Ford could finally quench its thirst for a road-going track toy by producing a street-legal version of its 1.0L Formula Ford. Ford first hinted at the idea a light-weight race car for the street with its 1996 Indigo concept.
According to Evo, Ford is considering giving the green light to a street legal version of its three-cylinder Formula Ford that recently lapped Germany's famed Nurburgring in just 7 minutes, 22 seconds. Ford touted the 1.0L car for its combination of performance and efficiency, but a few hints suggest the car could soon be battling cars like the Ariel Atom on the streets of the real world.
Firstly, the three-cylinder Formula Ford that lapped the Ring faster than the Lamborghini Aventador and Pagani Zonda wasn't exactly a run-of-the-mill racer – the car was fitted with lights, wheel covers, a horn and even a speedometer. Although not necessary on the race track, all of those features are required to make a car road-legal in the UK.
Secondly, at Ford's recent meeting in Amsterdam a company executive confirmed that the Dearborn-based automaker was considering putting a limited number of Formula Fords into production. The executive said such a car would list for “well under £100,000.”
Rules and regulations in the United States would likely prevent Ford from ever selling such a vehicle on these shores, but the UK's Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) exemptions could allow the car to be sold in Britain. Whether Ford really intends to take on the Ariel Atom, however, remains to be seen.
