Ford Vedette

Monday 19 October 2009
The Ford Vedette was a large car manufactured by Ford France SA in their factory in Poissy from 1948 to 1954. Introduced at the 1948 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris, it was designed entirely in Detroit (resembling contemporary Mercury models), but featured the Poissy-made 2158 cc Aquillon sidevalve V8 engine of Ford's Flathead engine family, the same as in pre-war Matford cars. On the other hand, the Vedette was the first car to feature the new independent front suspension concept developed by Earle S. MacPherson, known today as MacPherson struts. Due to the fact that the Poissy factory could not resume complete automobile production immediately after the war, many vital components had still to be made by various subcontractors, which reportedly had an adverse effect on the quality of the car and contributed to its limited popularity. Over the six years in production, the Vedette was available in several body styles, ranging from the original 4-door fastback (with rear "suicide doors") through the later 4-door saloon, a Sunliner 4-door landaulet based on the saloon (with a roll-down roof over the entire cabin), a 2-door Coupé and, based on it, the Cabriolet Décapotable (a 2-door convertible).

Technical data:
- engine: V8
- capacity: 2158 cc
- horsepower: 67 HP
- gearbox: 3+1
- top speed: 145 km/h