Ford 021C Explained

Ford 021C
Assembly:Ghia
Designer:Marc Newson
Class:Concept city car (A-seg)
Production:1999 (concept)
Body Style:4-door sedan
Layout:FF
Engine:1.6 L Zetec-SE
Transmission:4 speed automatic
Wheelbase:24851NaN1
Length:36011NaN1
Width:16481NaN1
Height:14301NaN1

The Ford 021C was a concept car first shown to the public at the October 1999 Tokyo Motor Show by Ford. It was designed by Marc Newson and built by Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, Italy.[1] The car's name is taken from the Pantone orange colour, said to be Newson's favorite,[2] although it was repainted in lime green[3] when it was brought to the Milan Furniture Fair in April 2000.[4] Ford officials stated that 021C also stands for "21st Century."[5] It was produced purely as a styling exercise and was not intended for production.[6]

Design

The design was commissioned by Ford's design director J Mays,[7] who selected Newson after seeing his Lockheed lounge chair in a Madonna video for the song "Rain."[8] [9] The result was a four-door saloon in what Newson termed a "retro-futurist" theme, similar to the predictions made of Year 2000 automobiles in the 1960s. Mays quipped "It's probably more George Jetson than Georg Jensen" at its unveiling. Ford pitched the concept at young buyers (21 years old and younger) who "want quality products which express their individuality.[10]

The exterior and interior shapes echoed prior Newson designs for round-cornered rectangular dish racks,[11] furniture[12] and spoke-and-hub lamps.[13] The concept also incorporated many innovations in the interior such as four seats, with the front two seats swiveling on pedestals; a jewel-like dashboard that moved vertically to accommodate drivers of differing heights; and, when the light was switched on, an electro-luminescent film glowed snowy white across the ceiling. The dashboard dials were built by Newson's Ikepod watch company and the steering wheel was reminiscent of his 1997 Alessi coat hook.[14]

Exterior features included a slide-out boot, suicide doors and LED lamps front and rear. The front and rear lamps were created by Jonathan Coles for Isometrix Lighting.[15] The car was painted green after its unveiling in Tokyo and, unusually for an old prototype, has continued to be shown again at various art exhibits.[16]

Specification

The 021C is powered by a 1.6 L Zetec engine producing 1000NaN0 driving the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.[17] The 16" alloy wheels were fitted with bespoke graphite coloured Pirelli tyres. The body of the car was constructed from carbon fiber composites[18] and was designed with minimal surface ornamentation.

The car was 36011NaN1 long, 16481NaN1 wide and sat on a wheelbase of 24851NaN1.[19] It is 19mm shorter than the contemporary first-generation Ford Ka city car.

Reception

After its 1999 unveiling at the Tokyo Auto Show, automotive critics generally panned the design, with one self-deprecatingly calling himself "old and out of touch"[20] and thus unable to appreciate what was perceived as a toy-like, naïve box. Others noted the sharp divide in opinions between "traditional" automotive styling critics and design professionals, who hailed the unified concepts in the design.[21] Jonathan Glancey, writing for The Guardian, said at the time that most "contemporary car design is about as interesting as watching magnolia paint dry" and called the 021C "an eye-catcher", noting that "[it made] everyone who saw it smile."[22]

In 2009, ten years after it was first unveiled, critics revisited the design of the 021C and found the design had aged well, still appearing sleek and modern.[23] [24] Alex Kierstein, writing for Automobile in 2020, noted influences from the original iMac G3 and called it "ahead of its time ... had Newson penned the Ford 021C today, maybe it could have been recast as a small production EV", comparing it to contemporary small EVs such as the Fiat New 500 and Honda e.[25] [26]

In popular media

A car similar to the Ford 021C received a parking citation from newly minted officer Judy Hopps in the movie Zootopia.[27] J Mays is credited as the chief car designer for the film.[28] [29]

