Vedette: Ford got it right (and wrong)

In the late 1930s, Ford in the USA set its sights on a smaller, nimbler mainstream car—something with a tidy 108-inch (2743mm) wheelbase. 

But World War II put its development on hold.

As peace came into view, the idea was resurrected.

By mid-1945, the styling was locked in and Henry Ford II had signed off on a mid-1948 launch. 

Prototypes hit the road, testing gathered pace, and costly production tooling was underway. 

Everything seemed on track.

Then came a sudden change of heart.

In September 1946, Ford reconsidered. 

Influenced by newly recruited executive Ernest Breech, formerly of General Motors, he was persuaded that smaller cars meant slimmer profits. 

The project was axed. 

In its place came a fast-tracked push for a bigger, bolder model — the car that would emerge as the 1949 Ford.

But the story didn’t end there.

Over in France, Ford still needed a car to sell. 

The shelved small US Ford became the perfect stop-gap. 

Tooling was shipped across the Atlantic, and in 1948 it reappeared as the Vedette, powered by a pre-war 2.2-litre side-valve V8.

Unfortunately, the French chapter proved rocky. 

Sales were modest, the factory was hit by strikes, and there were whispers of creative accounting. 

From Detroit’s perspective, it was a lot of effort for very little return. 

In  1954, the operation was sold to Simca.

See also

Retro autos

2 min read

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With hindsight, Henry Ford II’s decision looks spot-on. 

Had Ford pushed ahead with a smaller car just as America embraced the “longer, lower, wider, more powerful” ethos, the company’s trajectory might have been very different. 

In the end, it arguably stands as one of his most pivotal calls.

David Burrell is the editor of retroautos

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