1975 Ford Flashback by 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 knockoff spinners on the wire-spoke wheels.

The Ford Flashback was a concept car built by Ghia in 1975 and unveiled at the 1975 Chicago Motor Show. The Flashback was oddly shaped, similar to an AMC Pacer or AMC Gremlin. It was a tiny two-seater prototype with a long hood with protruding headlights. Other styling features included side louvers, bustle-back trimmed with leather straps, and knockoff spinners on the wire-spoke wheels.

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 this little guy performing too well in rear-end crash testing. It appears to be just a two-seater, with an upholstered package shelf in the 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. Still, 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 de Tomaso as part of Ghia/DeTomaso/Vignale acquisition in the early 1970s. 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 most likely a good thing.

Source: www.chicagoautoshow.com; Matt Stone - Motor Trend (March 2011)

Images: Ford; www.motortrend.com; www.chicagoautoshow.com