Ford actually built the Fordzilla P1 Concept. Created through a collaboration between the designers at Ford and the Fordzilla e-sports team, the quirky concept car looks just as extreme as its virtual counterpart, except for a number of tweaks.
The Fordzilla P1 Concept design process began by consulting gamers for initial ideas. According to Ford, the gamers wanted a race car for two people, but with a Formula 1-like seating position. Ford’s designers set to work with this, after which a virtual version of the P1 Concept was already shown in August. Now Ford has built the car in real life. The most striking design element is the large glass ‘canopy’ above the cockpit. The racer is 4.7 meters long, 2 meters wide and only 90 cm high. That means that the roof barely rises above the black 21-inch wheels. Unlike the virtual version, the real-life version is painted in white, with a red border under the front bumper and side skirts to spice things up a bit. Incidentally, the white color only functions as a ‘canvas’: it is the intention that gamers eventually let go of their creative ideas on the P1 Concept.
The ‘real’ P1 Concept is broadly similar to the previously shown virtual model. The front bumper has been slightly modified and has two extra panels under the horizontal LED box. The extreme rear, with spoiler work that most closely resembles the wings of the X-Wing from Star Wars, has remained. The interior is now also discussed. That is, as befits a true racing car, minimalist in design. There are two LED lights that keep the driver informed of the situation on the track. For example, when the yellow flag is hoisted along the track, the lamps light up yellow. All necessary information appears on the steering wheel, just like in racing.
Next year, the P1 Concept will attend several events, starting with the Gamescom game fair. The concept car does not drive, it is purely a show model. It is not yet known in which game Ford’s virtual racer will eventually appear. However, there is a good chance that it can be driven virtually in the next Gran Turismo.
Useful knowledge?
Amko Leenarts, head of Ford’s European design division, said in response to inquiries from Techzle to use the approach that his team used for the P1 Concept in the future for new models, in order to involve customers even more in the design process. In addition, he says there are more such projects in the pipeline. Elements of the study model, such as the headlights and the glass hood, do not immediately return to new Ford models, according to Leenarts.