1964 Ford Thunderbird, once part of Ford’s Magic Skyway at the New York World’s Fair. Photo by Mark Usciak, courtesy AACA Museum.
The 1964-’65 New York World’s Fair presented Ford with a unique opportunity to market its wares to visitors from across the country and around the world. Enlisting the help of Walt Disney and his W.E.D. Enterprises, Inc., Ford created a “Magic Skyway” ride that took visitors from the distant past into the wondrous future, comfortably seated in a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury convertible. Much of the Magic Skyway ride has been lost to history, but one time-traveling 1964 Ford Thunderbird, now restored, can been seen at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, into 2017.
The Magic Skyway was just one attraction housed in the Ford Pavilion, a 273,000-square-foot building designed to tell the story of the Ford Motor Company, from the past to the present and even into the near future. Visitors were greeted with exhibits of cars significant to Ford’s evolutionary timeline, and concept cars populated the “Space City” display that marked the end of the Magic Skyway ride. To ensure that visitors understood Ford was a global company, scale dioramas showed both famous landmarks and typical street scenes in countries where Ford had a presence.
Ford Pavilion brochure. Scans courtesy of the AACA Library & Research Center.
Designed by Los Angeles architect Welton Becket, the Ford Pavilion incorporated lessons learned by Disney on efficiently accommodating a staggering number of visitors. The Magic Skyway itself ran two simultaneous shows, and with the expansive waiting area (which housed the above-mentioned Ford displays), the pavilion could handle 4,000 guests per hour. One thing that Ford hadn’t factored in was the popularity of the Mustang, and it wasn’t uncommon for visitors to decline other Ford automobiles, patiently waiting for the next available Mustang convertible.
Pulled from the production line, selected cars (which were towed on the ride, not driven) required extensive modification by a local Ford dealership. Engines, transmissions and driveshafts were removed and set aside, and holes were drilled in the chassis to accommodate a mounting plate, used to affix the car to the belt that pulled it through simulated time and space.
Once loaded by an attendant, visitors could tune the car’s radio to select one of four languages for narration, music and sounds. The Magic Skyway journey began with a recorded message from Henry Ford II, telling of the upcoming “voyage through time and space, from a dark and distant yesterday to a bright and promising tomorrow,” and ended with a message from Walt Disney, who spoke of a world “where tomorrow is being created today.”
In between, the convertibles traveled a glass tunnel, giving visitors an elevated view of the World’s Fair; visited the dinosaurs; watched man invent fire, cave painting and the wheel; and ended the journey in space city, where Ford showed off its latest futuristic concepts. Disney benefited from the arrangement, too: The dinosaurs and cavemen showed off its newly developed Audio Animatronics technology, and the enthusiasm of guests convinced Disney that a second theme park, this one in the swamps of Orlando, Florida, could be a success.
Moving the Thunderbird into the museum. Remaining photos by Nancy Gates, courtesy AACA Museum.
Following the conclusion of the World’s Fair, Ford rejected the idea of dismantling and rebuilding the pavilion in Dearborn, and shot down a proposal to sponsor a permanent Magic Skyway ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The cars used in the ride were returned to the dealership, where their drivetrains were reinstalled before they were sold off as used cars. Disney repurposed the mechanical dinosaurs, and the belt system developed for the Magic Skyway went on to be the basis of the PeopleMover exhibit in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.
It’s not clear what became of the 1964 Thunderbird convertible on display at the AACA Museum in the immediate aftermath of the World’s Fair, but the car’s current owner found it in a West Virginia museum. With the then-owner more interested in Corvettes than Fords, the bullet ’Bird was destined to be moved to outdoor storage, prompting a quick intervention (and quicker wire transfer of funds) from now-owner Mark Jackson.
The car was delivered to Mark and his wife in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 8, 2013, the day that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died. Being of British descent, Mark thought it appropriate to name the Thunderbird in her honor, and thus the car officially goes by the name “Margaret.”
An extensive restoration was required to return the Ford to driver status, and the car was refinished in the same Desert Tan exterior and Palomino interior it originally wore. Power comes from a period-correct 390 V-8, rated at 300 horsepower, and the convertible is now recorded in the Thunderbird Registry as a significant example of the model because of its time at the New York World’s Fair.
The Jacksons’ Thunderbird will be on display through April 15, 2017. For more information, visit AACAMuseum.org.
from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/2f76DRM
No comments:
Post a Comment