Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Random auto question
Why didn't Ford take over the Muntz Jet?
Rereading old auto mags as usual, I was struck by the Fordness of the Jet. It used a Ford flathead engine, and it looked exactly like the sporty version of a '49 Mercury.
Muntz produced the Jet in low quantities from 1950 to 1954, but he didn't have the capital to streamline production. He couldn't sell it for a high enough price to cover the hand labor in his small factory. After losing $400K of his own money, he gave up.
As part of Ford, the loss per unit could have been amortized as a halo car, and Ford engineers could have improved production methods.
Chrysler, not known for brilliant marketing, nevertheless made a smarter decision in this department. Chrysler worked with Ghia to turn out a low-volume sports car based on one of Ghia's concept cars. The Dual-Ghia later spawned the Facel Vega, still using Chrysler hemis. These weren't strictly in-house, but Chrysler's cooperation and advertising helped.
The Jet could have been sold as a Mercury sportster without any styling change.
Labels: Asked and not worth asking
¶ 11:07 PM
