- Total Performance
Total Performance was a global promotional
advertising campaign conducted by theFord Motor Company during the 1960s. It aimed to succeed in a variety of motorsport venues, and then emphasize performance in their mainstream vehicles with the interest generated.Motorsport
The cream of Ford's efforts came on the race track and drag strip, which lent credence to the premise of their campaign. [http://www.motortrend.com/classic/features/c12_0612_ford_racing/index.html Motorsport's Greatest Hits: Total Performance] The
Ford GT40 won overall in24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969, and chalked up numerous victories in other endurance races such as the12 Hours of Sebring and24 Hours of Daytona . Legendary engines, like thebig-block Ford 427 engine , and the Ford-sponsoredCosworth DFV were products of this era. Ford engines powered hundreds of victories inFormula One ,NASCAR ,CART , and other racing series. Ford-powered Lolas raced in theCan-Am series, and other Ford vehicles (most especially the Ford Escort) were successful inrallying .Design changes
The
Ford Fairlane ,Ford Falcon , andFord Galaxie were stylistically modified in line with the performance image in the 1960s, given squared-off and more aggressive looks. TheFord Mustang , designed to look sporty in stock form, was given performance potential with the creation of in-house Ford designs such as theBoss 302 Mustang , as well as theShelby Mustang s.Production race cars
Though in very small numbers, race cars were often modified for road use by Ford, either out of demand or for necessary
homologation . TheFord 427 engine was available in special versions of the Galaxie and Fairlane. The Fairlane version was known as the Ford Thunderbolt. Versions of theFord GT40 were built and sold for roadgoing use, and inkit car form they continue to be produced to this day. [http://www.erareplicas.com/gt/gt.htm Era GT40 replicas] Modern cars like theFord GT and Shelby GT500 are said to be the heirs to 1960s performance machines. [http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=24226 Unveiling the GT500]The end
The Total Performance strategy was obsolete by the early 1970s [http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ford-svo.htm History of the Ford SVO] . Though racing and performance promotions were conducted on a world scale, the fortunes of the strategy was mostly tied to the sale of
muscle car s. With fuel economy, emissions cleanliness, and lowerautomobile insurance costs as new and overriding consumer demands, performance was quickly de-emphasized.References
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