Ford’s Coronado Deck of 1952-54 seems to foreshadow the spare-tire bump of the 1956-57 Continental Mark II.
The car-collector crowd has a love-hate relationship with continental spare tires. That is, some enthusiasts love them while many others hate the sight of them. Ford struck a sort of middle ground with the the Coronado Deck Conversion, offered from 1952 throuh 1954 as a dealer-installed accessory and on one limited-production model in 1953. The Coronado Deck suggested the look of an exposed spare, but there was no tire inside.
Ford eliminated the weight, bulk, and bother of a conventional continental spare by reimagining the feature as a simple steel stamping that bolted directly to the deck lid. A large cutout at the bottom permitted access to the fuel filler behind the license plate, and there was a popout emblem to get to the trunk lock. The dealer kit, marketed as “a genuine Ford accessory,” included a stainless steel faux wheel cover and license plate frame, and it could be painted to match the vehicle or in a contrasting color, as the owner desired.
It’s unknown how many Ford buyers opted for the dealer kit, but the Coronado Deck was a standard feature on one factory product, the 1953 Sunliner Indianapolis 500 pace car replica. Ford produced 2,000 (or was it 2001?) pace cars, all in White Sungate Ivory with gold and white interiors. The actual pace car used on race day, driven by William Clay Ford, is now in the Henry Ford Museum.
Continental spares were a recurring theme in the Motor City throughout the ’50s, both in conventional form and as a simulated styling element..Real outdoor spares were offered by all the manufacturers, either as factory equipment or as a dealer accessory. At Chrysler, styling chief Virgil Exner used the faux spare tire in numerous ways on both production and concept vehicles. But possibly the most noteworthy example is the spare tire bump on the Ford Motor Company’s 1956-57 Contiental Mark II. However, inside the Mark II’s trunk there’s an actual spare tire positioned underneath.
Never liked the Continental spare in any shape or form. Just looks ridiculous to me.
Never knew this accessory existed. I am not a fan of Continental spares but do think some of the faux spares, like this one, are tasteful.
The only thing sillier looking than a Continental kit is a fake Continental kit.
Hate the ones sticking out a foot and a half but this one could grow on me.
About 40 years ago I found a Coronado equipped Ford 2-door hardtop in a junkyard. I pulled the kit [and deck lid] off the car, took it to the Carlisle PA flea market, and had no problem selling it. Never seen another used kit for sale.
I’ve owned several cars with the factory-installed outside rear spare:
1954 Packard Convertible [not Caribbean
1955 Cadillac Coupe Deville
1956 Cadillac Fleetwood 60s sedan
1954 Nash Metropolitan hardtop
1957 Buick Century Riviera.
1960 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.
1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner [retractable hardtop]
The one on the ’56 Cadillac was removed by me because it looked out of place on a sedan of that size. The original owner had a family of 5 who took long vacations, and needed the full trunk interior for luggage! While most of the American cars with the rear outside spare had the entire rear bumper extended, the 2 Cadillacs I had used the regular bumper, with a central Cadillac factory-installed chrome bumper addition for, a “bump out” where the spare tire was mounted. Many people thought this style was a “J C Whitney” accessory!
I removed the entire assembly from the 1960 Cadillac Eldo convert, because it simply didn’t look right on the car. The deck lid curved downward almost to the rear bumper, and this meant the rear outside tire stuck up into the air. Even with the fins on either side, it looked out of place.
The outside spare on the ’54 Met was necessary due to no outside trunk lid access. As it was, any items in the trunk had to be accessed thru the folding rear seat.
The ’54 Packard was painted black, and the outside spare tire with it’s black and chrome cover, didn’t look out of place.
The ’57 Buick’s tire was slanted forward at the top, and blended in well with the overall look of the car. I never did find out if it was factory-installed or a dealer-installed [non-GM] unit.
I kept the 1959 Ford retractable’s outside spare, as it provided more storage in the trunk when the top was stowed. And because the trunk area was so tall, it didn’t overpower the rear area of the car.
Like most of the commenters, with few exceptions I’m not a fan of Continental spares; they tend to make most cars look ungainly. I give them a pass when it’s necessary for trunk space (as with the 1939-1948 Continental and the 1956 Thunderbird). But that’s not the case here, and this faux spare introduces at least two drawbacks: It makes gas filler access more difficult, plus it introduces the potential for leaks from the four holes drilled into the decklid.
I recall the Coronado accessory on the 52-54 Fords. It was a pleasing look which customized your car without the bulk of a Continental Kit. However, at the time (I was a teenager) I thought it just looked like a “mickey” continental kit. How times change your perspective.