Crazy Car Inventions: Ford/Mercury's "Wrist-Twist" Steering Wheel for 1965!

Learn more about this bizarre steering setup Ford piloted in 1965.

[@TheBrokenLife]

Can't drive with your knee... How would you ever reach your smokes or your beer or beat your kids in the back seat? 😅

[@bobcoats2708]

Or make a grab for your chick 😂

[@ksavage681]

There is a hole in the wheel rim...use third leg.

[@stevo196two9]

Use cane

[@fairfaxcat1312]

@@ksavage681 One of our KZbin commentators, indeed one “ksavage681,” let loose with an unfortunate scatological reference.

[@studebricker2845]

Beating your kids? Wow, that was just so funny.

[@althunder4269]

The quality of that Tesla yoke thing with the cover peeling off. lol

[@kellismith4329]

The Yoke’s on you

[@christianheidt5733]

I think the Tesla steering wheel is just yokay, nothing more than that.

[@mikapeltokorpi7671]

Another reason for its reputation being a bad copy of Lexus yoke.

[@hoilst265]

It's not resistant to the acidic combination of Cheetos dust, Mountain Dew, and nerdstench.

[@Paufit]

elon made it pre-worn, because it would get that way in a few months anyway

[@Paul-ou1rx]

I bet this could cause carpool tunnel syndrome.

[@pinverarity]

That pun was almost as painful as actual carpal tunnel.

[@sammy5576]

nice

[@mikek5298]

Steering wheels, shift levers, and physical knobs are three things that have worked since the inception of motor vehicles. Manufacturers just cannot seem to resist the urge to “improve” them. Now we have “yokes”, rotary shift dials, and remarkably dangerous touch screens (which FORCE a driver to look away from the road to operate).

[@Pisti846]

The dial shift lever is terrible.

[@kc9scott]

@@Pisti846 I’m quite happy with the rotary gear selector on my 2017 Ford Fusion.

[@willjay916]

True, but I'm not going back to my 1972 Beetle.

[@jamesengland7461]

We actually started with tillers, steering wheel throttles, and shift pedals, among other things 😂 but yeah, in general, we've settled on what's easiest. Some of the new stuff has gone off the deep end, while some has been an improvement, I suppose.

[@CAVALRY19D]

Yes -- I have destroyed cell phones out of anger at touch screens -- what a good idea to give them an important function on cars.

[@OathTaker3]

😂, Did you notice that when she was "parking" that the car in the background was driving backwards! That means that the woman was pulling out when they filmed it then reversed the film in post production!😂

[@robertkeeney3898]

Ha I went back to check and you're right. Let's give her the benefit of a doubt and assume they didn't get the shot and had to improvise the edit 😅

[@randyfitz8310]

Yes, it does appear so and yet: could they also have simply been backing as well?

[@kellismith4329]

Old skool CGI

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

Belongs on the Ford Blooper Reel...

[@MickeyMousePark]

my guess is engineer parked it for her and she pulled it out which would be pretty easy..

[@BrianLarson1326]

As a disabled person with only one arm, I find this concept, very appealing. Thank you for sharing this truly unique and classic video.

[@BlairAir]

Agree. This would substantially open up hand control to more people with different conditions to overcome

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

Yes there are many things such as this in specialty use for the disabled that many would not think of.

[@punch_bowl_turd3005]

there are joy stick steering equip out there.

[@scarecrow559fresno]

there is a demand

[@adamchurvis1]

I just wanted to thank you for saying "Truly unique" rather than "Very unique." Soul brother.

[@Barry_Davis]

I remember seeing this ad when I was a kid. My dad was in the room with me at the time. I thought it was the neatest idea I’d ever seen. My dad poo-pooed it immediately saying it would never be used. He was right.

[@MrBonger88]

You were both right

[@SophiaAphrodite]

Yeah but those generations hated change.

[@Zorro9129]

@@SophiaAphrodite The 60s was a decade of massive change

[@wanderingbufoon]

@@Zorro9129 yes but his dad is most likely not a 60s guy but a boomer.

[@Zorro9129]

@@wanderingbufoon Boomers were 60s guys, wdym?

[@paul28fo]

I'm glad this showed a demonstration on how this worked. I couldn't quite grasp this concept. Very interesting indeed!

