Ford Team Fordzilla P1 '20
To be sold in Brand Central.
#Racing Car, #Midship, #Hybrid Car, #Concept Car
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A unique concept machine designed in collaboration with gamers from Ford's official esports racing team."
It is especially rare when a team of gamers, in particular, coming from the manufacturer's official esports racing team, to conceptualize a hypothetical concept car in collaboration with the manufacturer themselves. Ford did basically that, with their Team Fordzilla division, and what they created was a truly futuristic masterpiece of a car.
The early development of the car started in March of 2020, with many of the car's design choices being chosen by people from Twitter, with 250,000 votes worth of feedback leading to the shape and layout of the car. The end result was a sleek, mid-engined single-seater concept whose design may likely be that of an unrestricted Le Mans Hypercar, with hints of the Le Mans-winning GT40 Mk. II and other famous concept machines from the Blue Oval such as the Indigo and GT90.
As soon as the design was finalized, it took seven weeks to build a real showpiece model, all the way to its unveiling in December of that year.
Powering the Team Fordzilla P1 is the same powerplant as the latest Ford GT, that being a 3.5-litre EcoBoost V-6 engine with twin turbochargers, but is now mated to a LMP1-style hybrid system for a total combined horsepower output of 1,050 hp and features an all-wheel drive drivetrain linked to a seven-speed transmission, as well as a top speed beyond 354 km/h (220 mph).
As for handling, the Team Fordzilla P1 is equipped with dual wishbones on all four corners, as well as a sophisticated active aerodynamics system that ensures that the car is planted, which is complemented by its styling, where form follows function. Even the ultra-futuristic rear body is supported by a massive diffuser that produces huge amounts of downforce. When the car decelerates, its active aerodynamics will also display the word "brake" on one of its rear body panels.
Ford and the Team Fordzilla esports team did not disappoint with this concept machine, as it is indeed, the finest work of any concept produced by the brand to date. One can imagine something similar to this being Ford's official return to the top category of Le Mans one day, in order to take on the global stage, and to honor the legacy of the GT40's.