Is there no Loophole for Quirkiness?

With intermediates taking over in competition, the big Fords no longer needed any sort of “performance” image to support sales. The 1965 platform got a minor touch up for ’66, and LTDs gained “7-Litre” companions powered by the Thunderbird’s big 345-bhp 428 engine. Hidden-headlamp grilles marked the ’68 LTDs and Galaxie XLs as part of a lower-body restyle for all models. LTD became a separate three-model series, adding four-door sedan but losing the slow-selling 7-Litre ­models. The following year brought new outer sheetmetal with more flowing lines and “faster” rooflines on hardtop coupes.

Ably assisting him was the youthful “Whiz Kids” team of executives and engineers he’d recruited, including one Robert S. McNamara. The stage was set for a smart comeback in the ’50s. And the 1950s were better: tighter and quieter in corners and rough-road driving alike. Efforts for 1950 aimed at quashing the bugs from ’49. And indeed, by 1952, Ford Motor Company had passed a faltering Chrysler Corporation to regain the number-two spot in manufacturer volume. The reason? Interesting cars that sold well.

Henry finally surrendered control of his company — but not to Edsel, who died a broken man in 1943 at age 49. Despite the end of the war, the doddering mogul stubbornly continued to manage an increasingly troubled Ford Motor Company until his family insisted he step down. That came in 1945, when he handed the reins to grandson Henry Ford II, who would hold them for the next 33 years, most of them successful.

The result was a refocused 2005 lineup with more orthodox styling inside and out, plus more competitive “value” pricing. The sportiest of the lot was a new ZX4 ST sedan, which was no SVT but had significance for its standard engine: a new 2.3-liter twincam four-cylinder that rated Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle status (PZEV) under the ultratight emissions limits of California and four northeastern states. Available for other Focus models in those five areas, the PZEV four was about as clean as a gasoline engine could be with existing technology — not far behind the gasoline/electric powertrains earning headlines, goodwill, and profits for Toyota and Honda. Even better, a PZEV Focus cost far less than a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid, was much simpler and easier to maintain, and possessed noticeably more low-end torque that improved acceleration, especially with automatic transmission.

Ford had its best NASCAR year ever in 1965, winning 48 of 55 events, including 32 straight at one point. Arriving at midyear in 1965 were the poshest big Fords ever, the $3300 Galaxie 500 LTD hardtop coupe and sedan, claimed to be “quiet as a Rolls-Royce.” The times were indeed a-changin’. Underneath was a stronger chassis with a completely new front suspension evolved from NASCAR experience. All-new except for engines, the ’65s were distinguished by simpler, more-linear styling announced by stacked quad headlamps. Luxury, however, got most of the showroom emphasis.