Can anyone get me some information on this car? I know there were a couple of them around, then like 2 of them were destroyed and the one left is owned by the SCCOA. Over at SCCOA you have to pay $15 to even read about it.
AWD Supercoupe Prototype
- Thread starter BuckChoklit
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Here it is,car was in pretty bad shape,I think it's getting restored now.I copied all that info from SCCOA
I am pleased to announce after much effort on the part of several individuals the last known prototype AWD SC has been donated to the SCCoA by Dana Corporation. This was an attempt by Ford to produce a AWD MN12 originally farmed out the Porsche as a development project. The program was killed by Ford management though before being released for production. Porsche took a shot at it with perhaps as many as 6 vehicles. Dana was then took a shot at it for one car to reduce the cost of the package. This is the car we were given.
The car is a 89 production car with around 38,000 miles, modified at least as follows. The rear suspension looks stock. The car is an AOD car with a transfer case mounted to the rear of the tranny. The drive shaft runs along the drivers side of the engine and is attached to a front differential. There is a custom AL front subframe with the passenger side axle shaft running through a custom oil pan. The upper control arms and shocks apper to be stock but the lower control arm and spindles are all custom parts. There is a "bump out" in the drivers side tranny tunnel to accomodate the transfer case. The Dana System is electromagnetic based controlled to transfer torque as needed to each set of wheels. It is a full time AWD system. The car looks stock at normal ride height. The only tip off on the AWD is a couple of lights on the dashboard (purpose to be determined) and the fact the car has what appears to be Porsche 928 wheels.
Present plans are to restore the car as a club project and take it to various shows to increase public awareness of this unique historical development vehicle. Given the terms of transfer of ownership, and due to the "experimental" nature of the car it will never be driven on publically owned highways. We may drive the car on private property though but I am sure folks will understand that it will not be thrashed by anyone.
View from front of car. Custom oil pan with front transfer case. Shaft from front to tailshaft transfer case. Custom crossmember and tailshaft transfer case.
View from front of car. Mostly complete view of modifications. Custom aluminum crossmember with custom lower arms. Notice the trailing mounts. Rack sits on top of crossmember. Exhaust has been rerouted on driver’s side to bypass transfer case. Top front arms (not in picture) are stock.
View from front of car. Good view of sway bar, aluminum crossmember, spindles and front drive shafts. The shocks and spring appear stock, but the bottom mount on the shocks are custom cast iron to clear the drive shafts.
View of passenger side front wheel assembly from front of car. Those are stock tire sizes on 89 Porsche 928 rims. Custom mount for swaybar to custom spindle. You can just make out the lower shock mount that curves around the drive shaft.
View from rear of car. Exhaust was also modified to go around trailshaft transfer case. You can also see the new mounting points and adjusters for the custom lower arms. Notice the transfer case and the trans mount. That rusted area of the floor bottom is where the floor pan was bumped out on the trans hump to accommodate the transfer case. You cannot it see it, but the rear wheel driveshaft is a shortened steel unit.
View from driver’s side of tailshaft transfer case.
From left to right: Chuck Weiss, George Davenport, Duffy Floyd and Ralph Baxter.
Most of you have heard of Chuck, he is a retired Ford engineer that worked on the suspension of the MN12 (among many other projects during his tenure at Ford). Chuck is the one that knew about the car and was instrumental getting it for the SCCoA. Ralph Baxter is the man from Dana Corporation in Toledo that we worked with at Dana to actually get the car. Big thanks to both of those guys and to all the work done by Duffy to make this happen for us.
You can also see the Porsche 928 wheels in the picture.
Photos of the car at Dana in Toledo:
We definately have BMW calipers:
It sucks:fm: that this car never made to production.
I am pleased to announce after much effort on the part of several individuals the last known prototype AWD SC has been donated to the SCCoA by Dana Corporation. This was an attempt by Ford to produce a AWD MN12 originally farmed out the Porsche as a development project. The program was killed by Ford management though before being released for production. Porsche took a shot at it with perhaps as many as 6 vehicles. Dana was then took a shot at it for one car to reduce the cost of the package. This is the car we were given.
The car is a 89 production car with around 38,000 miles, modified at least as follows. The rear suspension looks stock. The car is an AOD car with a transfer case mounted to the rear of the tranny. The drive shaft runs along the drivers side of the engine and is attached to a front differential. There is a custom AL front subframe with the passenger side axle shaft running through a custom oil pan. The upper control arms and shocks apper to be stock but the lower control arm and spindles are all custom parts. There is a "bump out" in the drivers side tranny tunnel to accomodate the transfer case. The Dana System is electromagnetic based controlled to transfer torque as needed to each set of wheels. It is a full time AWD system. The car looks stock at normal ride height. The only tip off on the AWD is a couple of lights on the dashboard (purpose to be determined) and the fact the car has what appears to be Porsche 928 wheels.
Present plans are to restore the car as a club project and take it to various shows to increase public awareness of this unique historical development vehicle. Given the terms of transfer of ownership, and due to the "experimental" nature of the car it will never be driven on publically owned highways. We may drive the car on private property though but I am sure folks will understand that it will not be thrashed by anyone.
View from front of car. Custom oil pan with front transfer case. Shaft from front to tailshaft transfer case. Custom crossmember and tailshaft transfer case.
View from front of car. Mostly complete view of modifications. Custom aluminum crossmember with custom lower arms. Notice the trailing mounts. Rack sits on top of crossmember. Exhaust has been rerouted on driver’s side to bypass transfer case. Top front arms (not in picture) are stock.
View from front of car. Good view of sway bar, aluminum crossmember, spindles and front drive shafts. The shocks and spring appear stock, but the bottom mount on the shocks are custom cast iron to clear the drive shafts.
View of passenger side front wheel assembly from front of car. Those are stock tire sizes on 89 Porsche 928 rims. Custom mount for swaybar to custom spindle. You can just make out the lower shock mount that curves around the drive shaft.
View from rear of car. Exhaust was also modified to go around trailshaft transfer case. You can also see the new mounting points and adjusters for the custom lower arms. Notice the transfer case and the trans mount. That rusted area of the floor bottom is where the floor pan was bumped out on the trans hump to accommodate the transfer case. You cannot it see it, but the rear wheel driveshaft is a shortened steel unit.
View from driver’s side of tailshaft transfer case.
From left to right: Chuck Weiss, George Davenport, Duffy Floyd and Ralph Baxter.
Most of you have heard of Chuck, he is a retired Ford engineer that worked on the suspension of the MN12 (among many other projects during his tenure at Ford). Chuck is the one that knew about the car and was instrumental getting it for the SCCoA. Ralph Baxter is the man from Dana Corporation in Toledo that we worked with at Dana to actually get the car. Big thanks to both of those guys and to all the work done by Duffy to make this happen for us.
You can also see the Porsche 928 wheels in the picture.
Photos of the car at Dana in Toledo:
We definately have BMW calipers:
It sucks:fm: that this car never made to production.
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WoW!! A tour - de -force in engineering.... thanks for shareing that.It breaks my heart to see all the rust under that one off. Maybe you guys will save her for posterity....
Thanks alot man! That was a great read. Such a shame it didn't make it to production. It's almost unheard of that a prototype like this makes it into the hands of regular people!
Its not to be used for driving on the streets..Cant be registered
now if they only made an svt thunderbird in 97 with awd............
they sure didnt keep that car up very well.
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