1968 Ford Techna - AllCarIndex

Ford Motor Company's Techna, an experimental engineering car will be displayed at Northwestern University Technological Institute Tuesday, April 15,

in a series of visits to selected engineering campuses across the country.

The sleek, six-passenger car, which contains more than 50 new engineering ideas, was designed and built by Ford engineers as a test bed for product ideas which could find their way into production cars in the 1970’s.

Principal innovations include a new power train design that permits a smaller relocated passenger compartment "hump" and two double-hinged electronically operated doors that slide out parallel to the body rather than pivoting.

The engine and transmission are canted to one aide to connect with a off-center, triple-jointed driveline. As a result the driveshaft hump is between the left and center seating positions for greater passenger comfort.

Among other features:    front fenders and hood swing forward on a hinge

similar to a truck cab; a small maintenance hatch in the hood permits easy service checks; supplemental brake and turn signal lamps are mounted high in the rear window for extra visibility; a high backed front seat has lap and shoulder belts built in; a structural windshield eliminates front corner pillars; an electronic shift mechanism replaces the gear shift lever and brake and accelerator pedals are adjustable — but the seat remains stationary.

The Techna was first shown publicly at a Department of Transportation exhibit in Washington, D. C. last fall. It subsequently has been viewed at major auto shows and at leading engineering colleges in California, Ohio and Michigan.

The car will be displayed at Notre Dame University April 17 and will be at Carnegie—Mellon Institute and Case-Western University in May.