The V10-Powered Ford Concept Car That Tried To Save The American Sedan

For all intents and purposes, the American sedan is basically dead, with only Cadillac and, to a much smaller extent, Dodge keeping the entire segment alive. The market has been bereft of American four-doors since around 2018, when Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis all decided to start to axe their respective four doors. However, that has not always been the case, and American manufacturers have made serious attempts to save the sedan, going all the way back to the early 2000s. 

One such effort was the Ford 427 Concept. As its name might indicate, the 427 Concept was not an attempt to make a mass-market sedan to compete with the likes of the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. This wasn't even an effort to make the next Lincoln Continental and take a bite out of Mercedes, Lexus, or BMW. It was a high-strung muscle sedan long before cars like the Dodge Challenger Hellcat were even thought of. More accurately, the 427 Concept was a car right out of the late 1960s, when its namesake, the 427, sat in the engine bay of miles-long sedans and muscle cars.

Looking at the outside, you might recognize a few styling cues that made it past 2003. The grille looks similar to what the Ford Fusion would wear, the general shape is reminiscent of the Ford 500 sedan, and the overall high belt-line brings to mind the last generation Lincoln Continental. Not for nothing, it also looks like something you would expect to come out of the Dick Tracy or Batman universe. It's huge, long, inherently ridiculous, and deeply cool in a quintessentially American way.

The real draw of the 427 Concept was, of course, the engine. It housed a Ford Mustang Cobra R-derived 427-cubic-inch seven-liter (yes, seven-liter) aluminum V10 that, according to a document from Ford released in 2003, produced a hefty 590 horsepower. 590 horsepower is a lot today, but 22 years ago, it was practically the Space Shuttle in terms of power output. Chris Theodore, the then Vice President of Ford, said: "Putting a 590-horsepower 427 in this car is like putting a Navy Seal in an Armani suit."

Since it was just a concept car, Ford never divulged any production numbers or target price, and clearly, it never reached production. Ford never said why it never went further than a concept, but the combination of a body style that had a definite shelf-life, combined with a huge and complicated (not to mention extremely expensive) engine, Ford likely knew it wouldn't sell very many cars outside of serious collectors.

Still, even by 2025 standards, it's immensely stylish, and the interior is even somewhat modern with its four bucket seats for maximum roominess, a configuration that has been seen in cars like the Mercedes S-Class for a number of years. If you were to find a current analog to the 427 Concept, a Mercedes-AMG sedan might be the closest match. Even still, the car is unique, and if it ever saw production, it would likely be in a segment entirely alone. 

A 427-cubic-inch V10-powered executive sedan wearing a Ford badge might not have been a success to the point of ushering in a new Age of the American Sedan, but it certainly would have looked cool while trying.