(first posted 3/6/2012) You don’t stay number one in wagon sales by standing still. Ford’s Magic Tailgate was not the end of Ford’s magical thinking. Here’s their Magic Cruiser shown at car shows in 1966. How great is that? And in 1969, Ford had another better idea yet:
The Aurora II turned the Country Squire into the mobile version of the then-fashionable sunken living room conversation pit. Or something like that. I suspect families weren’t all that keen; they’d all just as soon have Mom face forward, where she didn’t have to really know every detail of what was going on behind her back. Of course, should you be forced to take Mom’s wagon for a hot date…
Please tell me the Aurora II didn’t make it into production. Must… have… one… Ohhh.
Why do you think I put this up? I know your weak spot!
There sure would be worse things to drive. Looks like you could carry all sorts of things if you weren’t into passengers.
The imagination runs wild, even *with* passengers!
My thoughts exactly!😈
Seat belt laws would have killed this if they tried to build it.
Why? There are limos and people carriers everywhere with side and rear facing seats, with seat belts.
Seat belt laws don’t seem to affect limos with all sorts of ridiculous seating arrangements. Its all about proper segmentation of the product…
Amazing how production ready that Aurora looks….too cool, I want one! Must have 429…
“Must have 429…”
Imagine the current value if a Boss 429 resided under the hood.!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_429
Being the wagon nut that I am, I have to say that this concept is/was incredible!!! Where on earth do you find this stuff and kudos for the AWESOME wealth of information. My hat is off to you, sir.
The Aurora II was ahead of its time. It makes me think of the interior accomidations of luxury SUVs now-a-days.
Magic Cruiser? So much more practical as a surf wagon than a Ranchero is!
I love those sunken living rooms. One of the reasons I want to move to California is for the Eichler and Strang homes.
Yes! I live in an Eichler! Though these don’t have sunken living rooms because they have slab foundations with radiant heating in the floors.
It looks like the Aurora II has another lounge suite in the rear too, I’d assume it pre-dated the Veloster in the door layout and they could have built it with experience from the Continental sedan – terrible crash protection though with the bottom latching doors only.
The Magic Cruiser is an interesting idea though – kind of like the Nissan EXA (or Pulsar NX) which could be had with removable coupe- or wagon-style hatchbacks. Take that roof off and you’d have a decent roof. I’ve seen photos of a similar looking fastback style canopy on a Falcon ute actually.
The Aurora II images look like closeup photos of a scale model of the real thing.
I’d love a Magic Cruiser!
This site has a few cool pics of the rear portion and a cool scale model. http://www.modelcarscience.com/magiccruiser.html
That thing makes a GM Clamshell look simple- i wonder how much weight it added?
I’d be a bit more impressed W/ the Aurora II, if the same thing wasn’t already done to a ’66 Mercury Colony Park for the Matt Helm movie years earlier
Same “trunk” too
Actually, it was a ’65 as it lacked the 2-way doorgate.
Took the words out of my mouth. Dean Martin as agent Matt Helm !!
Lovely panel fit on the magic cruiser. Does the magic refer to what was needed to keep stuff in the trunk dry? Fun idea though.
The Aurora II reminds me of an idea that was shown in 1966 and did make it into production in 1967-68 Imperials called the “Mobile Director”. The passenger seat swivels around and there’s a folding table attached to the floor. it was only available on the coupe, because the swivelling seat would hit the B-pillar on a 4-door. Very few were sold with this option.
http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1967/MobileDirector/index.htm
Fantastic! The Elwood Engel restyle was already one of my favorite 60s car designs. The Mobile Director makes it even more fabulous and of-the-times. Pity about the coupe-only status, the 4-door looks so much more stately. Now, a convertible with Mobile Director…
So how perverted is my appreciation of style and function if I say I like the huge hatchback/convertable sta. wgn.
Well, I guess I don’t care. The truth is I like it.
The original Ford Aurora, which I saw as a kid at the 1964-65 World’s Fair, used this same seating idea plus Subaru SVX-type side windows.
Notice that none of these photos even show lap belts.
The Oldsmobile Toronado based Esso 67-X that Esso Canada commissioned George Barris to build as part of a four car giveaway during Canada’s Centennial in 1967, used a similar interior layout. Styled in the typical over-the-top Barris fashion.
Rear view…
the interior looks comfy, but I hate what George has done too the outside of the previously beautiful 67 Toronado.
I was hesitant to post pics of the exterior, as it looks like something you’d see in a vintage Saturday morning cartoon. That’s why I suggested (warned) it was typical of Barris. 🙂
What a perfect car for teens who want to do it for first time.The Ultimate Loss your virginity machine.
Er, not with that big squarish console thingy in the middle of the back seat. That’s a cock-blocker for sure!
You must be young. Never heard of the 1950 Nash Airflyte? There used to be dads who wouldn’t let their daughters date guys who drove a Nash.
A bit like the seemingly innocuous Maxi whose seats fold down into a (lumpy) bed.
I remember quite well seeing the Magic Cruiser (that yellow cover car in the lead photo) at the 1966 Los Angeles Auto Show. Spent quite a few minutes watching it operate. It certainly looked like it COULD have been put into production.
Side note: They did a Magic Cruiser II for the ’67 model year as well…….same concept, except with the ’67 sheet metal and trim.
Passenger side visibility must have been nil for the driver if someone was in the backward passenger seat.
I’d agree on that point. Imperial actually did that, swiveling the right front seat 180* with their ‘Mobile Director’ option – ’67 and ’68.
The Magic Cruiser sure looks like it was meant to preview the 1968 500 XL fastback window line and roof profile:
They already had that roof line (pretty much) in ’67……..
Caption sez “International Auto Show, April 1966” (NYC, I presume):
One more:
“Magic Cruiser” I can hear “Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” ( 50 years young this year ) in the background, and the waft of certain substances on the breeze.
That’s what the name evokes for me.
I’m getting an Aztec tent vibe. No pun intended
A pillarless hardtop Country Squire?!?!? Oh my……….
^^^^^^It took me a while to notice anything beyond the seating setup—first, the hardtop styling, and only then the suicide doors. I suppose someone could take a “survivor” ’69 wagon and re-create one of these, IF the pockets were deep enough.
That magic cruiser is pretty neat, though no glass kind of limits its usefulness. It appears the bumper may swing down (or out?) with the rear hatch, which would probably give it enough space to roll the glass down, and it definitely looks like there’s enough space on the sides for it.
As I recall, there WAS a back glass in the tailgate. You could drive down the road in ‘fastback’ mode, or ‘wagon’ mode…..
I think those were excellent ideas! Ford should have at least offered those designs, in a limited production mode. My dad loved Ford/Mercury wagons. I didn’t pay attention to them at the time, but now I realize just how good looking they were. The 65-72 Ford wagons were very handsome cars. I had a 65 wagon in 80, 352., but like a damn fool, I let it go.. Just you don’t know what you get till its gone.
Those are special editions, the consumer versions were not anywhere near that fancy.