Name That Car...
12/18/09, 12:11 PM
#1174
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Ford OSI 20M TS - Officine Stampaggi Industriali - Torino - Italy .
At the 1966 Geneva Motor Show the Turin-based coach maker OSI unveiled a very classily designed Coupé base don the Ford 20M TS. But success was to elude it. Its performances just did not match up its ‘Ferrari-style’ bodywork. There were also delivery problems and overall quality control was far from perfect. After a 2 year long production run of proximately 2200 cars OSI disappeared from the scene.
Production of the OSI 20M TS began in January 1967, much to relief of Ford dealers. They would now have a luxury model at their disposal to compete with Opel’s Coupés – the Rekord and Commodore – and also with the Fiat 124 Coupé and other similar cars. Ford really needed a high-class coupe like the OSI because the sales figures for the 12M/15M and 17M/20M – vehicles which were generally looked upon as solid but unexciting – had dropped off dramatically.
Long on looks, short on power
To create its Coupé OSI simply put a new body on the otherwise unchanged Ford 20M TS. It’s characteristic features were its long bonnet, short roof and aerodynamic rear end. With its Ferrari-style double headlamps, the four-seater’s equipment was ‘luxurious down to the smallest detail’, as the brochure claimed at the time. This included a rev counter, an oil pressure indicator, a wooden steering wheel and a fine wooden dashboard.
But the car did not fulfil the promise that its looks might have led you to expect.
The two-litre six-cylinder engine was not particularly quiet and only put out 90hp. The Coupé’s performances were therefore very modest. The live rigid axle, with its rather basic leaf spring suspension, provided neither comfort nor good road holding. The unassisted recirculation-ball steering was anything but direct. In fact the only attractive thing about the OSI was its appearance.
Added to this were problems with delivery and quality control. The small factory simply could not cope with the demands of mass production. Customers were also put off by the price: the OSI was half as expensive again as the saloon. The last OSI coupes to be produced were fitted with the 2.3-litre engine from the 20M/2300S, which produced 108hp. As a result, the top speed went up from 103 to 112 mph. This merely underlined the inadequacies in the chassis and suspension. Production ended in 1968.
It’s a real pity that the OSI did not live up its classic styling. The only consolation is that there are still quite a lot of them on the market in good condition. So the OSI can make a 1960s Coupé lover’s dream come true, and at a reasonable price. Spares, of the moving parts at least, are also easy to obtain.
Highest performance engine of the series P5 was the 2,0-l-HC-V6 with 90 HP of the 20M TS. The maximum speed amounted to 165 km/h (OSI 20M TS: 170 km/h), the acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h took place in 14.0 seconds (OSI 20M TS: 14.2 seconds).
With the appearance of the P7 in August 1967 the OSI 20M TS was equipped in series with the new 2,3-l-HC-V6 with 108 HP. It reached with this motor a maximum speed of 180 km/h, the acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h took place in 11.7 seconds.
http://www.thesportscoupe.com/fordosi.html
At the 1966 Geneva Motor Show the Turin-based coach maker OSI unveiled a very classily designed Coupé base don the Ford 20M TS. But success was to elude it. Its performances just did not match up its ‘Ferrari-style’ bodywork. There were also delivery problems and overall quality control was far from perfect. After a 2 year long production run of proximately 2200 cars OSI disappeared from the scene.
Production of the OSI 20M TS began in January 1967, much to relief of Ford dealers. They would now have a luxury model at their disposal to compete with Opel’s Coupés – the Rekord and Commodore – and also with the Fiat 124 Coupé and other similar cars. Ford really needed a high-class coupe like the OSI because the sales figures for the 12M/15M and 17M/20M – vehicles which were generally looked upon as solid but unexciting – had dropped off dramatically.
Long on looks, short on power
To create its Coupé OSI simply put a new body on the otherwise unchanged Ford 20M TS. It’s characteristic features were its long bonnet, short roof and aerodynamic rear end. With its Ferrari-style double headlamps, the four-seater’s equipment was ‘luxurious down to the smallest detail’, as the brochure claimed at the time. This included a rev counter, an oil pressure indicator, a wooden steering wheel and a fine wooden dashboard.
But the car did not fulfil the promise that its looks might have led you to expect.
The two-litre six-cylinder engine was not particularly quiet and only put out 90hp. The Coupé’s performances were therefore very modest. The live rigid axle, with its rather basic leaf spring suspension, provided neither comfort nor good road holding. The unassisted recirculation-ball steering was anything but direct. In fact the only attractive thing about the OSI was its appearance.
Added to this were problems with delivery and quality control. The small factory simply could not cope with the demands of mass production. Customers were also put off by the price: the OSI was half as expensive again as the saloon. The last OSI coupes to be produced were fitted with the 2.3-litre engine from the 20M/2300S, which produced 108hp. As a result, the top speed went up from 103 to 112 mph. This merely underlined the inadequacies in the chassis and suspension. Production ended in 1968.
It’s a real pity that the OSI did not live up its classic styling. The only consolation is that there are still quite a lot of them on the market in good condition. So the OSI can make a 1960s Coupé lover’s dream come true, and at a reasonable price. Spares, of the moving parts at least, are also easy to obtain.
Highest performance engine of the series P5 was the 2,0-l-HC-V6 with 90 HP of the 20M TS. The maximum speed amounted to 165 km/h (OSI 20M TS: 170 km/h), the acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h took place in 14.0 seconds (OSI 20M TS: 14.2 seconds).
With the appearance of the P7 in August 1967 the OSI 20M TS was equipped in series with the new 2,3-l-HC-V6 with 108 HP. It reached with this motor a maximum speed of 180 km/h, the acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h took place in 11.7 seconds.
http://www.thesportscoupe.com/fordosi.html
12/18/09, 01:06 PM
#1177
Swamp Donkey Man Cans
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Is it ever not Tony's turn????
I don't think there is a car either of you have not seen or heard about before. I know a lot of the domestic stuff but you guys are worldly with your car knowledge.
I don't think there is a car either of you have not seen or heard about before. I know a lot of the domestic stuff but you guys are worldly with your car knowledge.
12/18/09, 01:23 PM
#1178
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I've been a member on many car forums over the past 10 years or so, and most of them have a topic like this one. I learned a lot from that.
12/18/09, 01:24 PM
#1179
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12/18/09, 01:30 PM
#1180
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There are lots I don't recognize. It is fun trying to find them with my son when I don't. Zoran is the master. You and a few other are darn good too.