In Gear

The most attention getting vehicles at the New England International Auto Show last month were the concept cars. With sometimes strange utilitarian and industrial-like glimpses into what manufacturers envision for the future, most of these cars are not on a production schedule yet.

One exception is the redesigned Ford Thunderbird that's due to come off the assembly line next November. It's a car that I could easily fall in love with.

Borrowing from the classic look of the two-seater models of mid-fifties vintage, the canary yellow concept T-bird on display at the show was nostalgic looking enough to want to take it to the drive-in movies and contemporary enough to capture a new generation in its timeless mystique.

It takes several cues from the past including porthole windows just behind the front doors, aluminum finished chevrons on the front fenders, round headlamps and the trademark T-bird badge.

"It almost looks like the first one," remarked someone in the crowd milling about the platform on which the car revolved.

On hand to answer questions was Gary Davis, a Ford assembler from the Twin Cities Assembly facility in Minnesota. It was his first visit to Boston and he was impressed by the city's visible connections to its history.

But on the show floor he was witnessing a different sort of link to our past.

"People are staying around the Thunderbird all day," he observed. "It's a memory catcher."

Ford designed the car to reflect the attitude of a simpler time, according to Ford's Vice President of Design J. Mays. It's their way of demonstrating in a modern way, "the unbridled optimism and confident attitude of the 1950's."

A different sort of unbridled optimism was on display at the Mitsubishi display area -- the twin turbo-charged, all wheel drive SSU VR4.

Mitsubishi describes it as an "extreme sports vehicle" that has the performance and handling of a sports car with the space and versatility of an SUV. My guess is the VR stands for Virtual Reality.

I couldn't help but think it had a Batmobile-like quality to it. Design lines seemed to come right out of the comic book, especially in the front end. Plus, the 20- inch wheels gave it an indestructible, super hero aura.

Olivia Tracey, Mitsubishi's product demonstrator described it as an "office on wheels" with a climate controlled interior, in-dash computer and satellite, internet and e-mail access.

"A lot of people are coming up and calling it the car of the show," she observed. "I think it's a practical concept."

She may be right. SUV sales have steadily risen even among buyers who typically went for luxury cars. The look of elegance seems to be taking a back seat to a more utilitarian vision.

In a few years there may be nothing virtual about the reality of this concept car. Put it side by side with the new Thunderbird and it's bound to stir up a form vs. function argument or two.