Vintage Design: Taurus by Nesbitt

[SobeSVT]

The 1987 Rotary Taurus
by
DICK NESBITT

The endless generosity of Dick Nesbitt allows FoMoCo News to bring you these great sketches of a design study for the 1987 Rotary Taurus.

This was an exploration for a concept car that would signify the alliance between Mazda and Ford. The wheel design is inspired by the rotor in a rotary engine. The Rotary Taurus design illustrations were made by Dick Nesbitt in his capacity of consultant automotive designer to the Rochester, New York Auto Show in 1987 to help promote Ford's new design direction

Enjoy this bit of recent history.

[Mbukukanyau]

Sorry, that looks bad.. like a space age car, it would really look old and bad today, like a pontiac

[SobeSVT]

Sorry, that looks bad.. like a space age car, it would really look old and bad today, like a pontiac

Don't be sorry. Its your opinion. I would only suggest that you situate yourself in 1987, 20 years ago. The first Taurus was only two years old and GM designers were still laughing at it, calling Ford design Jelly Bean design.

Keep also in mind that the Rotary Taurus was meant to be a show car and thus never intended for production but rather to explore the extremes of a design theme that was turning out to be very popular. Timeless quality of such type of a project is not high in the list of priorities. These are the days of the Ford Probe concepts and the Ford Sierra in Europe, a very interesting era in car design would be a lot of fun to research if car design is your thing.


1985 Ford Probe V

Pontiac was doing this kind of thing (and not very successfully) two years ago. I would agree, THAT was bad.

[Mbukukanyau]

SobeSVT I think your dislike for GM leads it to cloud your analysis of their situation.
I agree with your opinion of pontiacs a few years ago. But, boy Pontiac is cleaning up its act.

[SobeSVT]

SobeSVT I think your dislike for GM leads it to cloud your analysis of their situation.
I agree with your opinion of pontiacs a few years ago. But, boy Pontiac is cleaning up its act.

I would agree had I been analyzing Pontiac's situation. I think that we could talk about their situation in the appropriate thread (or message board). This is the Vintage Ford section. Any reference I made of Pontiac was about what they were doing two years ago and only in response of you bringing them up.

This is about the Rotary Taurus and that was what I was talking about. I will reiterate, these are 20+ years old designs and you have to think of what was going on then in order to appreciate them. Comparing 20 year old Ford design with very recent Pontiac designs, is totally out of place and if I may say it, very unfair . . . for Pontiac.

[2b2]

...Keep also in mind that the Rotary Taurus was meant to be a show car and thus never intended for production but rather to explore the extremes of a design theme that was turning out to be very popular. Timeless quality of such type of a project is not high in the list of priorities. These are the days of the Ford Probe concepts and the Ford Sierra in Europe, a very interesting era in car design would be a lot of fun to research if car design is your thing...

I *love* these peeks into Ford's designs I never saw or heard of before.


In addition to the Probe & Sierra, can also see some shared DNA in the more recent Prodigy concept

which continues (imho - grille/HLs anyway) into the 427 concept and production Fusion -
and now is appearing on more and more Fords.

Almost getting a sense of multiple concurrent musical themes - like a movie soundtrack? Where one character's theme is temporarily replaced by another character's...
...only to re-emerge later when you least suspect it.
Seeing the Rotary Taurus makes realize that all during those NewEdge years, there was another school of thought 'off-stage', that's just recently come back into the spotlight.
&
Makes me wonder what the fanfare about 'Kinetic' is (temporarily) drowning-out...

Thanks once again, Mr. Nesbitt, for broadening our perspective!!!

[SobeSVT]

2b2, I think you just found the "Missing Link"

I *love* these peeks into Ford's designs I never saw or heard of before.

Then you are in for a REAL treat!!! Just stay tuned . . .

[Mbukukanyau]

2b2, I think you just found the "Missing Link"




Then you are in for a REAL treat!!! Just stay tuned . . .

Which concept is that?

[SobeSVT]

Which concept is that?

The Ford Prodigy was Ford's PNGV hybrid-electric concept for 2000. A low emission concept car intended to demonstrate the benefits of a hybrid power-train combined with advanced materials to achieve low fuel consumption in a big car.

[Dick Nesbitt]

The 1987 Rotary Taurus
by
DICK NESBITT

The endless generosity of Dick Nesbitt allows FoMoCo News to bring you these great sketches of a design study for the 1987 Rotary Taurus.

This was an exploration for a concept car that would signify the alliance between Mazda and Ford. The wheel design is inspired by the rotor in a rotary engine. The Rotary Taurus design illustrations were made by Dick Nesbitt in his capacity of consultant automotive designer to the Rochester, New York Auto Show in 1987 to help promote Ford's new design direction

Enjoy this bit of recent history.

--These all-wheel-drive concept illustration proposals were created to combine Ford's most important car and Mazda's most important technology with an AWD "tall car" configuration for a high-visibility driver/passenger "command view" designed to appeal to potential truck/van intenders............
--Dick Nesbitt