Ford has invented some of the most iconic nameplates in automotive history, but lurking in the deep folds of the company’s history is a string of obscure models and regional quirks. Where the most celebrated Ford models have been featured in countless videos, this time we are exploring the more obscure side of the company’s legacy, looking at obscure cars most fans have completely forgotten, and how many different ways one company can go over the years. Some of these cars were designed for a specific market in a world away from Detroit, and some were experiments Ford abandoned very quickly.

From short-lived marketing trials to low-production regional adaptations, these vehicles trace the bizarre ways Ford has found itself. Here we have assembled ten of the most intriguing and most unknown, including the Edsel Roundup, Ford Aspire, Th!nk City, FPV Super Pursuit and the GT70. From North America, South Africa, Australia and France, they include everything from city-based runabouts and utilities based on cars to early electric three-wheeler and rally homogenization specials. All are unique stories in themselves but collectively they offer a surprising look at chapters of the Ford story that don’t often get told.

1. Edsel Roundup

When Ford launched the Edsel brand for the 1958 model year, the goal was to counter General Motors and capture a larger portion of the mid-century American market. Seven Edsel models were introduced right at the start, including three different station wagon options: the Roundup, the Bermuda, and the Villager. The Roundup was unique among the trio because it featured a two-door layout rather than four passenger doors. That difference set it apart inside a lineup that was already new to the market. Ford had high hopes for the whole range, and the wagons were meant to help the brand reach family buyers who wanted practical, stylish transportation.

Edsel Roundup Wagon Facts:

• Launched for 1958 model year
• Seven Edsel models debuted
• Three station wagon options
• Two-door layout, unlike siblings
• Aimed to counter General Motors

Despite Ford’s massive expectations for the Edsel lineup, sales were exceptionally weak across the board. The two-door Roundup wagon struggled to find buyers, resulting in production figures that reached only the high three figures. Ford quickly realized the brand was a major failure, leading to the prompt cancellation of the model shortly after its launch. The Roundup therefore became one of the rarest and most overlooked parts of the Edsel story. It stands as a reminder that even a company with big plans and a large budget can misread what buyers actually want, and that a unique design does not guarantee success.

2. Ford Aspire

In North America, the 1994 model year marked the arrival of the Ford Aspire, a compact saloon developed in partnership with Kia. Built in South Korea and sold locally as the Kia Avella, the Aspire was created as the notch back sibling to the small Ford Festiva. It aimed to offer an affordable entry point for commuters seeking basic transportation. The idea was simple and practical, giving buyers a low-cost car that covered the essentials without extra frills. Partnering with Kia allowed Ford to bring the car to market, and the Aspire was meant to serve drivers who wanted dependable transport at a modest price.

Ford Aspire Compact Facts:

• Arrived for 1994 model year
• Developed with Kia
• Sold locally as Kia Avella
• Notch back sibling to Festiva
• Pulled after 1997

Unfortunately for Ford, the Aspire failed to capture much attention from buyers in the United States and Canada. Extremely poor sales numbers forced the company to pull the vehicle from the North American market after 1997. Although a second-generation Ka-based Aspire appeared much later in India, the original model remains a forgotten footnote in North American automotive history. Its story shows how a sensible plan can still fail to connect with the public. Even with a partner and a clear purpose, the Aspire never found the audience Ford had hoped for, and it faded away without much notice.

3. Ford Bantam

While unknown in most global markets, the Ford Bantam was a staple of South African motoring for nearly three decades. In South Africa, small car-based pickup trucks are known locally as “bakkies,” and they enjoy immense popularity among buyers needing practicality. The Bantam was built exclusively in South Africa from 1983 until 2011, spanning three distinct production generations. That long run shows how well it suited local needs. While most of the world never saw one, South African drivers came to rely on the Bantam as an affordable and practical way to carry loads while still driving something small and easy to handle.

Ford Bantam Bakkie Facts:

• Staple of South African motoring
• Built exclusively in South Africa
• Produced from 1983 until 2011
• Three production generations
• Never exported abroad

The first iteration of the Bantam was based on the third-generation European Ford Escort chassis. Subsequent versions utilized platform components from the sixth-generation Mazda 323 and later the fifth-generation Ford Fiesta. Because it was never exported outside its home country, the Bantam remained a common sight on South African roads while remaining completely obscure everywhere else. Its changing platforms show how Ford kept the model fresh by drawing on different parts of its global lineup. The Bantam is a fine example of a regional model that mattered greatly at home yet is almost unknown to enthusiasts elsewhere.