[@stormythelowcountrykitty7147]

Agreed

[@martin-vv9lf]

same. it reminds me of the driving instructor cars with the second wheel.

[@morgandollar7146]

"The lady was enjoying herself immensely!"

[@kenttalsma7906]

😅🎉

[@ryanjohnson3615]

She parallel parked like a champ. I think I'm in love.

[@jc4388]

@@ryanjohnson3615 That was the other first in this video.

[@emperorsascharoni9577]

@@ryanjohnson3615at 8:01 you can clearly see she hit the curb so no no like a champ

[@kw9849]

I like how the woman test driver at the end immediately stops putting her thumbs through the holes and keeps them on top. I had suspicions about the ergonomics, and she's confirming some of them.

[@ducksoff7236]

What exactly? That she is placing her hands on the wheels like a normal human? You know a lot of humans also rest their hand on the tree of the steering wheel? They also rest their hands on top the steering wheel at times. Waitaminute! They also rest their hand GASP! At the bottom of the wheel. That confirms a lot of what I think about the ergonomics of steering wheels.

[@LeCharles07]

@@ducksoff7236 There's a whole in these where youre supposed to put your thumb but people wont do that because it's weird. Did you even watch the video?

[@DivineLightPaladin]

I'm not sure about having my thumb through a hole in case of accidents, seems risky

[@whyjnot420]

@@LeCharles07 There is also a notch, just to the side of the hole, that when used in conjunction with its opposite number on the other side of the column, would work perfectly without needing to put your thumbs through the holes. (remember what was said about the power steering pump being a lot stronger) I suspect that the holes are only meant for when you need extra grip or for when you want to go lock to lock. Did YOU even watch the video? You can see the woman using the outer notch. Which is clearly designed to accommodate the thumb. addendum: If you want people to take you seriously, don't make your responses look like kneejerk reactions. Do at least a small amount of copyediting.

[@ducksoff7236]

@@DivineLightPaladin So? Then don't use the hole? I mean do you use the thumb dents/notches on a steering wheel just because they are there?

[@jroeger]

I remember seeing this in a car magazine back in 1965, it seemed so Jetson !

[@alm5992]

Except the Jetson's car had a joystick.

[@fogit4668]

My dad, William Kohn, was an engineer in the safety group at Ford at this time. He brought one of these home. All of us climbed in and went for a ride. The steering was done with the index finger. Shifting was easily done with the left finger in the hole and the right hand on the shifter.

[@vcprado]

Oh, shifter, I totally read something else

[@sterlinsilver]

Years ago when i saw this for the first time I assumed it worked like a normal steering wheel with the hand grips also rotating kind of like those accessory knobs youd see on 60s steering wheels. This was certainly not what i had expected

[@willjay916]

Wrist twist steering with a manual transmission? Guaranteed theft resistant vehicle! Parallel parking with the manual transmission in a downtown business district would have been a nightmare. And good luck with valet parking.

[@kellismith4329]

Lol

[@adamtrombino106]

On a slightly different note, I went to a job interview in downtown Chicago where for security reasons, all employee cars were valet parked in an underground garage. My 09 Dodge Challenger r/t is stick and doesn't have back up cams. The valet lost his mind and refused to park it. They made me do it myself and picked me up in the garage with a golf cart...( if you're wondering, no I decided not to take the job for various reasons)

[@TheStowAway594]

It wasn't a big deal back in the day, people learned. Now, no one actually knows how to drive, especially a manual transmission.

[@gillisjack]

I, too, remember seeing this as a young boy - in an elementary school film. I thought that this would be common by the time I was old enough to drive. So glad to see this! I have told several people about it over the years, but now I have PROOF that it (almost) existed! Thank you!

[@althunder4269]

Talk about re-inventing the wheel.

[@BradGryphonn]

Fun to try, but a nightmare in an emergency slide situation.

[@madmike2624]

That is the most bizarre thing I have ever herd of Adam, where in the world where do you come up with this insane quirky content???????? Bravo!!

[@Commentator541]

google wierd retro car features

[@paulparoma]

@@Commentator541 Google the word "weird."

[@jamesengland7461]

I'm glad they were willing to experiment on this- this kind of creativity is where great inventions come from. It's how we landed men on the moon.

