2006 Ford Futura Sprint GT/A Wagon

[Tom]

It was June of 1963 when we last tested any product that employed the words ?Futura? and ?Sprint? in the same breath. That car was a Ford Falcon Futura Sprint. Actually, describing it as a car was an act of largesse on our part, but, hey, we were easygoing and affable in those days, and some of us had hair.

Forty-three years have passed and now comes another Futura Sprint, only this one?s a wagon based on the all-wheel-drive Ford of Europe platform that currently underpins the Asia-only Taunus and, of all things, the SEAT Toledo minivan.

But forget all that. What?s important about the Futura Sprint is that wagons are apparently again in vogue, despite the best efforts of Detroit marketers, who have, in recent years, applied the term ?crossover? to so many models that the transgender community raised holy hell from Cleveland to Cedar Point.

The Futura Sprint is powered by a Mazda-derived narrow-angle Miller-cycle 3.0-liter V-6 ? a lot to spit out every time you open the hood ? which is curious not only for its boxer-like growl but also for producing more horsepower than torque from 2800 to 4250 rpm. Our uplevel Sprint, with the GT/A performance bolt-ons ($2250), delivered a bonus 25 horses funneled through a five-speed manual with Hurst linkage identical to that in the Dodge Ram SRT10. The GT/A is further differentiated by a three-person front bench but no rear seats whatsoever, just a long unupholstered cargo bay that can be hosed out, ? la Honda Element. It?s perfect for wet springer spaniels and wet nurses.

The car?s New England designer, Emmett L. Brown, apprenticed for J Mays, and the two have long agitated for a wagon ?from the early Beach Boys era ? a woody without the wood.? Brown?s best-known previous creations include the Ford Cinnamon concept shown in Turin and ? laugh if you will ? a $900 art deco countertop radio for Panasonic that made it all the way to the Tokyo Museum of Modern Art.

The Futura Sprint resembles ? in size and aspect, in warp and weave, in tone and tenor ? nothing so much as a Mazda 6 wagon, although onlookers are quick to fixate on the Ford?s single door on the passenger side and its dual doors on the driver?s side, one of which opens suicide-style. The rear liftgate extends some two feet into the Sprint?s roof, making it heavy and impossibly tall when erect. It looks like something that might have fallen off a Chaparral.

The dash and the IP are perhaps too relentlessly retro, with five memory pushbuttons on the radio and a push/pull headlight switch that doubles as a dimmer. Two of the steering wheel?s spokes are swathed in chrome, two are highlighted with what Ford swears is genuine teak veneer, and one is so populated by redundant radio controls that we don?t know what its surface is supposed to resemble.

The Futura Sprint GT/A is no rocket but does easily keep up with, say, a Chevy Malibu Maxx for the length of the quarter-mile. The car is more at home on a road course or skidpad, where its 17.5-inch Fulda Redcoats grip like Iowa chiggers, assisted by unflappable standard-issue Monroe triple-adjustable shocks, independently toggled to one?s preferred setting via a chrome rheostat next to the ashtray. The settings are imaginatively named. In order of firmness they are: Harbor Freeway, Santa Monica Boulevard, and Mulholland Drive. Brown reports that the original idea was for the firmest setting to be called ?Good Vibrations,? but the marketing mavens nixed it. No matter, it?s gratifying to see designers having fun with such projects, and Ford has already rewarded Brown for his efforts. His current assignment is a unique open-air police car for equatorial climes, in which the driver and passenger both stand upright. Imagine a windshield-less UPS van the size of a Scion xB and you have a grasp of the thing.

The cushion on the Futura Sprint?s front bench is hewn from a single piece of high-tech memory foam that somewhat embarrassingly displays the exact contours of your backside for up to three minutes after you?ve departed. But the seatbacks ? in keeping with the SoCal beach motif ? are fashioned from the same webbing deployed so successfully in the costly Herman Miller Aeron office chair. We found those seatbacks stiff and unyielding, but at least they breathe and, like the cargo bay, are easily cleaned with a soapy scrub brush.

In fact, interesting quirks abound ? an exhaust tip that exits through the right-rear fender, a billet-aluminum filler cap that weighs almost three pounds, induction runners intentionally twisted to resemble what Brown calls a ?tangle o? garter snakes,? and ? our favorite ? a gauge, nestled into the unused half of the tach, that shows instant readouts of horsepower and torque, the latter unfortunately in kW/h.

The somewhat featureless and uncarpeted cargo bay is a utilitarian touch in what is otherwise a stroll down Whimsy Lane, but it also seems to amplify road noise and echo whatever is on the radio ? good if it?s Andrea Bocelli, bad if it?s the Mumps. The cargo bay looks as if it might swallow a surfboard, but no one surfs on the Detroit River, so we?re not sure.

