2007 Ford Airstream Concept

Seventy years ago, travel in America was very different. Though cars existed, their numbers were limited;the majority of people got where they needed to go by bus or train. Ford reminded us of the importance of train travel by embodying its biggest concept truck, the F-250 Super Chief, with the name of a majestic blunt-nosed train, a vehicle that debuted at last year's NAIAS in Detroit. This time around they've got a different form of travel on their minds. Not everyone knows what an Airstream trailer is by name, but almost everyone knows one when they see one. These reflective silver, bullet-like trailers that brought the creature comforts of home in a stylish package for the road have been around since 1931, but were most popular from the ‘50s thru the ‘70s. For Airstream's 75th birthday, Ford teamed up with the Ohio-based firm to create a vehicle that reflects the core values of the Airstream, and by so doing attempted to capture the sense of optimism and adventure of road travel.

On looks alone, the Airstream is a head turner because it bearslittle resemblance to anything that Ford's ever made before. In my eyes, its cab-over design and obvious trailer cues make it look like the product of an Aerostar minivan and an Airstream Babmi 16-ft trailer with a touch of NASA Space Capsule added in for good measure. Each of the Airstream's windows are a different shape, comprised of different angles, and each is illuminated in a glowing orange which is of questionable taste. The window graphics match the approach taken for the grille which itself is illuminated but in white; the actual driving lights are pinpoint LEDs. It could be said that the shape if the grille is a post-modern approach to Ford's current three-bar grille and integrated headlamp design.

At a preview event last month I was able to get up close andpersonal with this interesting concept. It's a very neat looking machine, fitted with all the retro details imaginable such as its twelve ceremonial rivets, American flag fender plaques and, of course, that shiny metal body. One thing worth noting is that the Airstream's skin isn't made from polished natural aluminum, but rather its shine is delivered by a new reflective paint. Mind you, it's just as prone to fingerprints as a big, clean stainless steel fridge is to a child's grubby paws.

It should be said that it's difficult to get inside the front cabin because of the oddly shaped door aperture and its high sills, necessarily due to the sandwich floor. You'll have to get around the door handles first, and they're hefty although flush-mounted to the body. Using your fingers, you depress the surround, and then grab hold of the static center. The only problem is that the spring-mounted surround returns, squeezing the back of your hand. It may look cool, but it was infuriating to operate. Oh, and that driver's door needs a proper hinge; its heavy weight and lack of graduated stops ensures that, unless guided with the gentlest of hands, it'll slam shut with a loud, disconcerting crash (as I witnessed on several occasions). Access to the rear of the cabin is through a large gullwing door that stretches two-thirds the length of the car.

But it's worth carefully stepping over the high doorsill toget a glimpse of the interior. It's as brightly colored as a peppermint stick, a contrast between smooth, cool white gloss plastic and red B&B Italia fabric. The instruments are about as simple as they come, with a single round gauge pod giving the driver information about speed and the car's vitals. The rest of the info, plus the rearview cameras are displayed on a thin, vertical Sharp LCD screen, controlled by seven round buttons on the console. The driver and front passenger sit in a pair of pod-shaped chairs that swivel so those in front can be a part of the fun when they're not driving.

The center of the so-called living space has a tall, cylindricalentertainment screen... thing. It can display everything from a lava lamp to a virtual fire (no heat), to very distorted movies. Roof-mounted ambient lighting works to make the cabin a very vibrant place to spend time. And when the "crew" isn't interested in the digital age, they can play chess or checkers on the screen's top surface. Instead of forward facing seating, the Airstream has side bench seats. It's the American twist on the lounge concept that Japanese manufacturers have been drawing on for decades. And because safety is such an important factor in crossover vehicles, the Airstream has Ford's new "Suspenders and Belt" seatbelt system, a friendlier version of a four-point harness.

For all of its luxury and iconic styling, the Airstream was - and still is - one of the most efficient trailers on the road. Yes, the build quality and excellent sound and heat insulation improved over the years, but even more relevant in today's world has to do with fuel consumption. Airstream's travel trailers have excellent aerodynamics on their side and a light curb weight because of their aluminum skins, helping reduce the towing vehicle's fuel use. The Airstream concept just wouldn't be as complete without tapping in on this aspect of the trailer's fame, which is why Ford equipped it with its most advanced hydrogen powertrain system to date. The Airstream concept is a fuel cell powered plug-in hybrid hydrogen electric vehicle.

It may sound complicated, but this bit of sideways thinking is probably the best application of hydrogen I've seen. Under the passenger cell of the Airstream is a lithium-ion battery pack that powers electric motors. It can be charged through an electrical outlet, and then once the electrical juice starts to run out the hydrogen side of the system kicks in. Instead of powering the vehicle directly, the hydrogen is used to charge the battery pack like a generator. This means that the Airstream can use a smaller fuel cell - in fact, the one employed in the concept vehicle is half the size and half the weight of one belonging to a typical hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. If it all sounds kind of unrealistic, it's real and it works. Ford's powertrain R&D folks have tested it out on a converted Edge crossover and have seen excellent results. Using this system, Ford has found a way of reducing the car's reliance on hydrogen, plus, has found a way to get around the problem of functioning in cold temperatures - something that's yet to be solved by existing hydrogen and fuel cell methods.

We can't help but wonder what kind of historically significant, future adapted vehicle Ford will be showing at next year's NAIAS show. Going with the Super Chief train and the Airstream trailer as inspiration is surprising, but a hole-in-one in terms of creativity. So where will Ford go from here? We'll just have to wait and see.