Coming for 1963

In gossipy Detroit, the rumor mills found much to grind on about the size and shape of next fall's 1963 models.

Hottest news was Ford's decision to introduce the U.S.'s first "compact compact," a 99-in. wheelbase car called the Cardinal. Designed to capture a chunk of the market now held by the Rambler American and such utility imports as the Volkswagen, the Cardinal will be produced, starting in July, at the same Louisville plant that made the ill-fated Edsel. To cut labor costs, Ford will have some Cardinal parts-including the engine, transmission and differential-machined in Germany and shipped to Louisville for assembly. Ford's German and British subsidiaries will manufacture local variants of the Cardinal.

To keep its competitors in the dark as to the Cardinal's appearance (Ford's typical saucer-size taillights, vestigial fins and probably a Thunderbird-like grille), Ford has been testing the car in semi-disguised form in Germany and Italy (see cut). Main Cardinal features: a front-wheel drive that will eliminate the troublesome "hump" caused by the drive shaft in most cars; a 70-h.p., V-4 engine that promises up to 35 miles per gallon of gas and rockets the little car along at more than 80 m.p.h. ; sculptured styling that will allow for more leg room and trunk space than the Volkswagen. Price: around $1,700.

General Motors is in less of a hurry to produce its rumored compact compact, the Corvair II, will hedge its hesitation by importing the new Opel Kadett from Germany. Chrysler, not yet convinced that the market for new small cars is big enough, will stick firmly with its Simca imports. The big question: Will Cardinal cut as deeply into Falcon sales as Falcon has into standard Ford sales?

Other Detroit whispers last week: > Buick will introduce the Centurion, General Motors' long-awaited answer to Ford's Thunderbird. Slightly bigger than the Thunderbird (116-in. wheelbase v. the T-bird's 113) and probably more expensive, Centurion will feature "fastback" styling, a gentle, slightly concave curve from the roofline to the rear bumper.

> Chevrolet's 1963 Corvette will get its first major face-lifting: boxy, squarish front and a "fastback" line for the hardtop model.

> The 1963 Dodge line will include a new, 111-in. wheelbase car, midway between the Lancer and Dart.

> The standard Pontiac will change its headlight pattern from the present four abreast to vertical pairs, one light directly above the other on each side.

> Studebaker-Packard will probably jump the fall season with a summer-born, completely new, Raymond Loewy-designed Thunderbird-market car with European lines and lots of glass.

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