This Ford Concept Could’ve Been a Modern Crown Victoria

A Modernized Crown Vic? Why Not?

2011 saw the final Ford Crown Victoria roll off the assembly line, marking the end of the traditional American full-size sedan for good. And while three generations of it were made, including the LTD Crown Victoria, it rode on a chassis that dated back to the Carter Administration.

That said, Ford dabbled with the idea of modernizing its large sedan prior to that. The result was the Interceptor concept from 2007, looking something like a worthy rival to the Dodge Charger or Chrysler 300.

A Fitting Name

It’s hard to dissociate the words Crown Victoria from Police Interceptor. After all, the Vic was the de facto cop car from 1997 to 2011. So, what better name to call Ford’s new large sedan concept with something it’s long been associated with? It looked the part, too, with an imposing body inspired by Ford’s own land yachts from the ’60s, such as the Galaxie and LTD.

The interior was a delightful throwback to days gone by, too. Classic touches include the square dials, vast dashboard, and an overall clean and straightforward look. There’s not a touchscreen in sight, either. The only thing missing was a column shifter and a bench seat.

The concept was penned by the late Peter Horbury, the same person who led Volvo down a curvier, sleeker path in the late ’90s. In his words, the Interceptor “was much like a Marine in dress uniform. He looks smart and elegant, but you can see the raw power that lies beneath.”

A Pony (Car) Underneath

It might not look the part, but the Interceptor rode on a stretched S197 Mustang platform. And if there’s any doubt about that, it even used a live axle at the back like the pony car. Whether it was intentional or not is up for debate, but we admit it’s a nice and appropriate old-school touch.

Somehow, Ford pulled the Mustang’s wheelbase from 107.1 inches, all the way to a whopping 120.8 inches. The body was then lengthened from 187.6 inches to 201.6 inches. In terms of length, the Interceptor was about a foot shorter than the Crown Victoria, but its wheelbase was about 6 inches longer. So, not only did the Interceptor have all the potential to be a new-age Vic, it could’ve been a four-door Mustang.

Under the Hood

The Interceptor had an engine befitting of what was dubbed a muscle sedan concept. It packed a 5.0-liter V8 ‘Cammer’ under the hood. It’s an evolution of sorts from the familiar 4.6-liter Modular engine that powered nearly every large Ford vehicle that required eight cylinders. That same block is also related to the Coyote engine that powers the Mustang of today.

Stats? Per Ford’s claims, it made 400 hp, although torque figures weren’t mentioned. With eight cylinders present, we’re assuming it had a good slug of it by the bottom of the rev range. Interestingly, the concept had a six-speed manual, an odd but welcome detail.

Expectation vs. Reality

In the end, the Interceptor never got past the concept stage. However, some of its design elements ended up in a different full-sized Ford. The sixth-generation Taurus for the 2010 model year would become the Blue Oval’s large sedan, serving as the Crown Victoria’s indirect successor.

From a Mustang-based architecture, the Taurus ended up using the front-drive-based D3 platform that was derived from the Volvo P2 platform. That meant the Taurus (and fifth-gen Explorer) shared some DNA with the first-generation Volvo S80 and XC90. It would be discontinued in 2019 with no successor, ending Ford’s full-size sedan lineage.

With the way things are going, we doubt Ford will ever build sedans of any size again, given the brand’s direction. Still, we can’t help but wonder if the Interceptor could’ve perked up some interest in the large American sedan market to keep it going for a little longer. We’ll never know the answer to that, though.