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Syd Mead created a design for a convertible Ford pickup, similar to the modern Chevrolet SSR. According to Syd, "This was designed to mount onto a '63 Ford station wagon frame. It was fully operational with A/C, radio, and a fully operational top conversion. The vehicle converted electrically from a bench seat, three-passenger vehicle into a five-passenger close-coupled club sedan/truck. The small rear 'cab' roof slid back, a rear seat unfolded, and a 'filler' section with a window rose into position. This meant sacrificing bed length. The vehicle was toured for about two year"."
According to Ford's press release,"Ford Division's Ranger II is an ultra-modern pickup truck with a custom-designed passenger compartment. Seen as a two-seater vehicle in the above photo, the Ranger II converts into a four-passenger pickup (below) at the flick of a finger. The rear portion of the cab moves 18-inches into the truck's bed while a roof section moves up into position and two additional bucket seats fall into place. The Ranger II's ultra-streamlined windshield is made of specially tempered plastic-type glass. It also features high-intensity headlights of rectangular design, extruded aluminum grille, and walnut flooring in the cargo bed."
Ford Division's advance design Ranger II, an ultramodern idea in pickup trucks, will be one of the attractions of the Detroit Auto Show, which opens at Cobo Hall on November 26 and runs through December 4. The unique show vehicle in the F-250 class features a custom-designed passenger compartment that expands from a pickup to a two-door sedan accommodating two additional passengers in the rear compartment.
When a four-passenger sedan is desired, a switch on the master control is activated. The rear portion of the cab moves 18 inches into the truck's bed, a roof section moves up into position, and two additional bucket seats fall into place. Other innovations include aircraft-type canopy doors that operate hydraulically at the turn of a key and a forward-hinged hood that opens hydraulically by a switch on the master control.
The ultra-streamlined windshield of specially tempered plastic-type glass, special high-intensity headlights of rectangular design, contoured bumper, extruded aluminum grill, and a Clearwater Aqua finish give the vehicle a look at the future. As a two-passenger pickup, the truck bed is six feet wide and eight feet long -- the standard F-250 bed size. The cargo bed has walnut flooring, courtesy lights, aluminum loading rails, vinyl-covered side panels, and padded wheel housing.
The functional interior features contoured bucket seats and options, including power steering, tilt-away steering wheel, SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic transmission, AM/FM radio, and a SelectAire air-conditioner. The Ranger II is 57 inches high, 18 feet long, 84 inches wide, and has a 120-inch wheelbase. A 390 cubic-inch V-8 provides power for the special show vehicle with three carburetors.
Source: Ford Motor Company Images: Ford Motor Company; Syd Mead via www.promotex.ca