4. Centurion Classic

During the early 1990s, full-size four-door SUVs were in high demand, but Ford only offered the two-door Bronco. Seeing an unfulfilled niche in the market, an independent coachbuilder named Centurion Vehicles stepped in to build a solution. Based in White Pigeon, Michigan, Centurion created a hybrid vehicle known as the Centurion Classic. The company saw that buyers wanted more doors and more space, and it set out to give them exactly that. The result was a custom answer to a gap that Ford had not yet filled itself, built by an outside firm rather than by the manufacturer.

Centurion Classic Conversion Facts:

• Built by Centurion Vehicles
• Based in White Pigeon, Michigan
• F-Series crew cab chassis
• Bronco rear roof, tailgate
• Three rows, four doors

To construct this heavy-duty SUV, Centurion utilized an F-Series crew cab truck chassis and joined it with the rear roof and tailgate section of a Ford Bronco. The resulting vehicle offered three rows of seating alongside full four-door accessibility. Centurion produced these conversions for nine years until Ford introduced the factory four-door Expedition, rendering the custom Classic unnecessary. The Classic shows how independent builders can respond quickly to what buyers want. Once Ford offered its own four-door SUV, the conversion had done its job, and the Centurion Classic became a forgotten but clever chapter in Ford history.

5. Ford Comète

Following the Second World War, Ford’s French subsidiary, known as Ford SAF, produced a selection of unique vehicles specifically for the local European market. The most stylish offering from SAF was the 1951 Comète coupe. It featured a sleek body crafted by the legendary coachbuilder Facel, who would later build the famous Facel Vega luxury cars. The Comète stood out as an elegant and unusual car, and it showed that Ford’s French arm was willing to aim for something more stylish than a typical everyday model. Its link to Facel gives the car an interesting place in automotive history.

Ford Comète Coupe Facts:

• Built by Ford SAF in France
• Stylish 1951 coupe
• Body crafted by Facel
• Ford Flathead V8 power
• Sold to Simca in 1954

Underneath its elegant bodywork, the Comète was powered by Ford’s classic Flathead V8 engine borrowed from the Vedette saloon. However, the car suffered from high retail prices and heavy vehicle taxation in France, which severely constrained sales. Due to ongoing financial struggles, Ford sold SAF to Simca in 1954, and the Comète was discontinued shortly thereafter. The car combined beauty and V8 power, yet costs and taxes held it back. It remains a stylish but little-known example of what Ford’s French subsidiary attempted in the years after the war.

6. Ford Durango

When the Ford Ranchero met its end, Ford found itself without an answer to Chevrolet’s popular El Camino. Enter California custom car builder Jim Stephenson, who designed a pickup conversion using the two-door Ford Fairmont Futura saloon as a starting platform. Built by National Coach Products in partnership with Ford, the resulting Ford Durango was intended to serve as a last-minute competitor in the car-based truck segment. The plan was to give Ford something to offer buyers who wanted a car-based pickup, and the Durango was the quick solution that came out of that need.

Ford Durango Ute Facts:

• Replaced Ranchero’s role
• Designed by Jim Stephenson
• Built from Fairmont Futura
• Made by National Coach Products
• Produced from 1981 through 1982

Because each Durango required expensive conversion work before hitting dealer lots, it commanded a higher price tag than its Chevy rival. Ford’s grand vision of fully integrating the pickup into its standard factory lineup never actually materialized, leaving the Durango as a costly custom-order oddity. Production lasted briefly from 1981 through 1982, with estimates suggesting anywhere from fewer than 200 to around 400 examples ever hitting the streets. The Durango is a rare reminder of a short-lived attempt to compete with the El Camino, and its tiny production numbers make it a true curiosity today.

7. Ford Th!nk City

Long before the modern electric vehicle boom, Ford made a quirky foray into zero-emissions motoring by acquiring a struggling EV startup out of bankruptcy. The tangible outcome of this brief experiment was the Th!nk City, an ultra-compact urban runabout sold between 2002 and 2003. Designed primarily for congested city commutes, this plastic-bodied EV offered a range of approximately 50 miles and topped out at 62 mph. It was an early look at what electric city driving could become. The car was small, simple, and built for short trips, which made it a fitting match for crowded urban streets.