[@Wok_Agenda]

Not exactly, there a thing called operation paperclip

[@user-zh4cq4zy1n]

? did we, I mean, actually land on the Moon? I was in 1st grade, seen it, but : NOW: they say we've "LOST" all of that information, and that's why we can't go back to the moon...................That's B/S!! So really,,,,, did we even go? I'm not so sure

[@bobjoe1593]

@@Wok_Agenda to be fair, the operation paperclip guys did have a good amount of technological creativity

[@jamesengland7461]

@@Wok_Agenda so you don't understand that paperclip employed creative scientists and engineers during that era?

[@jamesengland7461]

@user-zh4cq4zy1n you're showing that you need to look more deeply into the reasons why we haven't gone back. In short, we won the race to the moon; there was no need to expend ridiculous funds to prove anything further. Space budgets have rightly shrunk since then. NASA got itself lost in a budget nightmare with the disaster that was the Space Shuttle, though they did begin to focus more on practical uses for space, like all the communications and weather and GPS satellites we now have. NASA has, since the moon program, been designed as a budgetary nightmare intended to give money to every congressional district for no good reason other than a rocket scientist welfare program. As for why they can't return to the moon? There's a whole lot involved, but just look at the costs of SLS versus anything SpaceX is doing. NASA and the old space industry have utterly lost their way and can't get much right at all. SpaceX is fixing that.

[@DSP1968]

A little-known feature that I'm so glad you covered, Adam. It's always great to see you featuring innovations like this, even if they did not make it to production.

[@brianhayes7618]

This is the first time I've ever heard or seen this pretty radical for the time. Neat to learn new quirks about vintage autos. Thanks for sharing

[@davidcoudriet8439]

I like it!

[@bryduhbikeguy]

For all my decades of obscure vehicle's knowledge, I've Never heard of this, nor seen it in a vehicle.Thank you.

[@AlTilleyTheBum-pt4mx]

In my nearly ten years as a car enthusiast, I’ve never seen this steering setup before. Super cool.

[@studebricker2845]

Wow, almost ten years you've liked cars??? Just think how many super cool things you'll see when you get out of high school!!!

[@AlTilleyTheBum-pt4mx]

@@studebricker2845 I’m out of high school.

[@grantman64]

Wrist-Twist Steering Wheel - the official automotive interface device of the "Solution In Search of a Problem Society".

[@jourwalis-8875]

The one-spoke steering wheel of a Citroen DS also gave full visibility on the instruments. Besides this it was also the safest steering wheel of the day, with no crash center.

[@michaelwitas9482]

I noticed that the wrist-twist cars had the rare power vent windows and also the automatic headlight dimmer option and speed control. Those slimline bucket seats looked great.

[@jeffgann6613]

I have been aware of this since introduced, but could never fathom how it worked until seeing the old Ford video here. Thanks Adam👍

[@danstone8783]

The interior of that Mercury was beautiful

[@JeffW77]

There was an article about this with pic in early 1964 in the "Weekly Reader"--a little newsmagazine for grade schoolers. Wrist-Twist stuck in my head ever since.

[@stanleycostello9610]

I forgot about the "Weekly Reader." Takes me way back...

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

It’s been decades since I saw something I didn’t know about in a car. Well done. I have never seen this in person or online.

[@nakoma5]

I thought it was a concept but it actually made it into production, hecking awesome! xD How many of these are out there today I wonder.

[@dlvh007]

Very interesting, but like you said, those Bean Counters surely told the engineers, anything that costs extra, has to go, right Adam? Ha ha!

[@chefdan87]

My first thought, "What happens when your power steering fails?" Trying to turn that tank of car with just your wrist.....Lol, ohhh shit!

[@lxndr3299]

Thanks for another fantastic video. I was glad for the demo too.

[@SupernovaSpence]

Ok, this is actually the coolest steering system I’ve ever seen. Weird but cool!

[@petestaint8312]

Fantastic video!!!! I've heard of it but never saw it. Thanks for posting. 👍

[@karlberger146]

Very cool Adam, I've never seen that one. Thanks for the hard work.

[@kennixox262]

She did a great job with the parallel parking, nice and close to the curb without wheel rash. Definitely, not a feature I would want.

