We're excited to announce our latest project, the FE32. This is our carbon fiber, Tesla-powered tribute to Aaron Beck's iconic F132.
The F132 is a Formula 1 inspired, '32 Ford hot rod that was first featured in the Need for Speed - Hot Rods update in 2016. It was later included in Need for Speed: Payback in 2017. It's most recent appearance was in the Midnight Boulevard update for Need for Speed: No Limits in 2020.
The FE32 will retain a lot of the key elements of the F132 including the carbon panels, chromoly space frame, and custom fabricated suspension. This build will include some significant changes from the F132 however. The 'FE' in the name comes from Formula E since this build will be an EV. The motor will be Large Rear Drive Unit from a Tesla Model S powered by two Chevy Volt battery packs. We're also hyped to be working with Aaron to incorporate some exciting design updates as we bring this concept to life.
The FE32 will make its debut at the CSF booth this year at SEMA 2022 which means we'll be working on a tight timeline. Building a drivable vehicle from a video game design concept also presents some challenges like packaging all the required systems and fabricating all of the carbon fiber parts. If you're interested in learning how we are tackling these and more, you can follow along with the build on our YouTube channel: Street Bandito - FE32 Playlist. Tim will be covering all the details of his build including:
- Chopping and shaping a '32 ford body to serve as a buck for mold making
- Creating prepreg carbon fiber molds and parts
- Chassis fabrication
- Suspension design and fab
- EV powertrain component selection and installation
- Lighting design and wiring
- Interior construction and more
UPDATE: Thanks to Andrei Tutu over at Carvibz for providing a great writeup on our build: F1-Styled 1932 Ford “FE32” Is a Real-Life Need For Speed Car Coming to 2022 SEMA as an EV
