No matter how you feel about Ford, I think everyone can agree that the Mustang is one of the most recognizable vehicles on American highways.
Recently, Microsoft and West Coast Customs kicked off a project that started out as 2012 Ford Mustang, but morphed into a tech laden ’67 Mustang fastback clone packed with an incredible array of technology.
Unfortunately, the first high-tech addition to the retro-looking vehicle is one I can certainly do without, namely, the overdone exterior lighting job.
Inside the car? Well, that’s a different story, of course.
There is a Microsoft Kinect and Xbox 360 so you can sastisfy your video game habit while cruising down the highway. The tricked-out Mustang also boasts remote control features via a Windows Phone handset, and is equipped with cameras strategically placed around the vehicle.
The custom vehicle was designed and built in conjunction with developer evangelists from Microsoft, and the project will be chronicled on the TV program Inside West Coast Customs set to air on the Velocity Network Sunday at 9 PM Eastern.
The car is officially dubbed Project Detroit, an initiative designed to encourage devs to create apps and content for vehicle technology.
“We believe coding should be fun,” explained Jeff Sandquist, senior director of developer relations at Microsoft, who worked with West Coast Customs on the project. “We’re about developer evangelism and telling developers what they can do with the Microsoft platform.”
The 2012 Mustang was retrofitted with a 1967 Mustang fastback replica body. Although It’s not spelled out, I would assume this is one of the replica bodies Ford produces for auto enthusiasts restoring ’67 Mustangs, as the fastback is one of the most popular of the early Mustangs ever made.
As expected, the car is also web connected, and sports a really cool full LCD dash with an adjustable gauge layout. And, last, but certainly not least, Project Detroit offers passengers an integrated tablet for games and other applications.