[@OathTaker3]

Rewatch that part, she actually drove the car out not backed in. In the background you'll see a car driving backwards down the road meaning the film was reversed. 😅

[@kennixox262]

@@OathTaker3 Parallel parking has always been my weak point. Barely passed that part of my drivers test, aced the rest. Had to parallel park between two Florida Highway Patrol cars. With a modern car, I can simply press a button and the car does the rest all these years later.

[@issyparrish]

Catching up on my "Adam Wade fix" today after returning from Caribbean vacation cruise. Another great video Mr. Wade showing something I never read let alone seen before. The video demonstration was icing on the cake. And thanks to others comments below.

[@dogdad27]

Truly unique content Adam. Keep it up! Always love seeing new old stuff

[@jimmyboy131]

Looks really neat, for sure, but it's a good example of "don't fix it if it ain't broke." But as a new product development engineer I applaud the efforts at thinking outside the box.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Adam, Ford's choice to drop the 'Twist' steering system sounds like a missed opportunity for a profitable marketing tie-in with Chubby Checker. 😉 Let's twist again, twisting time is here...🎷

[@Ducky69247]

Oh. My. God. Twist Again was such an awful song, I actually feel bad for the guy

[@CMZneu]

Amazing idea the Wrist-Twist, also called the carpal tunnel steering wheel lol

[@blockcl]

Did any of these ever get sold to the public?

[@ronsloan7662]

Hey Adam, I was completely unaware of that. Thank you for doing a feature on this. Cheers!

During my years working at huge auto dealerships, and curbing cars, I have never seen anything akin to this. I kinda dig it.

[@davidstranz438]

I’d like to try driving one of these, might be impractical but the cool factor is off the charts.

[@salsamancer]

2:00 look how beautiful and spacious this interior is. I wish i could have a car like this.

[@ColtonRMagby]

I'd drive a car with that steering setup. Don't know if I like it until I try it.

[@whatsamattayu3257]

I've never seen this steering system before. It may have taken some getting used to, but I would have at least given it a try. I do like the futuristic look.

[@62Madison]

I like how Automakers would turn a production vechile into an ‘idea car’ usually for the auto show circuit. Love those shell-contour bucket seats that Ford offered on the 1965-1966 XL, 7 Litre & Mercury S55.

[@0oo00]

Thanks, well done.

[@ronald8792]

Love it! I wouldn't want it but I am glad their are people out there that think out of the box.

[@worldtraveler930]

I remember seeing this in an older black & white Perry Mason!!! 🤠👍

[@LifeisGood762]

Well that's really cool, thanks for the video. Glad there was a demonstration video too, I was having trouble picturing how it worked. I'm glad to have a wheel but the better gauge cluster visibility is nice.

[@dbx1233]

This gives new meaning to the phrase, "Limp Wristed."

[@tywebb355]

I'd be willing to try it !! It looked like a cool idea. I noticed that she never put her thumbs in the holes. Maybe they would be more used when driving on the highway where you typically don't steer the wheel as much. It looks like you could just use 1 hand to steer it while you were backing that up.

[@Dubsteppah]

Olld car guy here, well just old haha, but I've never ever seen this before or heard of it. It's gotta be very rare. I remember my folks having an old Lincoln Town Car and it had a 7" record player in it that slid out like a CD drawer kinda, it was very odd. it skipped a lot, and my Mom usually just listened to the radio. There were some very weird car happenings back in the day, it's great to remember them and share, this is a great channel and video, thank you, I sure liked it!!

[@joebutchko2223]

At the '65 world's fair the FoMoCo exhibit had you riding in some Mercs that were equipped with these. I was 15 then, and I thought it was a dopey idea. I sure was a smart kid!

[@geralderdek282]

I remember reading about this year's ago in an magazine. The main issue seemed to be that drivers acostomed to conventional wheels found it hard to resist trying to steer by turning the whole yoke. Once used to it, was actually a pleasure to drive.

[@rdeanshetler]

Joystick would have been better, however the turn signal ergonomics make sense. More leverage is more precision.

[@bernieschiff5919]

A sidestick control would work placed forward on the left armrest (in the door panel). You could get almost 90 degrees of throw for left and right turns. A right-hand version could be placed where the shift lever is now. With drive by wire becoming a reality, I think Tesla might try something like that.

