It’s time to resurrect the cab-over.
The 1973 mid-engine Ford Explorer concept looks extraordinary today. It’s a combination of different body styles that create a vehicle that is part car and part truck. Ford placed the cab above the front axle to make room for the truck bed. This was similar to its Econoline trucks. This was before Ford made Explorer a separate model and the Econoline a van. This rendering shows the concept as it was nearly 50 years ago. It has been given a modern makeover.
The final result is as quirky as the original. The rendering pushes cabin over the front wheels, significantly increasing the overhang. The Explorer’s long, sloping hood is gone. The Explorer’s windshield is raked, much like the original. However, the doors are larger, which could make it easier to get in and out. The front of the vehicle has a squished appearance. They have the turn signals indicators located just below the sideview mirrors.
Original concept had a sharp crease running down the side, which extended from the chrome grille surround and the rear taillights. This rendering retains it, but it adds modern styling to it. The thin design line that runs from the fog lights to bed is extended in the rendering. The rendering features a fake vent between the front wheels, keeping in line with tradition. With large front and rear overhangs, and a short wheelbase, the Explorer looks awkward.
Ford didn’t release the Ford Explorer until 1991, when it put it on what many consider to be the first modern SUV. The Explorer 1991 did not have the two-door design or truck bed that were part of the original concept. Although cab-over trucks are unlikely to be in resurgence anytime soon, small pickups are still popular. We reported in March that Ford would create a sub-Ranger pickup on the Focus platform. It will wear the Courier name. It doesn’t appear to have a cab over design.