Built three years before the unveiling of the Thunderbird, the Vignale-bodied Ford/Cisitalia convertible was the first sports car built by Ford Motor Company. The 808XF was the product of a joint venture between Ford and the Italian firm of Cisitalia, based in Turin. Cisitalia was to build the card using Ford chassis and engines with Italian designed bodywork. The intent was to pair the reliability and availability of spare parts with Italian design. Henry Ford II personally negotiated the joint venture and supervised the development of the car. Ford was to market the car in the United States, while Cisitalia was to do the same in Europe. While initial projections were for around 500 care per yead, only six were actually produced, of which only one is convertible. In June of 1953, the convertible prototype was shipped to Ford headquarters in Dearborn, MI.