[@buffdelcampo]

I remember Wrist-Twist. I was 11-years old. My friends and I thought that was the future at the time.

[@CheapCheerful]

Interesting stuff, thanks.

[@JJones-cl4dm]

Wrist twist seems like a great way to twist both arms all the way off

[@ronaldderooij1774]

SAAB once had a prototype of the 9000 equipped with a joystick to steer (and all other things that are on the steering column). I found that a neat idea. I would have bought it, I think. Some car journalists were invited to try it out. They said it worked well, after getting used to it. I don't remember if the gas and brake pedal were also integrated in it (forward is faster and backward is braking).

[@tedpesyna8347]

How many were actually sold? Any Idea?

[@danielulz1640]

None.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

Still better than a modern vehicle

[@UberLummox]

YEP

[@ogsegasteve9430]

clearly that woman had many hours of practice with that wrist-twist setup BEFORE she made the video. I can only imagine the "immense joy" of being thrown the keys and asked to parallel park it in that exact spot having never driven it before.

[@leemnav]

It would be rather STUPID to make a promotional video , or film in that era, using a driver with NO EXPERIENCE on the subject........

[@ogsegasteve9430]

@leemnav dont disagree with you but my point was more about how easy they make it look and id bet dollars to donuts that thing takes a LOT of getting used to in order to parallel park in that tight of a space. it comes across deceptively easy.

[@leemnav]

@@ogsegasteve9430 I agree with you but,....It's their job to mislead the public.

[@Joe___R]

Instead of putting your thumb in the hole, if you used your index finger, it would make it much easier to use. It could easily be driven with just one hand and using only one finger on that hand to steer it as long as the power steering was strong enough. There are some handicap hand controls that work similarly today. Just a single twist dial to control the steering.

[@kennethsouthard6042]

I had an uncle that worked the midnight shift on that Dearborn test track as a driver. He started in the late 70s and was there for about 20 plus years. I remember in the summer of 78, I stayed at his house, and it seemed like every night at dinner he would have a story of so and so who fell asleep and went off the track.

[@MS-nj9le]

My dad replaced the steering wheel on our tractor with a bar that goes across in front of you like a turnstile, that you can push forwards or backwards. It actually works very good while mowing. You don't have to spin your hands left or right while making a turn, you just push forwards or pull back. No big round circle in your lap.

[@robertborgeson1821]

That could make for an insane 4 wheel steering setup. The twists control the front wheels and the yoke itself for the rear wheels.

[@motorv8N]

Very interesting - thanks for posting. I had no idea such a steering alternative had been tried. As for all the other dumb advancements today, I’m amazed designers would ignore such basic human factors as switches and knobs that provide instant no-look access and tactile feedback. It’s a major reason aircraft panels were standardized decades ago across manufacturers. Landing gear and flap levers were also changed in small aircraft so the knobs had different shapes you could feel without looking at them which reduced accidents from mix ups. Every instant your eyes are searching for controls vs looking outward increases risk.

[@PittsburghMarky]

It's so unique I'd love to give it a try!

[@fairfaxcat1312]

Was the Twist-Wrist available with the famed Whirl-A-Way steering feature? Younger KZbin users may not remember that the Ford automobile had an optional steering feature which would allow the driver to swing the entire steering column to allow easy entrance and exit.

[@scottoleson1997]

Not sure about now, but Lexus cars in the 90’s had a similar feature with the steering wheel electronically would move out of the way and into place when putting the keys in / taking them out. (LS400 and GS400)

[@edstevens1435]

My 75 Monte Carlo had the swivel bucket seats,those were cool.

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

Yeah we called that the fat man's tilt wheel back then

[@CarringtonHollister]

My father’s Cadillac STS has this feature it’s made it easy for him to get in and out since he’s in his 70’s the auto tilt/telescoping steering wheel

[@timhinchcliffe5372]

It's about the size of the steering wheel of a Crown forklift I used to use... but that had a knob on it.

[@lewisreeves3993]

Always Awesome!

[@user-rn8qo9yk5e]

I remember seeing a car with this feature sometime in the mid-1960s, but I think it was installed in a Mustang convertible (I was only about 10 years old at the time, so my memory could be faulty; perhaps they built a few other cars with it?). The car was driven by a FoMoCo employee who was visiting my uncle near Lansing, and he took us for a ride in it. It was a very "Tomorrow Land" experience!

