The Aurora never went into mass production, but it is a cool (and odd) prototype! Just look at all that chrome. From this angle it looks like a sports car, but it was in fact a sort of station wagon. Here's a description that I found on the 'net: It only had three doors - two on one side and one on the other (and a back hatch). Continuing the "three" theme, it was divided internally into three compartments - the front had two buckets, and the middle/back each had a kind of wrap-around sofa feature, with a glass partition between the second and third seats. Crazy!
Here are some other angles, stolen by me from somewhere (I've forgotten unfortunately). That is one cool station wagon!
Also on display at some point inside the pavilion were a number of humorous scenes showing how automobiles had become such an integral part of American culture through the years.
There were also historic Ford vehicles on display, such as this Quadricycle. As you can see, this one was, "...built by Henry Ford's hands in 1896. It's a pretty elegant little car!
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By special request, here is the other interior from the Carousel of Progress. It is very dark as you can see, and any further adjustments resulted in a grainy mess. Still, you can see Father loafing in his chair while Mother slaves away at a hot iron in one of the side tableaus. You can just see the robin outside the window, supposedly also used in "Mary Poppins".
...and with her new washday marvel it takes mother only 5 hours to do the wash. Imagine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the COP slide, Major!
These pics are pure gold Major. What a Fair.
ReplyDeletePure gold indeed! Love that shot of the Aurora, I could so see myself cruising Van Nuys Blvd in one of those...
ReplyDeleteThe 1896 Ford sure looks clean and new and expensive - I wonder if that's really how it looked in 1896?
Thanks Major, NYWF photos rule!
oh yes, awesome post today!!
ReplyDeletewhat a cool car that would have been to take to the drive-in... jammies optional, of course, tho we always wore them!
there is an outside chance i may get to WDW this summer to visit the Carousel of Progress and all my other favorites....ive got my fingers crossed! ;)
Wow, I had definitely not seen that prototype before. There certainly was some out-of-the-box thinking in the '50's and '60's if you knew where to look (like the '64 World's Fair, for example!). Interesting that it was called Aurora, was that a coincidence or intentional? Wonder what the list on that mid-60's innovation would have been?
ReplyDeleteIt makes you wonder where the Aurora is today. It probably long ago rusted away in a junk heap somewhere. As you probably know, the 60's Batmobile was actually the Ford Futura concept car that George Barris saved from junk by buying it for a dollar...
ReplyDeleteSadly, Stu's right. Most corporate concept cars were cut up for scrap once their season in the sun was over. Most of them were so radically styled that after a few years they looked too campy. Plus the counter-cultural 70's was more than pleased to scrap anything from the establishment 60's.
ReplyDeleteNote that Aurora is basically missile-shaped with ICBM side trim. The spirit of Dr. Strangelove was heavy in the air. And I loved it.
Grey Subs for Me!
Great pictures Major!
ReplyDeleteThe "999" Barney Oldfield race car in your third attachment was first of four "PDSQ" (Performance, Dependability, Style, and Quality) displays that were seen on the upramps that guests rode to the second floor of the Ford Pavilion.
Cheers!