The 1960s were the heyday of the
truly cool American car; a time when slabs of sheet metal,
chrome and the Rat Pack defined cool. Those days have
given way to multi-purpose vehicles, pop-idols and
plastic. But, Ford is signaling a renaissance in the
classic American sedan with the new Ford 427 concept
introduced at the North American International Auto Show
At the introduction of the Ford 427
concept, Ford indicated that it may a possible design
direction for a future lineup of Ford cars
"The 427 concept is
unmistakably Ford and 100 percent American. It
demonstrates that a sedan from a U.S. manufacturer can
once again be exciting, sexy, sophisticated and
powerful," said J Mays, Ford Motor Company vice
president, Design.
Though it's unlikely we'll see a car
that looks just like the 427 on a dealer's showroom floor,
it's still an indicator of things to come and, as such,
worth a closer look.
It's a menacingly blunt, almost sinister machine. Its name
is drawn from a legendary high-performance engine in
Ford's history, the 427 cubic inch, 590 horsepower V-8
that powered the Galaxie 500 XL 427, a limited-production
vehicle whose straight-edged styling and square headlights
and taillights also are recreated here.
Beneath
it's prominent hood is an equally potent but thoroughly
modern powerplant. An all-aluminum, 427 cubic inch
(7.0-liter), 10-cylinder version created by adding two
cylinders to Ford's modular 4.6-liter V-8. Built on a
tight budget (and under the corporate radar screen) by
Ford's Powertrain Research and Development department, the
new engine puts out 590 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 509
foot-pounds of torque at 5500 rpm, and is "…like
putting a Navy SEAL in an Armani suit," says Chris
Theodore, Ford's Vice President of North American Product
Development and one of 427's proud parents
Judging from the 427,
Detroit may once again be on the verge of understanding
what it means to design an American sedan.
Story By Michael Larson
with research provided from Maximum Cars, Canadian Driver,
Ford Motor Company, Razor Mag, and Car Design News.
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