Ford Indigo

Ford Indigo

The Ford Indigo is a concept car developed by Ford for the 1996 auto show circuit and designed by Claude Lobo.[1] Only two examples were built, of which only one was actually functional. It took Ford only six months from the original computer designs to the finished show car. The functional concept is still owned by Ford. The non-functioning show car was auctioned off.[2] The man who won the auction destroyed it in an accident, making the Indigo belonging to Ford the last remaining example.[3]

The Indigo was created to showcase Ford's Indy car technologies, including new materials and construction techniques as well as powertrain and aerodynamic enhancements. The monocoque chassis was developed in conjunction with Reynard Motorsport as a single piece tub made of a carbon fiber composite material, to which the suspension is directly attached. The suspension was a direct copy, in design and materials to Reynard's various Indy cars, only having to be modified slightly to allow for a two passenger layout.

The working Indigo had a 6.0L V12 48 valve DOHC 435 hp (324 kW) at 6100 rpm engine which used the parts and specifications from Ford's Duratec V6 engine found in the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. The engine has no relation to the V12 used in the Ford GT90 concept a year earlier (using parts from the Modular V8), despite both being a 6.0L V12. This engine would later go on to power many cars by Aston Martin. The engine was bolted directly to the chassis, and is a load-bearing member for some suspension components, as is found with most Indy cars. The transaxle is a 6 speed unit with a manual clutch, and steering wheel mounted push button gear shifting, developed by Reynard for its Indy cars. Ford claimed that the engine was so efficient that it should be capable of 28 mpg-US (8.4 L/100 km; 34 mpg-imp) on the highway.

Scissor style doors, HID lighting, deep leather bucket seats, a premium stereo, and a four-point seatbelt system make the car more on-road friendly.

The car was featured in the PC/PlayStation game Need for Speed II as the hidden 9th car, in Ford Racing 2, Ford Racing 3 and also in the Xbox 360 game Project Gotham Racing 3 as the "Ford Super Car Concept".

References

  1. ↑ "Claude Lobo Retires". Ford Media, via prnewsire.com, 1-20-1999.
  2. ↑ "Ford Concept Car Auction". Popular mechanics.
  3. ↑ http://www.wreckedexotics.com/articles/039.shtml
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