Surely the star of at least the Ford stand at the
2007 Detroit Show, the Ford Interceptor is an American take on the Mercedes-Benz CLS range (i.e. a four-door coupé), but with added toughness only American muscle car styling can bring.
The design team, led by Executive Director of Design, Peter Horbury (whose portfolio includes most of the current Volvo range) have based the Interceptor on a Mustang chassis, extended to suit a four-door car, and given the show car a 5-litre 400bhp engine based on the 4.6-litre Mustang engine. As a nod to the green movement, the Interceptor's V8 runs on E85 bio-ethanol (so called because it is an 85/15% mixture of ethanol and petrol). Backing up the muscle car looks is a six-speed manual gearbox, and to harness all 400bhp, the Mustang's live rear axle has been binned in favour of a proper independent three-link design with a Panhard Rod for added location.
Style-wise, the Ford Interceptor introduces a new word to the design dictionary - the "squircle". A squircle is apparently partly square, partly professionally round and makes its presence felt inside and outside the car. Inside, we have Ford GT-inspired squircle grommets in the seats, the squircle accents being repeated in the door trims, floor, console and instrument panel. Even the speedometer and rev counter are designed within a pair of squircles. Thank goodness the designers chose round 22-inch wheels rather than squircle ones...
Interceptor is a tough name, and the Interceptor concept has "tough" in spades. Horbury likens the style to a Marine in dress uniform, smart and elegant, but tough as they come underneath. If the high-waisted side view with shallow windows and the massive 22-inch wheels don't convey tough enough, take a look at the massive three-bar grille - an evolution of the one on last year's Super Chief concept truck. If a driver doesn't move out of the way for that grille, he must be blind!
Inside, Ford has fitted all the usual fanciful toys concepts are loved for - here we have retractable headrests which fold down from the roof and are adjustable forwards/backwards/upwards/downwards so they are perfect for every passenger. The four individual seats all have Ford's patented four-point "belt and braces" safety belt design, and those in the rear are inflatable to minimise bruising.
Ford says the Interceptor is targeted at the family man of today. He loves power and performance, but ultimately he's a responsible kind of guy who values the safety technology when the family are on board, and that the engine runs on green E85 fuel.
The Ford interceptor makes its debut at the Detroit Auto Show, which opens at the weekend. We will be there to see if it looks as good in the metal as it does in the pictures.
Trevor Nicosia - 5 Jan 2007