s Flashback concept car. Oddly shaped, the tiny two-seat prototype featured a long hood, protruding headlights, side louvers, bustle-back trimmed with leather straps, and knock-off spinners on the wire spoke wheels.

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Can luxurious things come in small packages?

With this pint-sized city car, dubbed Flashback, Ford and Ghia -- the famous design house and coachbuilder based in Turin, Italy -- explored the concept of a premium luxury subcompact that packed in as many 1930s- and '40s-era design touches as its little body could hold.

Note the formal grille, stand-up hood ornament, podded headlights, knockoff wire wheels, glass roof, side vents in the front fenders, hood louvers, and faux leather luggage straps on its bustled trunk panel.

We can't imagine that this little guy would perform too well in rear-end crash testing. It appears to be just a two-seater, with an upholstered package shelf in back. There was no talk of powertrains or performance at the time of its reveal, as the goal was luxury and classic ethos crammed into a super-subcompact package. Lincoln and Cadillac continue to wrestle with the notion of a premium ultracompact commuter machine, but neither has yet created the magic design nor committed to the idea of producing one.

Ford owned Ghia at the time, having purchased it from Alejandro deTomaso as part of the whole Ghia/DeTomaso/Vignale acquisition in the early 1970s, and it has since (unfortunately) squandered the name entirely.

You might remember the Ford Granada Ghia and the Mustang II Ghia.

Well, this one ain't them, which is mostly likely a good thing.

Matt Stone - Motor Trend (March 2011)

Ghia-Ford Flashback Coupe Hatchback был представлен публике на автосалоне в Чикаго в 1975 году. Пресса сразу невзлюбила этот концепт, назвав его одним из самых значительных промахов итальянских дизайнеров. Трудно сказать, как обстояли дела с живым образцом, но на фотографиях машина действительно выглядит по меньшей мере странно. Представляя из себя смесь неоклассики и современных тенденций того времени. Автомобиль имел всего 2 посадочных места, пропорциями кузов напоминал искаженный AMC Gremlin, а агрегатная база была позаимствована у компакта Ford Pinto. После весьма нелестной встречи сверхкомпактного авто, Ford отказался от идеи постройки супермини для американского рынка 70-х.