Blue-oval execs say they?re aiming the Futura Sprint GT/A wagon at ?the hip and clever 20-somethings who comprise the audience for reality TV shows.? To that end, they?ve contrived a bold new pricing policy that may prove too clever by half. Buyers must purchase the Futura Sprint in what Ford calls ?provisional segments.? For instance, the chassis ($13,560) is naturally mandatory, as is an engine ($1150 to $2200, depending on output). But the seating ($1300 for the lone front bench or $1850 for two captain?s chairs) and the tires ($800 for the base 16.2-inch Armstrong Conquistadors and $1200 for the Fulda Redcoats) and even the trim levels ($1320 for the base ?Driftwood? cloth-and-vinyl package and as much as $2800 for the leather-laden ?Beachcomber? fitment) are mix-?n?-match items whose individually negotiable prices are likely to incite a financial free-for-all in showrooms.

The Futura Sprint GT/A wagon is half the car that Ford intended but 108 percent the car that youthful singles at one time might reasonably have predicted. As such, that same old truism obtains: You can?t take to the bank what you still owe.

COUNTERPOINT

DAVE VANDERWARP
Zero to 60 in 7.8 seconds? That?s not good. Skidpad grip of 0.81 g? That?s real good. Top speed electronically governed to 112 mph/5250 rpm is good for the H-rated rubber. Interior volume, F/cargo (cu ft) of 53/80 could be considered good. The 105.3-inch wheelbase is good for the ride. Fourteen-point-six mpg city EPA isn?t good for my family, and a 48.7-ft turning circle is practically the exact opposite of good. If your definition of being not good is length/width/height of 187.8/70.1/57.3, then I can tell right away that you don?t even know what good is. Overall, I rate it good.

STEFAN SPENCER
Go to your local supermarket and stroll down the bread aisle. How many varieties of wheat and rye do you see? Go to the delicatessen and count the cheeses. They?ve got Havarti, Sapsago, Camembert, Mont d?Or, Brie, Muenster, Androuet, Raclette, Ricotta, Maytag Blue, Boursault, Edam, Bel Paese, Fontina, Gruy?re, Sbrinz, Royalp, Caerphilly, and, of course, they?ve got your mainstream blue-veiners ? Roquefort, Stilton, and Gorgonzola. Know what? That?s precisely the problem with the Futura Sprint GT/A wagon. Too much variety can be constipating.

JULI BARKE
My father and I drove the Futura the length of Michigan?s thumb, then continued north, motoring up the first digit to approximately where the knuckle would be ? well, the first wrinkle of the knuckle, anyway ? to a ?50s-era car show on the lake. On display were the Futura?s stylistic and genetic fore-bears: Falcon wagons, Nomads, slammed Econolines, women in pink poodle skirts, and ? you have to trust me on this ? a displaced De Lorean whose owner showed us overhangs and cut-lines that our Futura Sprint GT/A faithfully mimics. My favorite feature? The chrome ashtray, which is so exquisitely rendered that you can see a perfect reflection of your right knee. I wish I still smoked.

FORD FUTURA SPRINT GT/A WAGON
Vehicle type: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 3-passenger, 4-door wagon
Price as tested: $20,025
Price and option breakdown: base Ford Futura Sprint wagon (includes $545 freight), $17,375; GT/A package (includes performance exhaust system, high-flow air intake, Tornado air-management system, fuel magnet), $2250; Fulda Redcoat tires, $400
Major standard accessories: power windows and locks, remote locking, A/C, cruise control, tilting and telescoping steering wheel, chrome ashtray, rear defroster and triple-blade wiper
Sound system: Ford AM-FM radio/CD player, 6 speakers

ENGINE
Type: Miller-cycle V-6, aluminum block and heads
Bore x stroke: 3.50 x 3.13 in, 88.9 x 79.5mm
Displacement: 181 cu in, 2961cc
Compression ratio: 10.0:1
Effective Miller-cycle compression ratio: 8.0:1
Fuel-delivery system: port injection
Valve gear: chain-driven double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters
Power (SAE net): 245 bhp @ 6600 rpm
Torque (SAE net): less than 245 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm
Redline: 7000 rpm

0606_futura_gascap.jpgDRIVETRAIN
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Final-drive ratio: 3.85:1, limited slip
4-wheel-drive system: full time with a viscous limited-slip center differential and friendly whirling half-shafts apparently at all four corners
Gear, Ratio, Mph/1000 rpm, Max test speed
I, 3.47, 5.5, 38 mph (7000 rpm)
II, 1.86, 10.2, 72 mph (7000 rpm)
III, 1.35, 14.1, 99 mph (7000 rpm)
IV, 0.89, 21.4, 112 mph (5250 rpm)
V, 0.67, 28.4, 112 mph (3950 rpm)