[@johnandrus3901]

It is pretty neat. I could see it with a manual, as your left hand could operate it while shifting. It would certainly be fun to at least try it out, for sure, although it would take a while to get used to it. An excellent video, as always.

[@protorhinocerator142]

Doctor Strange: Can I get a car that's guaranteed to mess up both my hands if I get in a wreck? Mercury: We have just the thing.

[@chrisutley6756]

Great idea for a video!

[@robbernath]

You'll notice the lady test driver from the factory-produced clip was not using those insipid thumb loops in the wrist holders.

[@rieger.design]

thank you. Gonna research it a bit more

[@christopherrowe7860]

I just have to throw this out there, I am so glad I never had to parallel park in the land yacht era

[@maxon1672]

Honestly this looks pretty awesome. There appear to be more than a few ways you could use the little wheels; certainly not just with your thumb in the wheel. I’d love to try one of these, even though surely none still exist.

[@David-rl3uk]

I like it, bring it back!

[@gsten2116]

Thanks Adam. Another great tidbit from our automotive past.

[@sayeager5559]

Thanks, never heard of this.

[@sharkinstx]

I’ve seen pictures of this, but never a description. Good find!

[@pjesf]

But it featured the iconic Winged Messenger at the center so it wasn’t all bad 😍 I grieved when that went away - it’s one of my earliest childhood memories

[@stevevogelman3360]

Really really cool. Love to have one

[@adamtrombino106]

Yep, learned something new today! I'll have to do some digging to see how that system was designed mechanically. The fact that it worked at all is pretty cool! I wonder how many takes they did to get that car parallel parked ;)

[@spun8389]

Looks fun!

[@semperfidelis1550]

Wow!…Fascinating!

[@jamesengland7461]

Think of how imprecise old recirculating- ball steering is, and then shrink the wheel way down. Very hard to relax and drive at highway speed.

[@adamtrombino106]

Besides that, I would love to see how the column guts are set up. Lots more moving parts have to be inside this unit as opposed to a tilt/telescope or even a tilt away column that Ford came up with around the same time.

[@lschmitt]

Apparently this steering wheel makes you better at parallel parking. She did in the first go 😂😂

[@Primus54]

If one has ever operated a skid steer or zero turn mower, you’d be amazed how intuitive a right and left joystick-like lever can be to steer, although it cannot be done one-handed. I’m surprised there hasn’t been a modern concept car that employs a fighter jet type yoke for steering.

[@SirOsisofLiver]

Look up Saab 9000 Prometheus. SAAB had a series of concepts and modified joystick controlled cars starting in the late 1970s.

[@Primus54]

@@SirOsisofLiver Thank you, I’ll check it out. 👍

[@jlco]

Yeah, Saab did try that. Unfortunately it's an objective downgrade from a precision standpoint. The range of motion with a stick or lever is limited since it can't make multiple rotations like a wheel can, so it's _conceptually_ worse for an application where you need small adjustments way more often than quickly going lock-to-lock. You simply have less angular range. If I'm not mistaken, fighter jets use one-handed sticks since the other hand is controlling throttle, and while that provides an extra axis of control, it doesn't offer as much leverage or angular control as a two-handed wheel. Since cars don't have those extra control axes, it's a solution without a problem. The wrist-twist system shown here, of course, has the disadvantages of a one-handed control without the advantages of a two-axis stick, making it an objectively worse way to control anything. Which is fine if it helps enough with other design constraints like ergonomics or safety or ease of manufacturing... but it doesn't. You'll lose your wrists in a crash, if RSI doesn't get to them first.

[@user-lz1yb6qk3f]

Interesting concept. You could modify it to drive the wheels on the both axis.

[@danrichards496]

Imagine if manufacturers would’ve ran with that 😄. An ‘84 ford tempo with wrist twist steering, mustangs, etc.

[@jwelchon2416]

I remember seeing this at a new car show when I was in grade school. I remember my parents commenting on how powerful the power steering would need to be. Plus it looked like a thumb buster if you hit something that would cause the front tires to jerk one way of the other.