Whenever an automaker tries to imagine the future, it does so through concepts, sketches, paintings, and scale models. We've previously enjoyed the spectacular work of Syd Mead and explored unique developments like the Astra-Gnome, but today we're getting a close look at the Ford Beatnik, a creation by Gary "Chopit" Fioto. The design is not official, and to be honest, very little remains of the 1955 Ford it was based on. However, its "Jetsons" appearance is extraordinary, even if passengers end up cooked under that transparent dome...
Back in 1958, Ford seriously considered joining the automotive world with the nuclear age under the concept of the Ford Nucleon. With the promise of 8,000 kilometers of range, more than a few imagined it as "the car of the future", but technical difficulties and the risks associated with handling radioactive material meant the Nucleon never went beyond drawings and scale models.
Abundant energy sources for our vehicles will have to wait, but the desire to turn cars into spaceships will hardly disappear. Enthusiasts might recall designs like the Lancia Stratos Zero or the Ferrari Modulo, though if we go a bit further back, the "Jetsons" aesthetic gains greater relevance. Want an example? How does the Ford Beatnik sound?
Ford Beatnik: The "Car of the Future"
This car was a development by Gary "Chopit" Fioto, a custom vehicle builder from New York, who unfortunately passed away in May 2016. Chopit surprised everyone with the Tuff Enuff, a wonderful 1950 Mercury in green, but on the web he's much better remembered for the Beatnik (in honor of the "Beatniks", his car club).
The first donor was a Ford '55, and instead of keeping the roof or lowering it, Chopit decided to replace it with a transparent dome. In 2006, the Ford Beatnik won a $20,000 prize at a custom car event in Oklahoma, and from then on it became a sort of icon.
Not much remains of that Ford '55 that served as the base, and apparently the Beatnik ended up on the modified chassis of a 1988 Lincoln Town Car. A strategic decision to avoid so many parts availability problems (even though we like original and intact cars, obtaining a part can become a nightmare, something that also happens with computers).
The fate of the Ford Beatnik was the classic and sports car auction in Monterrey (California) in August 2015. Its new owner took it home for $360,000 plus commission.