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 105.3 in
Track, front/rear: 60.5/60.2 in
Length/width/height: 187.8/70.1/57.3 in
Ground clearance: 2.6 in (slammed)
Drag area, Cd (0.78) x frontal area (18.2 sq ft): 14.2 sq ft
Curb weight: 6521 lb
Weight distribution, F/R: 32.4/58.0%
Curb weight per horsepower: not bad at all
Fuel capacity: 19.6 gal

CHASSIS/BODY
Type: unit construction with 4 rubber-isolated dwarf-like subframes made by Home Depot
Body material: welded steel stampings and fiberglass-reinforced papier-m?ch?

INTERIOR
SAE volume, front seat: 53 cu ft
cargo: 80 cu ft
Front-seat adjustments: fore-and-aft, seatback angle, front height, rear height
Restraint systems, front: manual 3-point belts, driver and passenger front and curtain airbags, plus curtains

SUSPENSION
Front: ind, strut located by unequal-length control arms, coil springs, 3-position cockpit-adjustable shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Rear: semi-independent rigid axle, air springs, 3-position cockpit-adjustable shock absorbers, roll-and-sway bar

STEERING
Type: recirculating ball with power assist
Steering ratio: 16.2:1
Turns lock-to-lock: 3.0
Turning circle curb-to-curb: 48.7 ft

BRAKES
Type: hydraulic with vacuum power assist and lock control
Front: 9.0 x 2.9-in vented disc
Rear: 8.0 x 2.5-in bass drums

WHEELS AND TIRES
Wheel size/type: 7.0 x 17.5 in/stamped steel
Tires: Fulda Redcoat, P225/45R-17.5 93H
Test inflation pressures, F/R: 40/40 psi
Spare: appears to be inflatable

C/D TEST RESULTS
ACCELERATION: Seconds
Zero to 30 mph: 2.7
40 mph: 3.9
50 mph: 5.6
60 mph: 7.8
70 mph: 9.7
80 mph: 12.9
90 mph: 16.3
100 mph: 19.9
110 mph: 24.4
Street start, 5?60 mph: 8.2
Top-gear acceleration, 30?50 mph: 4.6
50?70 mph: 5.2
Standing 1/4-mile: 16.3 sec @ 90 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 112 mph

BRAKING
70?0 mph @ impending lockup: 185 ft

HANDLING
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 g
Understeer: excessive, possibly worse

FUEL ECONOMY
EPA city driving: 15 mpg
EPA highway driving: 19 mpg
C/D-observed: 9 mpg

INTERIOR SOUND LEVEL
Idle: 42 dBA
Full-throttle acceleration: 73 dBA
70-mph cruising: 67 dBA

Highs: Whimsically retro interior details, Beach Boys utility, gumptive steering.

Lows: Unfinished cargo bay, duodenal liftgate, Grimm?s Fairy Tales pricing.

The Verdict: Someone get Brian Wilson on the phone right away.

[Tom]

Nevermind, this sucks.

edit

[Raghavan]

Uhh, it was a joke by C/D. <_<
Dave Vanderwarp? His name is actually Vanderwerp, and so on.

[Tom]

Uhh, it was a joke by C/D. <_<
Dave Vanderwarp? His name is actually Vanderwerp, and so on.

What's going on?

[Raghavan]

Uhh, it was a joke by C/D. <_<
Dave Vanderwarp? His name is actually Vanderwerp, and so on.

What's going on?

It was a silly little joke played by Car and Driver. No other mag ran the story, and there were no other news sources or prototypes from Ford. It was a joke. All the pics are chops.
They wrote Steve Spences name as Stefan Spencer, and some other examples in the story make it evident that its fake.  

[Tom]

Uhh, it was a joke by C/D. <_<
Dave Vanderwarp? His name is actually Vanderwerp, and so on.

What's going on?

It was a silly little joke played by Car and Driver. No other mag ran the story, and there were no other news sources or prototypes from Ford. It was a joke. All the pics are chops.
They wrote Steve Spences name as Stefan Spencer, and some other examples in the story make it evident that its fake.

wtf?

I read about the Futura sedan a while ago.  Then today at the school library I picked up the C/D and saw this.

[Raghavan]

Uhh, it was a joke by C/D. <_<
Dave Vanderwarp? His name is actually Vanderwerp, and so on.

What's going on?

It was a silly little joke played by Car and Driver. No other mag ran the story, and there were no other news sources or prototypes from Ford. It was a joke. All the pics are chops.
They wrote Steve Spences name as Stefan Spencer, and some other examples in the story make it evident that its fake.

wtf?

