A stroll through the Ford U.S. Heritage Fleet is a stroll through history. The collection houses all manner of Ford concepts, from callbacks to vintage models to previews of future production vehicles. Take the 2001 Ford Forty Nine, a modern rendition of The Blue Oval's midcentury icon.
Revealed in 2001, the Ford Forty Nine concept explored postwar styling in a modernized context. It was designed to take enthusiasts on a "sentimental drag-race," calling to mind "the romance of a Friday night at the drive-in or bowling alley, listening to rock-and-roll and cruising 'the strip' in a chopped and channeled custom car."
The 2001 Ford Forty Nine was designed with simplicity and statement in mind, just like the 1949 Ford coupe it called upon as its muse. It featured an all-glass upper body structure defined by smooth, aerodynamic body lines. The wiper blades were completely concealed, while the exterior was finished in a velvety black hue broken up by bright chrome accents, like its badging and 20-inch wheels. It sported HID front lighting, along with LED wraparound taillamps.
Inside, the 2001 Ford Forty Nine drew inspiration from the 1949 Ford's interior. That includes a bench-style front seat and floating center console housing a five-speed shift lever. It featured a two-tone interior colorway combining sienna and black, trimmed in luxurious leather.
Its gauges were stationed inside a single round instrument binnacle, similar to the production 1949 Ford and the custom hot rods that spun off the model. Audio and climate controls were hidden in a flip-out panel in the instrument cluster, positioned just ahead of the shifter, and the retro look was rounded out by the two-tone steering wheel, featuring cruise and radio controls on a metal ring.
"The inspiration for the Forty Nine concept comes from the passion and excitement of the original, combined with the imagination of people across America who customized the car and turned it into what they thought a really great car should be," said J Mays, Ford Motor Company vice president of Design at the time.
The 2001 Ford Forty Nine resides alongside a number of Blue Oval concepts, including the retro Ford 427 concept and the 2007 Ford Interceptor.
Including the Jet Appearance and Towing packages.
Did better than the Chevy.
Yep, the Excursion is still dead.
One of three that were dropped for the 2026 model year.
A nice example of the more powerful pickup.
