Rotunda/Ford Car Care Products

During the 1950's and early 1960's, Ford marketed an extensive line of auto accessories, service parts and car care supplies under the "Rotunda" trademark. Named for and featuring FoMoCo's distinctive building at Dearborn, these products allowed Ford owners keep their vehicles "True Ford Blue" down to the last drop of oil or even (Horror!) coat of body filler.

During 1966 and 1967, Ford's Rotunda and FoMoCo trademark lines began disappearing, replaced by the more familiar "Ford" logo, and the newly-acquired "Autolite" moniker, first with the "Star" logo, and later with the "Racing GT-40" design.

In 1972, "Autolite" gave way to the "Motorcraft" parts line which we still know and love today. Ford continues to employ the "GT-40" box, almost 30 years after the racing program ended!

In 1964, in the waning years of the "Rotunda" products lines, the Ford Parts and Service Promotion and Training Department assembled the only known edition of a catalog specifically highlighting Rotunda Products -- though the following Electronic Version takes a few liberties and includes a number of products omitted from Ford's version, it remains true to the design and spirit of the original.

You're invited to take a trip through the following pages to view some of the many Rotunda items offered by your Ford Dealer between 1964 and 1966.

View the Catalog

A Short History of the Ford Rotunda

The "Rotunda" symbol was more than just a trademark -- the building itself originally housed Ford's exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair -- seen by more than 40 million visitors during the two-year exhibition. When the fair closed, the entire Rotunda (designed to resemble a stack of gears) was disassembled and relocated to Ford's Dearborn headquarters, where it became the centerpiece of Ford's public showcase of automotive history.

Following an extensive remodeling after WWII, the "Rotunda" reopened to the public as part of Ford's 50th Anniversary celebration in the summer of 1953. During the 1950's and early 1960's the building became a major tourist attraction -- eventually becoming the fifth most popular tourist mecca in the U.S. -- by 1960 it drew more visitors than Yellowstone, the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty!

As a result, in the collective mind of 1950's and '60s America, the Rotunda was as close to the perfect symbol for the Ford Motor Company as Henry's Model 'T' had been for previous generations.

Each Christmas, Ford went all-out, turning the Rotunda into the "Christmas Fantasy", where over a nine-year period more than six million children and their families visited Santa, Elves and Reindeer, viewed the finest Nativity scene in America and were captivated by each season's spectacular special events.

On November 9th, 1962, as preparations were underway for the tenth annual Christmas celebration, roofing repairmen accidentally ignited the tar being used to weatherproof the Rotunda's geodesic dome -- the fire spread quickly, and in less than an hour Ford's trademark was reduced to ashes.

The Rotunda lives on, though -- on the shelves of Ford parts departments around the world, and today, as Ford continues to use the Rotunda moniker for its line of dealer tools and test equipment, the somewhat revised symbol will soon enter its fifth decade of service.

For those who despise change, my old Rotunda products list is available here.

Courtesy of the Detroit News, a superb history of the Ford Rotunda is available here.