 The
Delorean was NOT the first stainless steel car!
 While I was at CORROSION 2002 (NACE) in Denver
I had a chance to see one of six 1936 Fords that were made with a
stainless steel body. The car was in the booth of Allegheny
Technologies. It was a 1936 Ford Deluxe Sedan and all the body
panels were stainless, manufactured by the Allegheny Ludlum Steel
Division, of course. You can read
more about it on the Allegheny Technologies website.
Although
the stainless was corrosion free, the chrome plated grill and bumpers
did not fare as well: There were definite signs of rust! (You can
almost see it on the grill and on the 'nerf bars' on the bumper in the
enlarged version of the picture, below.) The car had
been buffed and polished for the show, but small scratches on the
stainless showed the
circular motions used! John DeLorean was quite wise in using brushed
stainless! Fingerprints don't show as readily, and as long as
polishing is done with the grain, polishing streaks don't show
either!
Ford
also collaborated with Allegheny Ludlum to fabricate a stainless
version of a 1960 Thunderbird and, in 1967, a Lincoln Continental Convertible.
With any luck, Allegheny Technologies will bring a different stainless
steel Ford in 2005! |
