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Ford's calling on gamers to help design new race car

Ford's esports team, Fordzilla, will help with development of the virtual race car.

Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Sean Szymkowski
Fordzilla virtual race car

Gamers, help shape Ford's next race car for the digital realm.

Ford

jumped into esports last year with the start of its Fordzilla racing team, and now, it's ready to pin a bigger project on gamers willing to participate.

The automaker wants to recruit gamers to help design a new race car exclusively for the digital world. Ford said Tuesday the car, which goes by the Fordzilla P1 name for now, will be an extensive collaboration between gamers and its vehicle designers.

We don't have many other details on the project, but Ford will not base the new car on any existing vehicle. Truly, it'll be something totally new for gamers. Where we'll see the car, we also don't know, though a Forza Motorsport appearance doesn't seem out of the question. The Ford GT landed on Forza Motorsport 6's cover and the Fordzilla racing team has a presence within Forza Motorsport 7.

Ford of Europe will lead the design process and take input from Fordzilla team captains from a handful of European countries, though the studio also wants to reach out to the wider gaming community at large. At the basic level, Fordzilla plans to float ideas on its official Twitter handle for gamers to vote on via polls. They'll include everything from the cockpit's shape to the engine set to power the race car in the virtual realm.

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