1953 Ford X-100 Concept Car 0401-1535

The 1953 Ford X-100 concept car photographed outside a Dearborn engineering building, black with a cream roof and a deeply wrapped windscreen.

What Is in This Photograph?

A colour front three-quarter view from low down. The car is very long and very low, finished in deep gloss black with a cream hard roof over a green interior. The windscreen wraps right around into the door line, the front wings carry hooded headlamps with a central pod between them, and a heavy chrome bumper assembly runs across the nose with bullet ends and a slotted grille beneath. The flanks are almost unbroken, with the rear wheels partly enclosed, whitewall tyres and X-100 lettering on the rear quarter. Behind it a modern building of glass curtain walling over red brick runs the width of the frame, with clipped shrubs and lawn along a concrete kerb.

What Was the X-100?

Ford's first full dream car, built for the company's fiftieth anniversary. The Ford Engineering Staff at Dearborn conceived and built it as a fully functional "laboratory on wheels" carrying more than 50 innovative ideas, some of which reached production later (The Henry Ford, AllCarIndex). Ford published a brochure for it under that exact title (The Henry Ford brochure record, Mac's Motor City Garage).

Why Photograph It Against the Office?

Because that is where it came from. A dream car is usually shot on a turntable under lights; putting the X-100 on the kerb outside its own engineering building says it drives, and it dates the picture to the moment the staff finished it. The plain glass and brick behind also keep every reflection on that black bodywork readable.

Who Is This Print For?

This concept car print suits collectors of 1950s dream cars and industrial design, Ford historians, mid-century interiors, and anyone who wants period colour rather than black and white. The gloss black body against pale glazing gives it unusual graphic strength for a period photograph. Choose framed print, stretched canvas, ChromaLuxe metal or Giclée.

Photograph Details

• Vehicle: 1953 Ford X-100 concept car
• Built by: Ford Engineering Staff, Dearborn, Michigan
• Billed as: A fully functional "laboratory on wheels" with more than 50 new ideas
• Finish: Black with cream roof, green interior
• Archive reference: 0401-1535

This archival photograph is made available through Fordimages.com, the official Ford archive imagery licensee operated by Richard Weedn LLC. Each image is digitally restored before printing and handcrafted to order.

Available as:

• Framed Print — museum-quality paper, archival inks, Acrylite glazing, hanging hardware included
• Stretched Canvas — hand-stretched over 1.25-inch pine bars, heavy cotton poly matte finish
• ChromaLuxe Metal Print — image infused directly onto sheets of alloy metal for maximum vibrancy and durability
• Giclée Art Print — 260gsm satin finish paper, finest archival inks, white border

Made in the USA or Europe depending on your location.

About the Artwork

Artwork in this collection comes from the Ford Motor Company Archives, The Henry Ford Museum, the Carroll Shelby Archives, and the collections of acclaimed photographers and painters from around the world. Reproduction rights are reserved by the respective copyright owners.

Our framed prints feature a black, hand-stained solid wood frame with a white mat, museum-quality paper, archival inks, Acrylite glazing, and hanging hardware. The frame features a slim 0.8-inch face and projects 1.3 inches from the wall, creating a clean, contemporary shadow-box effect. Made in the USA or Europe, depending on your location.

Our stretched canvas prints are produced on acid-free, pH-neutral, and fade-resistant canvas. Each canvas is hand-glued to solid wood stretcher bars and stretched over 1.25-inch-thick pine bars. Mounting brackets are included. Made in the USA or Europe, depending on your location.

Our Giclée prints are produced using premium 200gsm semi-gloss paper and high-quality archival inks. Each print includes a white border around the perimeter.

For the 40 x 60 size, we use 250gsm museum-quality archival paper with an off-white, uncoated finish.

The listed size refers to the overall paper dimensions. The image is printed proportionally within the selected paper size. Made in the USA or Europe, depending on your location.

ChromaLuxe prints use a state-of-the-art coating process that infuses the image directly onto sheets of alloy metal. The result is photography with an exceptional combination of vibrancy, clarity, and durability.

Each print arrives ready to hang. An alloy subframe on the back allows the artwork to float away from the wall for a sleek, modern appearance. This is the finest-quality print we offer. Made in the USA.

All images are digitally restored before printing. Production location varies by product and destination. Shipping is calculated at checkout.