Exhibited

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Newson, Marc . Marc Newson : works . 2012 . Taschen . Alison Castle, Louise Neri . 978-3-8365-0807-0 . Köln . 811596219.
  2. News: Master of his universe . Roux, Caroline . 17 November 2001 . The Guardian . 2 December 2016.
  3. News: Inside job: Ford 021C . Espinosa, Cathryn . 24 May 2001 . The Telegraph . 2 December 2016.
  4. Ford 021C by Marc Newson at Milan Furniture Fair: The interplay of design, fashion & stylish mobility . 11 April 2000 . Ford Motor Company . https://web.archive.org/web/20010418162950/http://www.media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4506 . 18 April 2001 . dead.
  5. Web site: 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, Part III . . 20 October 1999 . The Car Connection . 2 December 2016 . 30 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030202905/http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1001617_1999-tokyo-motor-show-part-iii . dead .
  6. News: The best cars they never made . Auto Express . October 2007 . King, Toby . 2 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120311230256/http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/210734/concept_cars.html . 11 March 2012 . dead.
  7. Web site: Ford 021C by Marc Newson . L., Skott . Design Year Book . 26 September 2009 . 2 December 2016.
  8. News: CURRENTS: CAR DESIGN; Wheels for 2000: The Details Count . Patton, Phil . 28 October 1999 . The New York Times . 2 December 2016.
  9. News: Newson's Lockheed Lounge breaks world auction records . https://web.archive.org/web/20150401184113/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/design/66382/newsons-lockheed-an-icon-up-for-auction.html . dead . 1 April 2015 . Thompson, Henrietta . 28 April 2015 . The Telegraph . 2 December 2016.
  10. Web site: Gewertz . Ken . 2002-02-28 . Driven by design: J Mays brings the romance of the road back to auto design . 2023-12-10 . Harvard Gazette . en-US.
  11. Web site: Dish Doctor: Marc Newson, 1998 . . 1998 . Magis Design . 2 December 2016.
  12. Web site: Wooden Chair . 1992 . Cappellini . 2 December 2016.
  13. Web site: Orotund: Designed by Marc Newson . . Flos . 2 December 2016 .
  14. Web site: Marc Newson . Design Museum . November 2006 . . 2 December 2016 . 27 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160927083627/http://design.designmuseum.org/design/marc-newson.html . dead .
  15. Web site: Lighting 021C . . September 1999 . Jonathan Coles . 2 December 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120321095610/http://www.jonathancoles.co.uk/021C.htm . 21 March 2012.
  16. News: New York Times . Ford 021C Concept by Marc Newson Reappears at Gagosian Gallery . 2010-09-29 . Patton . Phil . 2 November 2016.
  17. Web site: ARCHIVIO PROTOTIPI FORD 021C CONCEPT . 2024-01-10 . www.archivioprototipi.it.
  18. Web site: Ten years later // FORD 021C by Marc Newson . Argyriades, Marcia . 1 October 2009 . Yatzer . 2 December 2016.
  19. Design and Technology Meet in the Ford O21C . . 20 October 1999 . Ford Motor Company . 2 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010715182559/http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3072 . 15 July 2001 . dead.
  20. Web site: Ford goes back - or ahead - to the retro-future . Davis, Tony . 28 October 1999 . Drive Australia . 2 December 2016.
  21. Book: How to Design Cars Like a Pro . Lewin, Tony . Borroff, Ryan . 2010 . Motorbooks . Minneapolis, Minnesota . 170 . 978-0-7603-3695-3 . 2 December 2016 . Newson was delighted to take up the task and immediately set to work, determined to figure out better ways of approaching design than those he had been studying in car magazines and books. Yet when the fruits of his labours were unveiled in Tokyo, the automotive world caught its breath: finished in bright orange and named after both the Pantone colour of that hue and the upcoming new millennium, the 021C emerged as a tiny, naive and toy-like box, devoid of external detail or ornamentation. [...] Many commentators dismissed it as an expensive joke, the kind of car caricature a child would draw.
    [...]Yet the real significance of the 021C was the way it divided the critics on sharp, sector-dependent lines. The product design community applauded it for its purity and harmony and the way that it presented a fully integrated design conceived as a whole by a single individual: Newson is said to have designed every detail, right down to the carpets and tyre treads. Car critics, on the other hand, had difficulty grasping its significance, focusing on its naivetè rather than innovative features such as the swivelling front seats and pull-out trunk compartment..
  22. News: Shrink and drive . Glancey, Jonathan . Jonathan Glancey . November 1, 1999 . The Guardian . 4 April 2020.
  23. Web site: Design Friday, a look back to the future from 1999 . Johnston, Wade . 4 December 2009 . Modular 4 KC . 2 December 2016.
  24. News: 2013-04-11 . The small car as an object of desire . Financial Times . 2022-12-28.
  25. News: The 1999 Ford 021C Concept: Born Too Soon? . Kierstein, Alex . December 2, 2020 . Automobile . 28 February 2023.
  26. Web site: Noe . Rain . 16 November 2023 . Marc Newson's 021C Ford Concept Car has Aged Extremely Well . 10 December 2023 . Core77 . en.
  27. Web site: 1999 Ford 021C . . 2016 . Internet Movie Cars Database . 2 December 2016.
  28. Web site: The Cars Of 'Zootopia' Come From One Of The Auto Industry's Best Minds . Kiley, David . 21 March 2016 . Forbes . 2 December 2016.
  29. Web site: Shayotovich . Eli . 2023-01-20 . This Ford Concept Car Made A Surprising Movie Cameo More Than 15 Years After }} Debut ]. 2024-01-10 . SlashGear . en-US.
  30. Web site: The Ford 021C concept car designed by Marc Newson . 2024-03-01 . www.carrozzieri-italiani.com . en-US.
  31. News: Design . Hales, Linda . January 8, 2000 . The Washington Post . 28 February 2023.
  32. Web site: Marc Newson: Transport . September–October 2010 . Gagosian Gallery . 2 December 2016.
  33. Web site: Marc Newson: At Home . November 2013 . . Philadelphia Museum of Art . 2 December 2016.

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