Autoblog

We had the opportunity to sit in a dark maroon Ford Flex at the Dolby booth for a demonstration of their 7.1 Surround Sound system they've developed with the Blue Oval, and the first thing I notice is the super-nice croc-print leather seats beneath me. Michael Becker, Dolby's Global Marketing Director, says something like, "Oh, yeah. This is Funkmaster Flex's Flex." So don't look for the sweet, lizard-like leather on the production version.

But we weren't actually at the Dolby booth to ogle celeb-designed cars, we were there to listen to them.

Becker says one of the premium audio options in the upcoming non-Funkmasterized Flex will be the Sony system we heard with 12 speakers and 7.1 surround sound. With 375 watts it's an awesome-sounding system, especially for what is essentially a station wagon. We can assure you, your parents' Vista Cruiser never sounded this good.

Which brings up the question, "Why put such a high-end sound system in a family car?" So Dolby's Becker demonstrated. If you want to retain some of the premium sound, but still keep the kids asleep in back, use the touch-screen fader to move the sound up front. In most cars, that would have produced sound a little better than a pocket-sized transistor radio. But the Flex's system retains Dolby 5.1 for the front system or the rear if the fader is moved towards the back. This means the sound is still far ahead of that Vista Cruiser, and probably better than what you're driving now.

We can't wait to see how this sounds with real-world noise outside instead of within the crowds of CES-goers. Speaking of which, Becker said the Flex had attracted major attention from show-goers, with one even way overestimating the list price above $100k. It's nice, but not that nice. As if to demonstrate what he meant, while in the car demonstrating the sound system, we had to lock the doors to keep out the curious, even with the car roped off. Possibly a very good sign for Ford's Flex.

UPDATE: Woops. We switched the Foose Flex with the Funkmaster Flex2. The post has been updated to show the correct vehicle.

click above image for high-res pics of the FF Flex2

Funkmaster Flex made his debut last year at SEMA with a customized Expedition, and he's bringing what Ford calls "urban luxury" to the show again with the Flex2. In an awkward mix of hip hop culture and pr market lingo, the Master of Funk states that "I know what this vehicle is going to be in the urban market: It's going to be killer! Whether you're flossin' with your friends, going to the club or riding around with your girl, the Ford Flex is the next urban street vehicle, and Flex2 is my interpretation of the ultimate in street luxury."

The Flex actually has a pretty clean design, with a two-tone paint scheme and faux-brushed aluminum roof. Fender vents, grilles and a spoiler that comes from 3d Carbon. The Flex2 is lowered one inch from the standard car's height and rides on 22-inch forged rims. Inside are custom seats with Katzkin seat covers and stainless steel color stitching. DVD systems are also mounted in the headrests in the first and second rows. Click on the photo or the thumbnails below to view live shots from the show.

We caught up with Mr. Flex at the 2007 New York Auto Show to talk about his new Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition and what it's like to apply the flavor of his personal customization to a vehicle that begins life on an assembly line. We learned that applying a two-tone paint job like the Orange and Black livery on the Expedition FMF Edition is not an easy task for mass production. Funkmaster also tells us about wheel selection (we've seen a few different styles on the FMF Edition) and how much he expects his signature ride to cost when it goes on sale in the fall.

Follow the jump to watch the interview, and check out all of our videos from the show over on YouTube where you can subscribe to the Autoblog Video channel.

click above to view our gallery of details shots showing the Funkmaster Flex Expedition

As the first day of the New York Auto Show wound down, we managed to catch our breath and snap some shots of the Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Concept. As one would expect, the big SUV carries a red-and-black paint scheme, some color-matched painted interior components, big wheels, and the FMF logo on nearly every surface. It's very similar to the truck we saw at SEMA (the wheels are the biggest difference), and carries serial number 002. Look for it to appear at Ford dealers sometime this fall.

Hit the gallery for more live shots of the Expedition FMF Concept, and of course plenty more coverage of the NY show can be found here.

According to the Car Connection, Funkmaster Flex will be bringing his own style to Ford's new Flex people mover at the end of 2008. Ford's hip-hop friend is said to be designing a two-tone paint scheme, along with "contrasting highlights, interior stitching and other distinctive touches." As for power, TCC is saying that the 3.5L V6 will be getting a boost in power – supposedly between 50 and 75 HP. How that will be achieved is anyone's guess, but we'll still file all this "news" under "rumor" until we see something from Ford's press office.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Ford will be unveiling another production intent vehicle at the New York Auto Show next week that has a connection to last year's SEMA show. Back in November we showed you the custom Expedition that Funkmaster Flex brought to Las Vegas for the big show. Next week Ford will be announcing that a version of this truck will go into production this fall. The production version is truly the spitting image of the original show truck produced for SEMA, with the most obvious change being new 20-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels. It features a 3d Carbon body kit that spruces up the front and rear fascias while adding side skirts to lower the truck's visual height. The Black and Colorado Red paint job with Orange pinstriping is just the like the show truck's, however. Inside the Expedition, Flex added a black leather interior with Colorado red stitching, as well as Colorado red accents all over the dash, doors and center console. Based on the short wheelbase Expedition Limited, it doesn't appear that any changes have been made to the motor or suspension. No pricing has been announced either, but any baller knows you need a lot of Benjamins to roll like this.

[Source: Ford]

UPDATED: Added more pics and gallery after jump


Last month it was cell phones, this month it's SUVs. FunkMaster Flex is turning his hip hop car customization skills loose on Ford's new 2007 Expedition for this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas next week. Last year Ford had Flex customize a Fusion and an F-150 for the SEMA show, and they were pretty well received. So asking him back for an encore wasn't much of a stretch.

Perhaps better known for tuning celebrity rides than even his mixing nowadays, Flex will show us his interpretation of the all-new 2007 Ford Expedition, which "delivers hardworking SUV authenticity with original urban style and presence."

According to the release, the new Expedition has a more aggressive look, more towing capacity and more interior flexibility. The 2007 Ford Expedition FunkMaster Flex Concept sports a Street Scene Body Kit, 24-inch rims, two-tone black and redfire paint and a complete custom interior featuring DVD screens and performance audio system, all the standard fare for a SEMA-bound truck. Ford selected Flex to be the first customizer of the all-new 2007 Expedition after his successful work with other Ford products like the aforementioned 2006 Ford Fusion, F-150 and Mustang.

More pics of Flex's custom Expedition after the jump.

[Source: WorldCarFans]