Ford is looking to bring back its brand identity to one of the most important motorsport competitions in the United States, NASCAR. So the Detroit carmaker has just announced this week the new 2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup, the company’s designers and engineers doing their best to make the racing car look as close as possible to the production Fusion.
“We wanted Fusion to be the car that helped return ‘stock car’ to NASCAR. I think fans, when they see the car, are just going to smile and cheer. It is going to reengage them with the sport and make the sport better because there is just something natural about seeing race cars that look like cars in their driveways,” said Jamie Allison, Ford Racing’s director.
The car was unveiled earlier this week at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour and features a completely new silhouette and also a redesigned front fascia. According to the official press release, this is the third time in Ford’s history when they launch a production version and a NASCAR one at the same time. First it happened in 1968, with the Ford Torino (which was driven in NASCAR by David Pearson, in 1968 and 1969) and then in 2006, with the Ford Fusion.
“This is a seminal moment in the sport where we had a chance to get it right once again and make sure the race cars are race versions of street cars. And I am proud because I believe we have accomplished just that. The 2013 Fusion is a stunning car and the 2013 NASCAR Fusion is even more stunning and I can’t wait to see it perform on the track and connect with race fans,” Allison added.
The NASCAR model was designed at the Ford Design Center, by a team led by Garen Nicoghosian and Bernie Marcus. Apparently, the team had to deal with three major issues, adjusting the car’s size and proportions to match that of the production model, creating a front grille to match Ford’s current distinctive look and also adding styling elements to the side of the car to highlight the brand image.
The project’s leader, Garen Nicoghosian, said: “It brings a certain level of nimbleness and lightness and agility to the NASCAR platform, much like we do in our production cars, because all of our production cars have that nimbleness and agility and eagerness about them.”
According to Ford, the new 2013 Fusion Sprint Cup will be fully tested this year, its official competition debut being scheduled for the Daytona 500 race, in February 2013.