The concept of a fastback roof would become a reality at Ford midway through the 1963 model year when Ford offered a less dramatic version of a fastback roof on the Galaxie, Falcon and similar Mercury models.

The sleek fastback roof flows gracefully into the trunk lid invoking the look of speed and excitement in contrast to the production car’s more formal roofline. With its dramatic roofline, sumptuous leather interior, unique trim and eye-catching deep candy apple red paint scheme, the Italien was show stopper.

The Ford Italien, a Thunderbird-based, fastback concept car with an Italian flair, was one of the most popular cars on tour at the time. The public’s response to these concept cars often influences a car maker’s decision to implement design concepts into production cars at a later date. Concept cars are built to showcase new and futuristic designs and to capture the imagination of the public. If you visited a car show in 1963 or 1964, you would have seen concept cars on display from many different manufactures, just as you do today.

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