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Budd XR-400

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This article is about the concept car. For honda motorcycle, seeHonda XR series § XR 400R.

Budd XR-400
Overview
ManufacturerBudd Company
Body and chassis
ClassConcept car
Body styleSports car
LayoutFR layout
Powertrain
Engine327 cu in (5.4 L)V8
Transmission3-speedautomatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase108 inches (2,743 mm)

TheXR-400was a fully operationalconcept car.[1]A "sporty" youth-orientedconvertiblewas built in 1962 by theBudd Company,an independent body builder inDetroit,Michigan,for evaluation by the fourth largest U.S. automaker at the time,American Motors Corporation(AMC).[2]

Origin

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The XR-400 was developed and constructed by the Automotive Division of the Budd Company.[3]The "X" stood for experimental and the "R" stood for Rambler.[4]The trunk lid featured Rambler lettering as the intended customer of the car.[2]

The objective of this car was to entice AMC to expand into a newmarket segmentwith a low-cost Rambler-based "sports convertible."[5]The Budd Company was a long-time supplier of tooling, parts, and bodies toautomakers.Budd also worked withNash Motors,AMC's predecessor company, to develop the 1941Nash 600,the firstunibody(unitized) automobile body in theUnited Statesin 1940, the predecessor of the modern mass-produced car.[6][7]

Examples of Budd's experiments include the first all-plastic-bodied automobile developed for Studebaker in 1954.[8]This prototype logged thousands of test miles on public roads.[9]Its contracts included the manufacture of Thunderbird bodies for Ford starting in 1955 through 1957.[9][10]In 1962, Budd proposed to replicate the original two-seat Thunderbird design on a Ford Falcon platform, but Ford rejected the idea.[11][12][13]Budd's XT-Bird idea was then redeveloped using an AMC platform and shown to AMC.[11]

Budd's already existing business with AMC would increase by having AMC proceed with developing its concept vehicle. Budd wanted to supply bodies and major sub-assemblies to the automaker for a production version of this new car.[14]Budd estimated that the new model could be available for public sale by October 1963,[15]six months ahead of theFord Mustang.[16]

Design

[edit]

The XR-400 was built on a two-door 1962Ambassadorchassis.[17]To keep costs down, Budd engineers kept the front of the unit body with the suspension in its existing position. However, the engine's position was lowered by two inches (51 mm) with new rear mounts. Theradiatorwas moved down 3.5 inches (89 mm). The fan blades were shortened, as was the oil-filler neck.[4]The air cleaner was relocated, the exhaust system was reshaped, and the gas tank was new.[4]

The XR-400's long nose was achieved by extending the front section and adding a cowl behind it that held the battery.[18]The car was styled by Budd with a relatively clean and uncluttered body, giving little indication of its Ramblersedanorigin. A double crease in the beltline suggested a family relationship to the contemporary styling of Rambler's large-sized cars.

The proposed model was a true2+2(two frontbucket seatsplus limited-use seats for two back passengers) sleek, steel-blueconvertiblewith a long hood and a short, stubby rear deck.[2]The XR-400's long 108-inch (2,743 mm) Ambassadorwheelbaseand truncated overhangs gave it athletic proportions. At the same time, the top-up appearance suggested a close-coupled two-seatersports car.Classic sports car touches included a hood line that slopped lower than the front fenders, doors that had a dip in their top, and simulated air extractors behind the front wheels.[2]

Power for the XR-400 was supplied by a standard Ambassador two-barrel 250 hp (186 kW; 253 PS) 327 cu in (5.4 L)AMC V8 engine.[19]The engine bay could accommodate any of AMC'sI6or V8 engines. The transmission was anautomatic(not typical of sports cars for that time) controlled through afloor console-mounted shift lever.[15]Braking was provided by an experimental frontdisc brakesystem.[20]

The interior used AMC's front seats and many other hardware items. In classic sports car fashion, the driver had all controls and a complete set of instruments (speedometer,tachometer,as well as gauges for fuel, water temperature, amperes, and oil pressure) that mounted directly ahead of a three-spoke wood-rimmed Nardi (brand) steering wheel.[21]

Budd's sales pitch to AMC included pioneering a market "presently untapped by any other manufacturer" with a car that "unlike anything else on the road, it would attract widespread attention, provide your dealers with both a new profit area and morale-builder, and offer unusual advertising and sales promotion opportunities."[22]

Expectations

[edit]

The experimental convertible was publicly exhibited at the 1964 meeting of theSociety of Automotive Engineers(SAE).[3]The press release stated that the concept shows how modifying Rambler Ambassadors results in:

"... A brand new type of car—one designed specifically to take over a healthy segment of the new car market presently untapped by any American manufacturer...."[15]

Automotive press reports stated that such a new model could have appeared in AMCdealershowrooms, thus establishing a market segment at least six months before Ford's similarMustangstarted the "pony car"market.[6]Unfortunately, AMC turned down the idea.[23]There were several reasons for this decision, including:[24][25]

  • American Motors' PresidentGeorge W. Romney,who cemented the company as a maker ofcompact cars,left the company in February 1962 to run for governor of Michigan.
  • The new model needed more interior room to compete successfully against other sporty compact cars already in the marketplace, such as theChevrolet CorvairMonza and thePontiac TempestLe Mans.
  • American Motors was developing entirely new models for 1963, and this was a significant capital drain. Entering an entirely newmarket segmentwith an unproven car could be risky.
  • The automaker was working on a new compact fastback concept car called theRambler Tarpon,which used the soon-to-be-introduced third-generationRambler Americanplatform.

