The Ford Interceptor was a

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

that debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in

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. The Interceptor was a retro-styled

full-size Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars. It is the largest size class for cars. In the United Kingdom, this class is referred to as ...

sedan that reflected a modern interpretation of the classic sporty American

muscle car A muscle car is an American-made two-door sports coupe with a powerful engine, marketed for its performance. In 1949, General Motors introduced its 88 with the company's OHV Rocket V8 engine, which was previously available only in its lux ...

s from the 1960s, like the

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Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

officially introduced the Interceptor concept in a company press release dated 31 December 2006. Ford described the Interceptor design styling as being influenced, "...much like a Marine in

dress uniform Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is among the most formal wear, formal type of uniform used by military, police, firefighter, fire and other public uniformed services for official parade (mili ...

. He looks smart and elegant but you can see the raw power that lies beneath." Ford currently has no production plans for such a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan, and almost all of Ford's sedans have been discontinued as of 2022, making the Interceptor's production extremely unlikely. Some of the Interceptor's design cues later appeared in the sixth-generation Ford Taurus.

Engine

The Interceptor Concept used a

Ford Racing Ford Performance (formerly Ford Racing) is the high-performance division of the Ford Motor Company and the multinational name used for its motorsport and racing activity. History * 1896 – Henry Ford reached a top speed of 20 mph in his ...

5.0-liter Cammer engine which produced , with the capability of running on E85

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. It included a manual six-speed transmission. The 5.0-liter Cammer engine was an upgraded variant of the 4.6-liter modular engine that powered the

Mustang GT The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its seventh generation, it is the fifth-best sel ...

until 2011.

Exterior

The car included a powered clamshell “shaker” hood, which covered the engine. The fullsize sedan was based on a stretched version of the rear wheel drive

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Ford D2C platform The Ford D2C platform (for " D-class 2-door coupe") is one of Ford's rear-wheel drive automobile platforms. The platform basics are a MacPherson strut suspension in front and 3-link solid axle in the rear with a Panhard rod. Unlike previous S ...

, featuring a solid rear axle. The body was proportioned with short front overhang and a long rear overhang, and featured a low roofline and a high beltline, when compared to other Ford sedans like the

Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1985 to 2019. From 1985 to 2009, Ford marketed the Taurus alongside its rebadged variant, the Mercury Sable. Four generati ...

, with a wedged profile. The Interceptor Concept continued with the current Ford horizontal three-bar grille design introduced on the

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and

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. The hood was high up, and flat with a raised rear-middle section. The

squircle A squircle is a shape intermediate between a square and a circle. There are at least two definitions of "squircle" in use, one based on the superellipse, the other arising from work in optics. The word "squircle" is a portmanteau of the words " ...

-shaped rear headlights on the Interceptor later influenced those on the

Interior

The Interceptor incorporated a four-point "belt and suspenders" harness

seatbelt A seat belt, also known as a safety belt or spelled seatbelt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduce ...

design in the front and rear seats, with inflatable safety belts for rear seat passengers. The four-point belt represented a possible next-generation safety belt system that was designed to be more comfortable and easier to use than traditional three-point belts. The dash, headliner, steering wheel, and four low-back bucket seats are wrapped in leather. There were retractable headrests that deployed from the roof, adjusting fore and aft as well as up and down for each occupant. The audio control panel and climate controls were stowable, and there was a gated six-speed shifter in the center dash.

Specifications

*Powertrain: 5.0-liter Cammer V-8 / / flexible fuel *Transmission: Manual six-speed gearbox *Chassis Dimensions: **Overall length: . **Wheelbase: . **Overall width: . **Overall height at curb: . **Front track width: . **Rear track width: . *Suspension **Front:

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**Rear: 3-Link design with

Panhard rod A Panhard rod (also called Panhard bar, track bar, or track rod) is a suspension link that provides lateral location of the axle. Invented by the Panhard automobile company of France in the early twentieth century, this device has been widely use ...

*Interior **Front Headroom: . **Rear Headroom: . **Front Legroom: . **Rear Legroom: .

References

External links

Ford Interceptor press release from Media.Ford.com - 31 Dec 2006Additional Interceptor PR article from Media.Ford.com - 17 Jan 2007Ford Says No to Mustang Sedan, Wagon; Announces "Interceptor" Concept at LeftLaneNews.comIt's a 'squircle'Ford Announces Development of 2012 Police Interceptor for Law Enforcement
{{Ford Concept

Interceptor Interceptor may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Interceptor'', a British drama series on BBC One * Interceptor (game show), ''Interceptor'' (game show), a British television game show that ran during 1989 * Interc ...