London, May 30, 2012: Slightly Mad Studios are proud to announce they have signed a licensing agreement with the Ford Motor Company that will allow eleven iconic Fords to be included in the company’s WMD-powered Project CARS title.
Project CARS players will get to choose from eleven famous Ford models within Project CARS, ranging from powerful muscle cars and iconic sports car racing machinery to modern street & racing cars.
1966 Mustang 2+2 fastback (foundation trade dress for 1966 Shelby GT350)
The 2+2 Fastback was one of the first Mustangs that helped build the iconic name Ford’s range of Mustang models has today.
Powered by a Ford 289 K-Code V8 engine putting out 274hp, the car was also the base for Carrol Shelby’s GT350 model.
1967 Ford MK IV
Better known as the GT40, the MK IV was the fourth evolution of Ford’s legendary sports car racing challenger. Powered by a seven-liter V8 engine, the car went on to win both the 1967 Sebring 12 Hours & Le Mans 24 Hours in the hands of Bruce McLaren, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney & AJ Foyt.
1972 Escort RS1600
The RS1600 was the sport version of Ford’s Escort Mark 1 that was build from 1968 through 1974. Powered by a 16-valve Cosworth BDA engine, the car featured a sport suspension and strengthened bodyshells that made the RS 1600 a long-time favorite for amateur racing & rally drivers.
1980 Capri (Group 5 – Team Zakspeed)
Built by Team Zakspeed, the Group 5 version of the Ford Capri was one of the most extreme Ford race cars ever built. Powered by a twin turbo-charged 1.4 liter Cosworth BDA engine, the car predominantly raced in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, being driven by legends such as Klaus Ludwig & Hans Heyer.
1988 Sierra RS500 Cosworth (Group A)
Designed to the FIA Group A regulations for touring cars, the Sierra RS500 Cosworth successfully competed in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship where it narrowly missed out on winning the title. The car also proved to be very successful in national series such as the DTM where it clinched the title in 1988.
1997 Mustang Cobra (SCCA Trans-Am)
The Ford Mustang Cobra has made the Trans-Am history book as the series’ most successful race car of all time. The car completely dominated the 1997 season, winning all 13 poles & races.
Built by Roush Racing, the Cobra weighed 1400 kilograms, using a pushrod V8 engine & five-speed gearbox.
2012 Fusion NASCAR Stock Car
The Fusion is Ford’s weapon of choice for NASCAR Sprint Cup, helping the Ford Motor Company to two runner-up titles in America’s most popular form of motorsport in 2008 & 2012.
The Fusion stock car weighs 1700 kilograms and is powered by a mighty V8 engine built by Roush Yates, putting out more than 850hp. The car is being driven by famous NASCAR superstars such as Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth & Gregg Biffle.
2012 Focus ST
The 2012 ST is the all-new top range model of Ford’s Focus model range. Powered by a 2.0-liter twin-cam 16-valve EcoBoost four cylinder engine that provides 247hp, the Focus sprints from 0-60 in just 6.5 seconds.
To go along with the impressive performance, the car is equipped with plenty of sport features such as aluminum pedals, Recaro sport seats as well as Ford’s Sport-Steering system.
2012 Focus ST (BTCC)
The Focus also has a presence in the British Touring Car Championship as Redstone Racing campaigns the Ford Focus ST touring car built to the Super 2000 regulations.
The car showed lots of promise in the early parts of the 2012 season as Mat Jackson was able to clinch two race wins at Donington Park & Thruxton.
2013 Falcon FG (Australian V8 Supercar Car of the Future)
Ford is one of two manufacturers involved in the hugely popular Australian V8 Supercar series. For 2013, the series will be switching to a new platform of cars, designed to be more cost effective and to offer better safety features.
The Falcon FG will be Ford’s challenger starting with the 2013 season as the company will try to add to their five manufacturer titles clinched in Down Under since 2003.
2013 Ford Shelby GT500
Bearing the name of the late Carroll Shelby, the GT500 is the most powerful factory-made Ford Mustang ever built.
Powered by a supercharged 5.8 liter V8 engine putting out 650hp , the GT500 exceeds a top speed of over 310kph. The raw power is controlled by the finest technology as the car is equipped with Brembo brakes and Bilstein suspension.
The Fords will be available to drive in Project CARS later this year. WMD members will be able to take a virtual test drive once first versions of the cars have been completed by using the regular development builds of Project CARS. To shorten the waiting time, WMD members get to follow every aspect of the car development process on the WMD forums, from the first steps to the finished car out on track.
