View source for Ford Comète

{{see also|Mercury Comet}}
{{Infobox automobile
| image = Ford_Comète_Monte_Carlo_(1954).JPG
| caption = 1954 Ford Comète Monte Carlo
| name = Ford Comète
| aka = 
| manufacturer = [[Ford SAF]]
| production = 1951–1954
| predecessor = 
| successor = 
| class = 4-seater sports car
| layout = [[FR layout]]
| body_style = 2-door [[coupé]]<br/>2-door [[Cabriolet (automobile)|cabriolet]] <br>  (only 2 produced<ref name=Automobilia1953/>)
| engine = 2,158&nbsp;cc ''[[Ford Flathead engine|Aquillon]]'' [[V8 engine|V8]]<br/>till 1952<br>2,355&nbsp;cc ''[[Ford Flathead engine|Aquillon]]'' [[V8 engine|V8]]<br>1952-<br>3,923&nbsp;cc ''Mistral'' V8<br>1953-1954
| transmission = 4-speed [[manual transmission|manual]]
| wheelbase = 
| length = {{convert|4620|mm|in|abbr=on}}<ref name=Automobilia1953>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1953 (salon Paris oct 1952)| volume = 14| pages = Page 30|year = 2000|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>
| width = {{convert|1740|mm|in|abbr=on}}<ref name=Automobilia1953/>
| height = {{convert|1420|mm|in|abbr=on}}<ref name=Automobilia1953/>
| weight = {{convert|1290|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Automobilia1953/>
| related = [[Ford Vedette]]
| designer = 
}}

The '''Ford Comète''' (later known as the '''Simca Comète''') is a [[automobile|car]] that was built between 1951 and 1954 in France by [[Ford SAF]].  Intended as the luxury model in the range, the Comète's bodywork was built by FACEL, who later produced the better-known [[Facel Vega]] luxury cars under their own name.  The original engine was a 2.2 L [[V8 engine|V8]] produced by Ford SAF of French design, also used in the [[Ford Vedette]], with a Pont-à-Mousson 4-speed manual transmission fitted.

The original model had a single horizontal bar across the grille with a chromed shield or bullet in the centre, somewhat similar to contemporary [[Studebaker]] products, among others, with steel wheels and chromed hubcaps.

==More power for 1953==
In October 1952, for the [[Paris Motor Show]], the Comète appeared with an engine enlarged from 2,158 cc to 2,355 cc.<ref name=Automobilia1953/>   Claimed horse-power was raised from 68&nbsp;hp to 80&nbsp;hp indicating that there was more to the engine upgrade than simply an increase in the cylinder bore from 66.0&nbsp;mm to 67.9&nbsp;mm.<ref name=Automobilia1953/>  (The stroke remained unchanged at 81.3&nbsp;mm.)   The most obvious of several other engine enhancements at this stage was the increase in the compression ratio from 6.8 : 1 to 7.4 : 1, reflecting the appearance of slightly higher octane fuels.<ref name=Automobilia1953/>   Torque and engine flexibility were also improved and the claimed top speed increased from 130&nbsp;km/h (81&nbsp;mph) to 145&nbsp;km/h (90&nbsp;mph).<ref name=Automobilia1953/>

==Much more power available for 1954==
Available from the start of 1954, a new "Monte-Carlo" model appeared with the 3,923 cc V8 engine normally fitted to Ford trucks; this engine, befitting its truck heritage, delivered 78&nbsp;kW (105&nbsp;hp) with plenty of torque. Performance was much improved, but the new engine did not endear itself to buyers of the car having a "truck engine", The engine's large [[engine displacement|displacement]] meant that its [[tax horsepower|taxed horsepower]] rating imposed by the French government was 22CV, giving a high road tax in a country where government taxation policy, especially after 1948, was high for cars with engine sizes above 2 litres.<ref name=Automobilia1953/> This new model was fitted with wire wheels, a fake hood scoop, and a typical for the time Ford egg-crate grille, consisting of vertical and horizontal equally spaced bars.  The French called this grille a "coupe-frites": a "french-fry cutter".

==Commercial==
The Comète combined the elegant style of a body by [[Facel]] with the mechanical underpinnings of the [[Ford Vedette]] combined with a shortened wheelbase.<ref name=Automobilia1954/>   The rear seat was stylishly designed, especially on the upmarket "Monte-Carlo" version with its two-colour leather seat covers, but nevertheless offered insufficient leg space for adults, other than on the shortest and most unavoidable of journeys.<ref name=Automobilia1954/>   The economy was beginning to grow robustly by the mid-1950s, but the market capacity for cars of this size remained small and Comète sales were correspondingly modest. Above all, it was handicapped by a list price that was (in October 1953) 65% higher than that for the mechanically similar Vedette.<ref name=Automobilia1954/>   Customers interested in the larger engined 3,923 cc versions were faced with a price for the "Monte-Carlo" (once it became available at the start of 1954) that was 51% higher than that of the spacious four door [[Ford Vendôme|Vendôme]].<ref name=Automobilia1954/>

==Change of manufacturer==
During 1954, [[Ford SAF]] was sold, and the Comète's final year of production took place under [[Simca]].  The '''Simca Comète Monte-Carlo''' continued to be offered till July 1955.<ref name=Automobilia1954>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1954 (salon [Paris Oct] 1953)| volume = 24| pages = 31, 34–35|year = 2002|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="150px">
File:Ford Comete Facel Coupe (1953) Classic-Gala 2022 1X7A0296.jpg|Ford Comète
File:Ford Comete.jpg|Ford Comète
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[1950 Ford]]
*[[Ford Zephyr Mark I]]
*[[Ford Taunus]]

== References ==
* Ford S.A.F. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060211071106/http://www.facel-vega.com/comete.htm Ford Comète Brochure]''. Reproduced by [http://www.facel-vega.com/ Facel-Vega.com], retrieved April 30, 2005. (''[[French language]]'')
* Ford Oldtimer und Motorsport Club Cologne e.V. ''[http://website.webcenter.lycos.de/www.fomcc.de/comete.htm Ford Comète]''.  Retrieved April 30, 2005. (''[[German language]]'')

{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Ford Comète}}
{{FordEurope}}
{{Early European Ford vehicles}}
{{Simca timeline}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford Comete}}
[[Category:Ford of Europe vehicles|Comete]]
[[Category:Facel Vega vehicles]]
[[Category:Simca vehicles]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1951]]