Reality check? More like virtual reality check! Did you know Ford has a state-of-the-art VIRtual Test Track EXperiment (VIRTTEX) simulator from which to check real-world driving scenarios and then develop and test out future safety and driver-aid technologies? The VIRTTEX name alone sounds pretty cool, but wait’ll you learn how Ford utilizes it.
First, a brief backgrounder: Ford is the only North American automaker with a high-fidelity, motion-based simulator featuring a spherical dome on top of a hydraulic system to mimic vehicle movement. The simulator was developed in 2001.
The other day while waiting in line at the grocery store, we were flipping through an automotive magazine when the dude behind us randomly offered up, “You know what I think is going to be downright awesome? The new Ford Fusion.” We played it cool and asked why. The response was simply put: “sexy” and “that crazy fuel economy.”
It sounds like the name of one of those new shows coming to a major TV network in the fall: Special Vehicle Team. Only this team doesn’t play one on TV – it’s a real, live unit at Ford, responsible for engineering high-performance supercars since 1993! And how do you fest such a division’s 20th anniversary? With yet another performance car, of course: the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 convertible.
You know that game at a county fair where the jar is full of jelly beans and if you correctly guess the amount, you get one of those stuffed bears? We suck at that game. Not sure whether it’s some kind of hand/eye coordination problem or that we’re distracted from drooling over what could be 100 or 45,000 tasty jelly beans.
Brrrrrr! Imagine your job as a Ford engineer is to test vehicles and powertrains for durability and endurance. Wait – did we mention that you’re responsible for doing so in extreme temperatures and that might mean hanging out in a test room at the Ford Dearborn Proving Ground where temps can dip as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit?
Here’s the deal: purchase or lease an eligible new 2011, 2012 or 2013 Ford vehicle during the program period and you’ll receive $500! And, when you combine this Student Bonus Cash with other current public incentives, you’ll really be raking it in.
We’ve told you before about the things lurking inside Ford vehicles that may sound fairly bizarre but in reality are ultra revolutionary. You know, like recycled denim jeans acting as sound insulation, and carpet as an ingredient in cylinder heads covers. Ford is also exploring the idea of coconut fiber as reinforcement for plastic parts.