zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Go Inside Ford's High-Tech CD-ROM Simulator From 1996
Go Inside Ford's High-Tech CD-ROM Simulator From 1996-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:50

Car buyers today have it good. They have automaker websites, dealer websites and any number of car-buying tools at their disposal, to say nothing of the tons of on websites. Back in the 1990s, things were harder. “Research” meant print magazines, newspaper classified ads and just trusting that your salesperson wasn’t a lying, cheating asshole. (Some things never change.)

Fortunately for ‘90s buyers, the Ford Motor Company and its Lincoln, Mercury and Jaguar divisions offered a better way. A high-tech way. A way that harnessed the incredible power of multimedia to inform and entertain prospective customers. Not just a showroom—a Virtual Showroom, created with the might of the CD-ROM:

This popped up on vintage tech channel today, which I also learned is a great resource for reviews of obsolete old-school tech like digital cameras that ran on floppy disks and ZIP drives. Do you miss those things? I sure as hell don’t.

Anyway, this is version 7.0 of Ford’s virtual showroom series; the automaker released several of these on PCs throughout the ‘90s. if you’re really that bored. The seventh iteration has info on all your favorite models, like the Aspire, Grand Marquis, Aerostar and Jaguar XJS. You can price out options, watch jazzy full-motion videos and even play an extremely boring driving simulator.

As the video notes, the internet killed this series eventually. You didn’t need a CD-ROM to do what Ford’s website could do, especially as more features were added over time. Today, it’s a fun way to look back at what tech was like before the world went online.

I’d play it today, if my computer had a CD drive.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
The 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Is An Electrified Car That Doesn't Demand Compromises
The 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Is An Electrified Car That Doesn't Demand Compromises
Every electric car asks you for something. Maybe it’s asking you to deal with range anxiety, maybe it’s a steep price. Some just feel weird or give up too much space to their conventionally powered counterparts. The 2018 Plug-In Hybrid, though, doesn’t ask you for anything. It’s just a car,...
Apr 30, 2025
At $3,200, Would You Put Your Designs On This 2000 Mercedes E320 ‘designo’ Edition?
At $3,200, Would You Put Your Designs On This 2000 Mercedes E320 ‘designo’ Edition?
Designo sounds like the worst superhero ever, one whose super power is infallible fashion sense. It also sounds like today’s Mercedes E class, which features special trim and… some other attributes. You know who would have liked yesterday’s ? Oscar the Grouch, that’s who. The monobrowed would not only have...
Apr 30, 2025
At $4,400, Could This 1992 Nissan NX2000 Make You Say Y-Not 2K?
At $4,400, Could This 1992 Nissan NX2000 Make You Say Y-Not 2K?
Y2K was the now laughable threat of societal collapse supposedly threatened by the inability of Windows computers to recognize the new millennia. Today’s NX2000 shows Nissan solved the problem a decade beforehand. Will its price be enough to start a riot? I love contradictory terms. You know, jumbo shrimp, military...
Apr 30, 2025
My Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Was Stolen And Trashed! What Car Should I Buy?
My Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Was Stolen And Trashed! What Car Should I Buy?
Matt had one of the coolest Jalop cars ever made, a Cadillac CTS-V wagon. Sadly someone stole it and chopped it up for parts. So now Matt has a decision to make as to what to do next and he needs our help. What car should he buy? (Welcome back...
Apr 30, 2025
Did You Know You Could Buy A 450 HP Audi RS5 For $40,000?
Did You Know You Could Buy A 450 HP Audi RS5 For $40,000?
Sometimes really cool cars come out and, for whatever reason, we forget about them. And then one day, the magic of depreciation takes hold and some interesting opportunities arise. This is the case with the, which was off my radar for awhile, only to reappear and for a great price...
Apr 30, 2025
The 2018 Volvo XC40 Is Extremely Elegant And A Little Annoying
The 2018 Volvo XC40 Is Extremely Elegant And A Little Annoying
The looks cool as a cucumber in the back of a fridge, inside and out. But after putting about 800 miles on one and living with it for a week, I have to say I found this car frustrating in a lot of little ways. My good friend and colleague...
Apr 30, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved