The acquisition by Pigozzi took place in July 1954, just when Ford was poised to launch its new, modern Vedette,[1] with a four-door saloon body of "American" style, much like the contemporary British Fords or Vauxhalls. The car was powered by an unusually small 2351 cc sidevalve V8 engine called Aquilon in France, derived from Ford's Flathead engine family, whose displacement positioned the car into the "13 CV" French tax class.