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The 2001 Ford Forty-Nine Is One Of The Coolest Concept Cars Ever

In the early, to mid-2000s Ford was very much into the retro design scheme that spawned some very cool concept cars and the retro 2005 S197 Mustang. One of the coolest concept cars Ford ever built was the 2001 Ford Forty-Nine. The concept car was meant to remind of the 1949 Ford that is such a beloved ride.

Ford debuted the 2001 Ford Forty-Nine at the Detroit Auto Show in 2001, and it looked like a chopped top hot rod. The car was extremely clean and had straightforward lines that reminded us a little of the last generation Ford Thunderbird from the side. The car had round headlights and small exterior mirrors, giving it a highly customized look.

The interior was very retro as well, with clean lines and minimal shiny trim. Under the hood set a strange displacement 3.9-liter, 32 valve V-8 engine with a five-speed automatic transmission. One of the other cool aspects of the concept car was that the V-8 engine displaced 239 cubic-inches, which was the same displacement as the Flathead V-8 engine Ford offered in 1949.

We wish Ford had produced the car in the early 2000s, retro designs were a big deal, and it probably would’ve sold. This was the same era that brought us not only the S197 Mustang we talked about before but also a few other retro-themed cars from other automakers. We think a family car that looked as cool as the 2001 Ford Forty-Nine they would’ve sold pretty well during an era when a cool family car to Ford was the Crown Victoria. Check out this 1990 Ford Explorer Surf concept.

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Source: Cnet

Shane is a car guy with a fondness for Mustangs and off-roading.

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Comments

  1. This was Ford’s opportunity to make up for what they did wrong with the retro Thunderbird. They could have put this one out as a four seater with a convertible hardtop, wow.

    Reply
  2. I think it looks too much like a dodge charger.

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  3. i really liked the concept and wished that ford built a limited number of several years i would have looked good beside ford gt on a dealership lot i am sure they could have generated alot of foot traffic , and a far as the retro thunderbird the last few years were a great tribute ,and closed the circle in the t-bird

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  4. This car can still be built today as the next Thunderbird with no problem see how that car changed from a 2 seater roadster, to a 2 door coupe & convertible, to a 4 door suicide door sedan and back to a 2 door coupe. Build it coupe, convertible & glass top, 5.0 / 10 speed tranny standard, 5.0 SC / 10 speed tranny Super Coupe Edition. It should have no problem sitting on the Mustang or Explorer platform Hell you can even do a Suicide Continental 2 door coupe with a 5.2 SC 7 speed LSC & to the person who thinks it looks like a Dodge, get your eyes checked the 49er concept is way Cooler and was built way before those cars came to market

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  5. This car should still be built today as the Thunderbird with only engine upgrades. Seeing how that model went from 2 door Roadster, to 2 door coupe & convertible, to a 4door Suicide sedan & back to a 2 door coupe. The Standard Thunderbird 5.0 / 10speed tranny, Then a Limited Edition Super Coupe with a 5.0 SC / 10speed tranny, Hell Lincoln could do a Suicide 2 door Continental Coupe LSC 5.2 SC /7 speed tranny. 2 great America Personal business coupes & to the person who thinks it looks like a Dodge get your eyes checked The 49er is A way Cooler machine & this concept was built years before the Dodge model ever came to market…

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  6. took my dad to chicago to see this concept as he had a ’49 ford. he and the other older guys loved this thing, i think i would have bought one. so cool, even cooler in person.

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  7. Anybody knows the Wheelbase of that beauty? If we new which platform they used it would be easy to find out…thank you…

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  8. Heck yeah it would have sold, I would have been a buyer!

    Reply

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