Ford Th!nk City EV Facts:

• Ultra-compact urban runabout
• Sold between 2002 and 2003
• Plastic-bodied electric vehicle
• About 50 miles of range
• Topped out at 62 mph

Despite its diminutive size, the Th!nk City satisfied crash safety standards and was technically legal for highway travel in North America. High retail prices stifled widespread consumer adoption, allowing Ford to shift slightly over 1,000 units before throwing in the towel. The company promptly sold off the EV division to new investors, making this tiny commuter a forgotten chapter in Ford’s early electrification timeline. The Th!nk City shows that Ford was exploring electric cars long before they became mainstream, even though the price and timing kept this early experiment from finding wider success.

8. Ford Raider

During the 1990s, automakers frequently shared platforms to capitalize on the burgeoning SUV market. Down in Australia, Ford leveraged its deep partnership with Mazda to create the Ford Raider, sold between 1991 and 1996. The Raider was essentially a rebadged Mazda Proceed Marvie, which itself was constructed by grafting a longer, fully enclosed roof section onto the back of a Mazda B-Series pickup truck. This approach let Ford enter the SUV segment without building an entirely new vehicle. It was a practical use of a partnership, and it gave Australian buyers a family-friendly option at a time when such vehicles were uncommon.

Ford Raider Australian Facts:

• Sold between 1991 and 1996
• Rebadged Mazda Proceed Marvie
• Mazda B-Series pickup base
• Australian exclusive
• Few survivors remain

To avoid competing directly with one another, Mazda restricted its Proceed Marvie sales to Asian markets while Ford kept the Raider strictly as an Australian exclusive. The rugged, family-hauling utility vehicle filled a crucial spot in the lineup at a time when standalone SUV platforms were rare. Today, few surviving Raiders remain, having mostly been driven hard across the Australian outback. The Raider is a good example of how platform sharing shaped the 1990s, and how a rebadged model could become a hard-working, forgotten part of Ford’s regional history.

9. Ford FPV Super Pursuit

The fierce competition between Ford and Holden in Australia produced some truly wild performance machinery, none more outrageous than the high-octane performance utes. Released in 2009 by Ford Performance Vehicles, the FPV Super Pursuit was a tire-shredding pickup packed with serious muscle. Under its bulged hood sat a 5.4-liter V8 engine pushing 422 horsepower directly to the rear wheels. This was a ute built with real performance in mind. It brought the excitement of a muscle car to a vehicle that could still carry cargo, which made it a perfect expression of what Australian buyers loved about the segment.

FPV Super Pursuit Ute Facts:

• Released in 2009 by FPV
• Tire-shredding performance pickup
• 5.4-liter V8 engine
• 422 horsepower to rear wheels
• Rival to Holden’s HSV Maloo R8

Built specifically to lock horns with Holden’s rival HSV Maloo R8, the Super Pursuit offered sports-car performance fused with classic Ute practicality. Unfortunately, dwindling sales across Australian-built Ford lines forced the company toward shuttering its domestic manufacturing operations. This brutal V8 utility truck stands as one of the ultimate expressions of Aussie car culture. Its power, its rivalry with Holden, and its place near the end of Ford’s Australian manufacturing story make the Super Pursuit a memorable chapter that deserves far more attention than it usually receives.

10. Ford GT70

Ford boasts a rich history in global rally racing, but the mid-engine GT70 remains a rare misstep in its competition archive. Developed in the early 1970s, the GT70 was conceived as a lightweight homogenization special intended to conquer tricky rally stages before being sold in minimal quantities as a road car. The concept was bold and ambitious, and it followed the idea of building a purpose-made rally machine. On paper, it promised a light, mid-engine car that could take on difficult stages and then reach the public in very limited numbers.

Ford GT70 Rally Facts:

• Mid-engine rally homogenization special
• Developed in early 1970s
• Lightweight, minimal road-car plans
• Severe handling flaws in testing
• Only a handful of prototypes

The prototype suffered from severe handling flaws during testing, proving exceptionally uncomfortable and tricky to control at speed. Engineers attempted numerous revisions, swapping in smaller engines, discarding the pop-up headlights, and tweaking the bodywork, but the platform failed to live up to expectations. Ford wisely axed the GT70 program after building just a handful of prototypes, choosing instead to channel its motorsport resources into the iconic Escort rally cars. The GT70 is a reminder that even a company with a rich rally history can have projects that simply do not work out as planned.