Ford concept is based on the Mustang
Ford's iconic Mustang has given birth to a bold, intimidating sedan: the Ford Interceptor concept.
The automaker is to release images of the vehicle today and plans to display it at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which opens to the media Jan. 7.
Not to be confused with Ford's Crown Victoria Interceptor police car or the Ford Interceptor police concept car revealed at the 2002 New York auto show, the 2007 Ford Interceptor is based on a stretched Mustang platform and is not aimed at police -- although they, too, might be attracted to the authoritative vehicle.
The new Interceptor concept comes with some powerful equipment: a manual six-speed gearbox mated to a Ford Racing 5.0-liter V8 Cammer engine that delivers 400 horsepower and runs on E-85 (85% ethanol) fuel.
Inspired by the sporty muscle cars of the 1960s, especially the Ford Galaxy, the Interceptor proudly wears Ford's popular and signature new face, the chrome three-bar grille.
Ford's new look was initially inspired by the brand's 427 concept car in 2003 and has been adopted on the new Fusion midsize sedan and Edge crossover.
The Interceptor, though, wears the grille in a more striking stacked fashion -- much like the fearsome, flat-faced locomotive-inspired three-bar grille on the F-250 Super Chief concept truck last year.
The three bars of the grille on the Interceptor have a satin finish with polished chrome set between the bold bars for a more sophisticated, jeweled look than the three-bar grille of today. Stacked headlights are also built into the grille assembly.
"What you're seeing is the freshest, newest example of our DNA," Freeman Thomas, director of strategic design at Ford, told the Free Press in an interview Thursday. "You will start to see this waterfall into the production vehicles."
The shiny horizontal grille is set off at the edge of a long, distinct hood that stretches from dashboard to axle and a bold blue paint color on the body of the car that Thomas said is inspired by the honest and true color of new blue jeans.
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