2024 MERCURY COUGAR CONCEPT CAR (ZRODZ AND CUSTOMS)
Client:
ZRodz and Customs (previous employer)
Date:
2018-present (ongoing)
Designer(s)
Shane Rienks
Eric Brockmeyer
What would a 2024 Mercury Cougar look like?
This project is one of those rare "dream" projects, that only a few facilities in the world have been lucky enough to take on, and skilled enough to execute.
ZRodz and Customs is one such shop, and I have worked on this project both as an employee of ZRodz, and later under my company Rienks Motor Design. The design renderings shown are by designer Eric Brockmeyer, with the final wheels designed and rendered by me (shown in some of the renderings with my company signature, like the main image above).
A 2017 Ford Mustang was driven into the shop, we cut the roof and entire body off of it (leaving only the inner monocoque chassis) and then began hand building an entire body from scratch. The body uses a combination of entirely hand-built steel panels that mount to the original monocoque chassis, as well as carbon fiber front fenders, bumpers, and other exterior trim pieces.
I am CAD modeling, using a combination of Autodesk Alias and Fusion 360, the interior and exterior pieces that are not sheet metal, which will be made using a combination of 3D printing, CNC routing, CNC machining, and carbon fiber. This includes every panel from the door forward (fenders, front bumper, hood, lights, etc.) as well as the full interior, the carbon fiber roof with a functional air-brake using the louvers over the rear window, and all of the aerodynamic ground effects (side skirts, huge rear diffuser, exhaust tips, rear spoiler, etc.)
Every detail on this car will be custom made, down to the headlights and taillights.
All Ford OEM stickers, emblems, markings - even the Mustang infotainment system that is going to be reused - will be changed, customized, and reprogrammed to use Mercury branding.
My roles:
Metal fabricating (TIG welding, shaping, etc.) most of the exterior roof, A-pillars, sections of the door, interior A-pillar and roof panels, window surrounds, and parts of the quarter panels.
CAD modeling the rear spoiler, rear diffuser, exhaust, and will be modeling the full carbon fiber front end (fenders, hood, front bumper, lights, etc.), the full carbon roof panel, the interior, the sideskirts, and the wheels.
3D printing parts while I was still working with the BigRep One
3D scanning using Artec Eva and Spider