1992 Ford/Ghia Focus Concept vs. Porsche Speedster

Normally when I compare the design of one car to that of another I deal with specific similarities and differences.  This time, I compare two cars that have no design details that closely match, yet share a common feeling thanks to a few features that are evocative.

The primary subject is the 1992 Ford/Ghia Focus concept car.  Background regarding it can be found here and here.

It is a striking design, basically clean but with odd, "organic" (in a kind of biological sense) details placed here and there.  About all that came of the Focus was its name that has been widely used on various Fords cars starting in 1998.  In other words, it is an example of a pure styling exercise.

And the other car?  It's the Porsche 356 Speedster launched in the mid-1950s (information about the 356 series Porsches here, scroll to"Body styles" for mention of the Speedster).

The following images are paired with the Focus on top, Porsche Speedsters below.

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Both cars are two-place roadsters with low, moderately-wrapped windshields.  Porsche: Bonhams photo.

Hoods are low, flowing down towards the bumper / impact area.  Each has thin, chromed side decoration.  Porsche: For sale photo.

Perhaps the major thematic similarity lies in the broad "shoulders" on each side of the passenger compartment opening related to the large-radius upper parts of the fenders.

The Focus features an interesting sprinkling of tail lights.  And the early Speedsters have some rather little dots too, especially if the reflectors are included.  Porsche: RM Sotheby's photo.

Porsche 928

According to Wikipedia, Porsche 911 sales were falling in the early-to-mid-1970s.  Management became concerned that the line had about completed its run, and that a replacement was needed.  Rear and mid engine locations were ruled out for various reasons mentioned in the link.  The option chosen was a V-8 motor in the front driving the rear wheels.

This drastic, non-Porsche layout shocked fans of the marque even though they had received some advanced notice in the form of similar (though lesser) Porsche 924.  Production of 928s began in 1977 and marketing started in 1978, the line remaining on the market into 1995.  Ironically, 911 versions continue to be built and sold to this day.

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Auction photo of a 1978 Porsche 928.  The nose retain a whiff of the feeling of 911s, but the rest of the car contains new design language partly shared with the 924.  The styling is difficult to fault.

A for-sale photo of a 1978 928.  The high roofline curve was required because 928s had a 2+2 seating arrangement (though the rear seating was fit only for small children).

Same car: trunk lids were not practical, given the packaging, so access was by hatchback.

As with Porsche 914s and 924s, headlight housings pivoted upwards when the lights were tuned on.  This caused aerodynamic disturbances.  Made the car look ugly, too.  I do not have a source for this photo, available on many web sites.

Porsche 924

For nearly 70 years the core concept of a Porsche sports car is that its engine is in the rear.  But for many of those 70-odd years, Porsche sports cars have come in other configurations.  For example Porsche 914s and Boxsters are mid-engine cars.  Then there were the 924 and 928 Porsches with water-cooled motors mounted in the front.

This post deals with the 924 (Wikipedia entry here). As the entry mentions, the 924 originally was a joint project with Volkswagen.  VW wanted a sporty model and Porsche wanted a successor to its entry-level 914.  Eventually VW backed out of the project, so Porsche bought the rights and continued.  It's the VW (actually, largely Audi) influence that resulted in the front motor configuration.

When 924s were announced in 1977, Porsche purists were somewhat shocked by its configuration and hard-core sports car fans thought the cars were underpowered.  The motoring public interested in sporty, not horribly costly cars thought otherwise, and 924s sold well -- to the tune of about 150,000 being built over its 1977-1988 run and they were profitable to Porsche.

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Publicity photo showing front and rear aspects of 924s.

This publicity shot shows the front and side.  Although fenestration assumed somewhat complicated shapes towards the rear, two through character lines tie the design together.

This is the larger, more expensive Porsche 928 that appeared in 1978.  It and the 924 differ in details, but have a similar feeling due to the passenger compartment greenhouse shaping.

Side view of the 924.  The curved lower edge of the aft side window roughly ties to the large backlight.  It's a bit fussy, but perhaps more interesting than a design comprised mostly of horizontal elements.

The backlight doubles as a hatchback lid.

Pop-up headlights are similar to those on the 914s, and equally aerodynamically degrading.

The 924s front could have been styled to better match the spirit of the brand's primary 911 line.  Pictured here is a 2010 Panamera sedan, also with a front-mounted motor.  Its frontal design is clearly Porsche-like, whereas the 924s is not.  This exact design could not have been made in 1977 due to headlight restrictions in effect then, but something similar might have been possible.