--The 550-horsepower Five Hundred GT-R uses Ford GT powertrain and chassis components, wrapped in a Ford Five Hundred body shell
--Designed and built by the students and staff of Washtenaw Community College's Custom Cars & Concepts program, providing hands-on training for future craftsmen
--The fully functional show car will be used to hone the skills of Ford's top Vehicle Dynamics engineers
A bunch of college students stuffing a Ford GT space frame in a Ford Five Hundred body shell – and throwing in some sheetmetal from a Ford F-150 Flareside for good measure – sounds like a recipe for a Frankenstein with a blue-oval badge.
It is, instead, a dramatic combination of Ford GT design cues in the body shell of a Ford Five Hundred sedan, and an engineering feat of converting a front-engine, front-wheel-drive sedan into a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive supercar. The car was designed and built by the students and staff of Washtenaw Community College, and makes its debut at the Autorama Custom Car show in Detroit today.
"Washtenaw Community College was looking for a challenging project for their Custom Cars & Concepts students," says John Heider, Medium/Large Car Vehicle Dynamics manager, "something beyond a simple body kit and some engine upgrades. So we challenged the college to make a four-door Ford GT, without compromising its supercar performance."
Washtenaw Community College Custom Cars & Concepts program
Washtenaw Community College's Custom Cars & Concepts program is geared to providing invaluable hands-on experience for students that aspire to build one-off, custom projects from hot rods to concept cars.
"Our number one priority is to train students in the real world," says Gary Sobbry, advisor and instructor for WCC's Custom Cars & Concepts program "Our auto-body program trains students for working in collision shops and body repair. Our Custom Cars & Concepts program trains students who dream of working in custom-car shops."
The Ford Five Hundred GT-R is by far the most outrageous project the class has attempted – which is saying something. Other projects include fabricating and painting the fiberglass body shell of a 1000-hp Chevrolet Camaro funny car, a Dodge Magnum wagon featured on MTV's Cribs, and a twin-turbo, Mustang convertible that won Ford's prestigious 2005 Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association (SEMA) design award.
For Sobbry, these projects have a direct benefit for Custom Cars & Concepts graduates.
"First, these projects provide real-world, hands-on training for students that would be almost impossible to get," he says. "With this project, we're doing things that have never been done before. The Five Hundred GT-R will be an impressive addition to any graduates' resume."