I read about the Futura sedan a while ago.  Then today at the school library I picked up the C/D and saw this.

The Futura sedan was the RWD concept car, and the Fusion took cues off of that in terms of styling, like the 3 bar grille. Other than the older 60s Futura, there never was a production one.

[Tom]

Wow.

I didn't read it as carefully as I should have, but I got "played."  No airbag in the steering wheel did catch my eye though.  Isn't that a federal law?  Oh well...I think it's a cool design.

[Raghavan]

Wow.

I didn't read it as carefully as I should have, but I got "played."  No airbag in the steering wheel did catch my eye though.  Isn't that a federal law?  Oh well...I think it's a cool design.

Yeah. Do you think that Ford would ever make a bench seat wagon (with a manual! good luck shifting with a passenger there) and nothing in the back with a Miller cycle V6 for $20k? Hell, i'd buy one, but it's not going to happen.  

[Tom]

Wow.

I didn't read it as carefully as I should have, but I got "played."  No airbag in the steering wheel did catch my eye though.  Isn't that a federal law?  Oh well...I think it's a cool design.

Yeah. Do you think that Ford would ever make a bench seat wagon (with a manual! good luck shifting with a passenger there) and nothing in the back with a Miller cycle V6 for $20k? Hell, i'd buy one, but it's not going to happen.

It struck me as too good to be true, but I believed it anyway.  I would buy one too.

[Raghavan]

Wow.

I didn't read it as carefully as I should have, but I got "played."  No airbag in the steering wheel did catch my eye though.  Isn't that a federal law?  Oh well...I think it's a cool design.

Yeah. Do you think that Ford would ever make a bench seat wagon (with a manual! good luck shifting with a passenger there) and nothing in the back with a Miller cycle V6 for $20k? Hell, i'd buy one, but it's not going to happen.

It struck me as too good to be true, but I believed it anyway.  I would buy one too.

Yeah, when i first saw it at C/D, i was like Damn, that's a nice car! I believed it too, but everyone knew it was fake after reading it.    

[93JC]

The Futura Sprint is powered by a Mazda-derived narrow-angle Miller-cycle 3.0-liter V-6

They almost had me fooled until this. That's a Taurus SHO V6 in the picture.

The car's New England designer, Emmett L. Brown,

After this it was pretty clear it was BS. Emmett L. Brown is "The Doc" from Back To The Future!

[Run Away]

The Futura Sprint is powered by a Mazda-derived narrow-angle Miller-cycle 3.0-liter V-6

They almost had me fooled until this. That's a Taurus SHO V6 in the picture.

Ditto.

Recognized those sexy runners instantly.  B)  

[280Z Turbo]

I've been told that the Yamaha designed V6 is brilliant, but the Ford stuff around it sucks.

[WookieOnRitalin]

Um, the whole Emmet L. Brown name drop is what got me.

For those who don't remember, Emmet L. Brown was Doc Brown on Back to the Future played wonderfully by Christopher Lloyd and the last time Doc Brown built something it was a time machine out of a Delorian.

[WookieOnRitalin]

The Futura Sprint is powered by a Mazda-derived narrow-angle Miller-cycle 3.0-liter V-6

They almost had me fooled until this. That's a Taurus SHO V6 in the picture.

The car's New England designer, Emmett L. Brown,

After this it was pretty clear it was BS. Emmett L. Brown is "The Doc" from Back To The Future!

Didn't see your post about this first 93JC. I was like, there's no way somebody has the same name as Doc Brown. If they did, I would want to be that guy's friend just so I can make Back to the Future cracks every day.

I love Back to the Future!

"1.21 GIGAWATTS!"

"Whoa, that's heavy duty Doc."

"We could destroy the whole space time continum!"

"Where we're going we don't....need...*flips down shades*...roads..."

[MX793]

The big give-away for me was when they said that it produced more horsepower than torque at 2800 rpm.  That's not physically possible unless they are using some wacky ass units for torque.

[Raghavan]

I only knew it was fake after looking at the interior...

[GMPenguin]

CHASSIS/BODY
Type: unit construction with 4 rubber-isolated dwarf-like subframes made by Home Depot
Body material: welded steel stampings and fiberglass-reinforced papier-m?ch?

Understeer: excessive, possibly worse

:P

[Atomic]

thanks for the laughter car & driver! we all needed the humor. man! one cannot take the industry too seriously   !!!  

[Raghavan]

"4-wheel-drive system: full time with a viscous limited-slip center differential and friendly whirling half-shafts apparently at all four corners"
"Ground clearance: 2.6 in (slammed)"
"Curb weight per horsepower: not bad at all"
"Weight distribution, F/R: 32.4/58.0%"
"Rear: 8.0 x 2.5-in bass drums"
"Spare: appears to be inflatable"