Legacy

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The Budd Company kept the only prototype model, but later renamed it "XR-Budd" and used it for marketing purposes. The Rambler lettering on the rear of the trunk lid was removed, while the stamped steel wheels with fullwheel coverswere upgraded to chrome-plated reverse wheels with exposedlug nuts.Budd sold the prototype toThe Henry FordMuseum in 1997.[26]It is now at the museum and also displayed at major classic car shows.[27]

References

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  1. ^"Prototypes and Show Cars: XR-400".amxfiles.com.Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 1997.Retrieved26 March2022.
  2. ^abcdJanicki, Ed (April 1965)."Budd's Mustang – a prototype" family sports car "by an independent body builder"(PDF).Car Life.Vol. 12. pp. 60–61.Retrieved26 March2022– via wildaboutcarsonline.
  3. ^ab"Budd-Built Beauty".Automotive Industries.130(12). Chilton: 47. 15 June 1964.Retrieved26 March2022– via Google Books.
  4. ^abcVaughan, Daniel (August 2010)."1962 AMC Rambler Budd XR-400".Retrieved26 March2022.
  5. ^"1962 Budd XR-400 Sports Convertible".How Stuff Works.6 November 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 22 January 2021.Retrieved26 March2022.
  6. ^abStrohl, Daniel (9 January 2008)."Rambler's Mustang? the Budd XR-400".Hemmings.Retrieved26 March2022.
  7. ^"Chrysler moves to Unibody (unit-body construction): 1960".allpar.com.Retrieved26 March2022.
  8. ^Carpenter, Lauren (18 June 2013), "The Budd Manufacturing Company",transcendinginbw,In 1954, the company introduced the first all-plastic bodied automobile for Studebaker. (Retrieved 26 March 2022. from transcendinginbwdotcom.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/the-budd-manufacturing-company/ )
  9. ^ab"Suppliers on a Roll".Automotive Industries.176.Chilton: 77. 1996.Retrieved26 March2022.
  10. ^Long, Brian (2016).The Book of the Ford Thunderbird from 1954.Veloce Publishing.ISBN978-1-84584-700-5.Retrieved26 March2022– via Google Books.
  11. ^abAndreina, Don (20 October 2020)."Automotive History: The Short Life And Personal Times Of The 1955-1957 Thunderbird".curbsideclassic.com.Retrieved26 March2022.
  12. ^"Test Driving a One-of-a-Kind '60s Concept Car".The Henry Ford.14 June 2019.Retrieved26 March2022– via YouTube.
  13. ^"1962 Budd XT-Bird Concept Car – The Henry Ford".The Henry Ford.Retrieved26 March2022.
  14. ^Wright, Richard A. (10 January 2000)."Rare special cars highlight Ford collection".The Detroit News.Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2012.Retrieved26 March2022....two purposes in mind: to demonstrate Budd's capabilities and as a proposal for manufacture of a small, sporty personal car.
  15. ^abc"Ready for Motor Muster: Budd XR-400 Concept Car".The Henry Ford.14 June 2019.Retrieved26 March2022.
  16. ^Wright, Richard A. (21 April 2003)."Ford museum preserves greatest moments in automotive history".The Detroit News.Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2012.Retrieved26 March2022....the Budd XR-400 could have gone into production six months ahead of Ford's Mustang...
  17. ^"XT-Bird Becomes XR-400".How Stuff Works.6 November 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2019.Retrieved26 March2022.
  18. ^The Henry Ford (19 June 2009)."The Henry Ford conservation specialists preparing the Budd XR-400 for Motor Muster".Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.Retrieved26 March2022– via YouTube.
  19. ^Strohl, Daniel (22 February 2013)."Never-was Rambler-based pony car headed to Keels and Wheels".Hemmings.Retrieved15 March2024.
  20. ^"The Henry Ford preps pony cars for Motor Muster".The Henry Ford Museum.19 June 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 7 August 2011.Retrieved26 March2022.
  21. ^Shea, Terry (October 2016)."Nardi".Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.Retrieved26 March2022.
  22. ^"Budd Company's Pitch to AMC".How Stuff Works.6 November 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2017.Retrieved26 March2022.
  23. ^Theobald, Mark (2004)."Edward G. Budd Mfg. Co. – 1912-1946 – Budd Co. 1946-present".Coachbuilt.com.Retrieved26 March2022.
  24. ^"Why AMC Passed on the 1962 Budd XR-400".How Stuff Works.6 November 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 26 December 2017.Retrieved26 March2022.
  25. ^"The XR-400 wouldn't have saved AMC, but it pointed in a useful direction".indieauto.org.7 July 2021.Retrieved26 March2022.
  26. ^Strohl, Daniel (22 February 2011)."Never-was Rambler-based pony car headed to Keels and Wheels".retrohotrod.com.Archived fromthe originalon 9 November 2014.Retrieved26 March2022.
  27. ^"18th Annual Keels & Wheels Concours d'Elegance to Showcase Concept Car".Michigan Meetings & Events.8 March 2013.Retrieved26 March2022.
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