Was someone borrowing familiar styling cues?

[Sdude]

I saw this 1954 Ford Taunus at the Imperial Palace collection. It was in immaculate condition and was for sale. I thought it was cute. It looked like the stylist was heavily influenced by the bullet nose Studebakers even though this car is nowhere near as sleek in design. Kind of like an "A cup" version of the "Double D" Studebakers.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Maybe borrowed from another Ford?



In fact, I wonder if the 50-51 Stude "borrowed" from the 49 Ford?

[comatus]

Au contraire.
The story is coming. You're going to love it.

[8E45E]

I almost lean more towards Studebaker for this car, with the higher bullet and split grille. The slab sides definitely echo '49 Ford and its English cousin, the Consul and Zephyr. I also got a couple of photos of that same car.





Its English cousin from the same year:





Craig

[rockne10]

Bourke never played poker on Friday nights with the Ford design crew. He never doodled a bullet nose design on a napkin. Said design never became the Ford model before it made it to Studebaker.

NOT!

[556063]

Mishawaka spelled backwards is A-Ka-Wah-Sim. I don't know what kitchen table spelled backwards is: http://www.idsa.org/ford-1949

[9echo]

In 1953 - 55 I was in Germany and saw one of these 1954 Ford Taunus cars get crushed by an Army 2 1/2 ton truck.
The driver had run a stop sign and was really angry at the GI that wrecked his car. It had less than 200 Km on the clock. They were very popular at that time.

[Bob Bryant]

While in Germany '54 to '56 I recall Ford Taunus cars being used as taxis. We had one in the motor pool for a colonel. The general had a 1949 Chevrolet as a staff car. They were all olive drab of course.

In 1949 while at a convention for a student group in Detroit we toured the Ford plant and saw the cars being assembled.

[kmac530]

I agree with Jon, that front end looks alot more like a '51 Stude than the '49/50 ford car. The ford has the bullet in the middle of the grill where this Taunus has the bullet above some split openings for a grille, much more similar to a '50 Stude, but that is just my opinion I guess.

Is there a connection to the Taunus and Stude? Related designers?

[Sdude]

Funny, the Consul resembles a Mercury.

I'm familiar with the kitchen table story. Wasn't that part of the Tucker Madewick series in Turning Wheels? Interesting stuff.

[556063]

Actually, this was the first car I thought of when looking at the English Taunus:

http://www.carlustblog.com/2009/02/kaiser-henry-j.html

I too think it's the split lower grille that helps connect the Taunus to the '50-'51 Stude more than anything else.

But, the angle back of the Henry J's front fenders under the headlights makes it look eerily like a '50-'51 Stude too, especially without a front bumper!:

http://www.wise.k12.va.us/jr/images/...s/51HenryJ.jpg

[kmac530]

What makes the Henry J look so much like a Stude, or the other way around, in my opinion is exactly what you stated 556063. That rearward roll of the front fenders under the headlights is SO Stude looking, or possibly vise versa...IDK.