In 1954, in a moment of absolute candor, the president of Gifford Motors described his company's latest luxury car: “Designed to please the snob in everyone. Designed to turn your bank account into our dividends.”
You might be wondering why you've never heard of such an honest automotive executive. This is because it only existed in Hollywood. The lines are taken from the first scene of the 1954 drama. Women's worldin which three businessmen – with the generous help of their wives – compete to become the next general manager of the fictional company Gifford Motors.
What was the Ford X-100 concept car like?
On-screen shenanigans aside, the luxury car featured in the film was real: the Ford X-100 concept car. An early version debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in early 1952. The two-door convertible featured had no engine, gears or gadgets, but its exterior, likely made of plaster and fiberglass, resembled a rocket ship, which was designer Joe Oros's intent.
The V-8 Ford X-100 had a three-speed automatic transmission.Henry Ford
Over the next year and a half, Ford engineers, led by Hiram Pacific, spent at least US$2 million (about US$24 million today) turning the display model into a full-featured vehicle. Paul Adams was the chief electrical engineer and was responsible for most of the equipment; Paul Wagner was the electrical engineer tasked with making the electrical system work. By the time they were finished, the car contained 302 kilograms of electrical equipment, including a 12-volt ignition system, a heavy-duty generator, 24 electric motors, 44 vacuum tubes50 light bulbs, 92 control switches, 29 solenoids, 53 relays, 23 circuit breakers and 10 fuses connected by 16 kilometers of wires. That's a lot of electronics, but again they crammed a bunch of stuff into the car. The futuristic vehicle, advertised as a “laboratory on wheels”, included more than 50 innovations.
One of the most noticeable features was the clear, non-glare, heat-resistant plastic sliding roof panel. With the click of a lever, the windows rolled down and the top retracted. When the electrical humidity sensor detected a hint of rain, it automatically sealed the car. Alas, the X-100 did not have air conditioning. I'm a South Carolinian and the thought of driving without cooling down on a sunny, hot August day is, let's just say, unappealing. I suspect the designers, while in Detroit, didn't think about summer in the Deep South.
In this 1953 photo, the roof panel of a Ford X-100 is retracted and the windows are down. Henry Ford
The designers took certain types of weather into account, as the wipers could spray hot or cold fluid depending on the outside temperature, and the rear window had a defogger. Another feature that I'm sure wowed people in colder climates was the heated leather seats. The front seats also had six-way power adjustment, with presets for two different drivers.
The car had a 10-tube radio with signal seeking, separate controls and speakers for front and rear passengers. The radio itself was hidden under the dashboard, but a prismatic mirror could be lowered to reveal the dial.
The Ford X-100 had a radiotelephone. [top]built-in electric shaver [middle]and a multifunction steering wheel with clock and volume-adjustable horn. [bottom].Henry Ford
Bluetooth connectivity was apparently not available in 1953, but the Ford X-100 had a radiotelephone mounted on the center console through which calls could be made through the Bell system's mobile phone service. It also had a voice recorder so you could record all those wonderful ideas that came to your mind while you were driving with the wind in your hair. One of the innovations that did not stand the test of time was the electric razor and pop-up mirror hidden in the glove compartment.
Each wheel had a built-in hydraulic jack attached to the chassis to easily lift the vehicle when a wheel needed to be changed. (Tubeless tires were not yet common, so changing flats was a necessity for every driver.) A clock was mounted in the center of the steering wheel, where the horn would predictably be located. Meanwhile, the horn could be activated using a thin circle surrounding the clock or buttons on the steering wheel levers. It had two different volume levels: a quieter one for city traffic and a louder one for country roads.
The transmission had a power shifter, which most cars did not have at the time. In addition to power steering, there was power braking, which included an electric handbrake. Electric switches on the dashboard opened, closed, locked and unlocked the hood and trunk. However, unfortunately, there were no mechanical locks to open the hood and trunk if the car lost power.
The X-100 had a built-in charger that could be plugged into an electrical outlet to allow various gadgets to work even when the car was not running. But not all functions were electric: a black leather bag in front of the center console contained a brass pump-action fire extinguisher. Just in case of emergency.
Ford X-100 was popular in Paris
The concept car debuted for the second time in the summer of 1953 during Ford's 50th anniversary celebration. The anniversary provided Henry Ford II with a golden opportunity to reimagine the company, as Douglas Brinkley writes in his book: Wheels for the world, an extensive history of Ford, published by Penguin in 2003 to mark the company's centenary. For his 50th anniversary, Ford produced the film. American road; illustrated history of the company, Ford Fifty Years: An American History; two-hour television special hosted by Edward R. Murrow and featuring Ethel Merman, Mary Martin and Bing Crosby; and a calendar illustrated by Norman Rockwell.
As part of this celebration, the Ford X-100 traveled through European car shows. He covered almost 10,000 km, crossing the continent, driving from Paris to London, from Bonn to Cologne, averaging 12 miles per gallon (about 5 km per liter) of gasoline. Despite fuel level indicator lights, the X-100 ran out of gas in the middle of the night on its final voyage to the French port of Le Havre.
The Ford X-100 shown here in Paris has traveled nearly 30,000 kilometers to car shows, fairs and dealerships. Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
The car also toured the United States, stopping at fairs and dealerships and adding another 12,000 miles (19,300 km) to the odometer. A Ford engineer was always with the vehicle to demonstrate the various features and answer any questions.
X-100 was not a star Women's world, but the film industry estimates that 80 million people saw its features showcased on screen.. Four other Ford concept vehicles also appeared, including the XL-500, XM-800 and Ventura, as well as the Detroit auto plant.
Ford estimates that between the film and the auto show, more people saw the X-100 than any other concept car. The company ultimately donated the X-100 Henry Ford Museumin Dearborn, Michigan, where it was stored. In 1987, the X-100 was again put on public display as part of the project. Car in American life exhibit. Although the car is not currently on display, it does appear at auto shows from time to time.
The purpose of the concept car is to excite the public with dreams of a possible future. The Ford X-100 did more: it not only represented aspirations and hopes, but actually delivered on many of its promises. Car-connected phones, heated seats and power windows may seem commonplace now, but they had to be introduced first. With the exception of the electric razor, kudos to the Ford engineers of the 1950s for making those dreams a reality.
Part continuation of the series looking at historical artifacts that embrace the limitless potential of technology.
A shortened version of this article will appear in the November 2025 print issue entitled “Ford and the Road Mostly Busy.”
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