A "maverick" of a show car is Ford’s Runabout which mixes sporty contemporary design features with elements from the not-too-long-ago Golden Age of Motoring.

One of five specially-designed Ford Division vehicles at this year's auto shows, the Runabout is a flashy, sportscar version of Ford's Maverick, one of the hottest selling cars ever introduced.

Though Runabout's body retains some Maverick identity, its designers at the Ford Design Center made it an open, four-seater with unique modifications in the rear. Like autos from the Roaring '20's, Runabout sports externally-mounted taillights, a bobtail rear design and a trunk with attached restraining straps that hint at being removable.

These borrowed-from-the-past details merge with such modern items as a front air spoiler, thin wraparound chrome bumpers, black-out egg crate grille and rectangular running lights inboard of the exposed headlamps.

Designers also added dual racing mirrors and an outside tachometer mounted on the hood. The raked two-section windshield slants back a sharp 65 degrees to provide a lower-profile, less wind-resistant roofline.

Adding to the sporty look are exposed exhaust pipes which run along the passenger-side rocker panel. The pipes are covered with a perforated chrome heat shield.

While the cast-magnesium wheels carry a spoke design reminiscent of the wire wheels of the Stutz Bearcat and Jordan Playboy, the all-modern tires are drag strip-oriented, wide tread F60 x 15's in the front and E60 x 15's in the rear.

Runabout's exterior finish is a brilliant Grabber Yellow, similar in appeal to the three Mustang Grabber colors — orange, blue and green — and the Grabber Green available on the Torino. The contrasting avocado green hood complements the avocado leather interior trim.