If you’re a hopeless automotive nerd, and since you’re reading this, you likely are, there’s nothing better than having access to automakers’ historical archives. Some offer public-facing portals with easily searchable brochures and images, and Ford’s just got a major content injection.
CEO Jim Farley tweeted about the upgrade, which includes information and images on some of the automaker’s lesser-known vehicles, such as the Spectron van, a JDM rebadged Mazda Bongo with serious 80s vibes. Farley also shared an image of a 1992 Ford Mondeo in Paris, but it’s easy to get sucked into looking at all the weird stuff in the archives.
Interested in the Ford Telstar? How about a 20-page brochure in Japanese? How about specs on a 1996 Mercury Tracer? The archives are surprisingly complete and very well organized, making it so much easier to feed the obsession.
General Motors has a similar but less robust archive that lets users view and download around 900 vehicle information kits. Interested people can also contact the archive staff for more specific information. One of the coolest things about all historical information is how much more technically detailed it is than the advertising-heavy brochures buyers get today.
For example, the brochure for the 1966 Ford Ranchero gives detailed engine specs, such as bore and stroke, compression, and axle measurements. Buyers also got steering ratios, suspension weight specs, and even clutch face measurements.
[Image: Ford Heritage Vault]
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via Autobuzz Today
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