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- The all-new 2013 NASCAR Fusion was developed by Ford Racing with major input from the Ford Motor Company Design Center.
- The design process included 40-percent and full-scale clay models to help assess the overall look and aerodynamics of the car.
- This will be the second version of the NASCAR Fusion, which debuted as Ford's flagship model in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2006.
World-class design is something that has made Ford Motor Company one of the top automakers in the world, and now NASCAR fans are going to have a chance to see the latest example up close and personal with the all-new 2013 Ford Fusion stock car.
"Back in the day, designers influenced race cars because they were essentially stock cars," said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. "The more we went away from 'stock car' racing, the more the role of design diminished. However, the role of the aerodynamicist and the motorsports engineer increased because we were designing purpose-built race cars."
The process behind developing the 2013 NASCAR Fusion was much different than some of the previous models when race teams actually built and designed the car. For example, Penske Racing, along with Roush Racing, did the majority of the development on the NASCAR Taurus prior to its debut for the 1998 season while also having to maintain their current fleet and concentrate on winning races.
"We started going back to our design community and nosed around with guys that have been with the company the longest and we can't remember the last time designers have been involved with helping NASCAR," said Ford Racing NASCAR Operations Manager Andy Slankard. "This time, we have had the luxury of support from the Ford Design Center to give us these sleek shapes and new look. Only designers could do that, not a bunch of engineers or race car guys."
One of the people heading up the Design Center part of the project is Garen Nicoghosian, Design Manager for Specialty Vehicles. A self-professed race fan, he embraced this opportunity and called it one of the highlights of his time so far at Ford.
"It was a passionate project for everybody that worked on it," said Nicoghosian. "Those who contributed their time did so because they wanted to and, as a result, everybody went above and beyond the call of duty."
Some of the challenges the design team faced centered around various NASCAR rules and common areas that all of the manufacturer vehicles will share, but there were other more obvious ones that had to be overcome.
"There is a size difference between the production and the race car, and the proportions are so different. The street Fusion is a front-wheel drive, front engine car, and race car is a front engine, rear-wheel drive car with a really long hood, and a much lower and wider stance," said Nicoghosian. "The fundamentally different profiles and proportions of the two vehicles, as well as other constraints, presented a bigger challenge than simply taking a Fusion and putting NASCAR stickers on it.
"The challenge was to design a race car with the look and feel of the production car," Nicoghosian said. "To do this, you have to rely on design identity. We paid close attention to the way we shaped the details on the racer, such as the headlight, grille, and foglight openings, as well as the bodyside sections, character lines, and overall surface language. When parked side by side, the racer and the street car 'feel' the same, even though the two share no common surfaces."
"We've really embraced the Design Center's philosophy and process of how they would design a car for the street," said Pat DiMarco, Ford Racing NASCAR program manager. "We started with some conceptual drawings that our design team did, and worked with the aerodynamicists to see what was feasible and what was not."
That resulted in some 40-percent sized clay models that helped assess the overall look of the car and how it would react aerodynamically in the wind tunnel. Eventually, a full-size clay model was constructed and reviewed in the design center, much like production models are assessed. Top Ford executives, including Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally, President of the Americas Mark Fields, and Board of Directors member Edsel B. Ford II all viewed the car.
"It looks fun to drive and very much eager to go and tear up the track. It has a very aggressive stance. From all angles the vehicle exudes performance and I think it reflects our general attitude of how we go about designing our production cars very, very nicely," said Nicoghosian. "It brings a certain level of nimbleness and lightness and agility to the NASCAR platform. Our production cars have that nimbleness and agility and eagerness about them as well."
Even though there is still a great deal of performance testing to be done throughout the 2012 season, the overwhelming impression is that from a design standpoint, the 2013 NASCAR Fusion is already a winner.
"I don't think we could do any better. With help from guys like Garen and the whole design community, every time we went in there they shaped that car a little better," said Slankard. "You can't imagine the talent these guys have and how they're able to make that car look so good. I think this is a nice sporty version of the Fusion, and a lot of people will be excited about it."
"I am most proud that it looks like the 2013 Fusion, plain and simple. I think this will bring back the fans to NASCAR," said DiMarco. "A lot of people have said the cars all look the same and they can't tell the difference. There is very little brand identity in the sport right now. In 2013, they will not be able to say that."
