The specially built battery electric Ford Focus will be driven by a series of celebrities around a closed circuit and compete for the best track time. The car underwent some modifications at Ford's Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo in order to make it more suitable for fast corners and untrained driving.
“It took three weeks to build the car and another couple of weeks to properly tune the suspension so it could be driven fast on a racetrack. The Focus BEV built for the show has a split battery pack, with one battery in the cargo area and one underneath the car in the space normally occupied by a fuel tank. Because this Focus is built to race, it is equipped with a roll bar and five-point harness for the driver,” said Ford in a statement.
“Having our Focus battery electric vehicle on the show is a great way to demonstrate how fun to drive these cars really can be," said Lisa Drake, chief engineer, Ford Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicle Programs.
The premiere of the show will witness driving performances from Jerry Seinfeld, Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West, but the list for future stars to be invited at the show remains uncertain. As Jay Leno said in an interview for The Wall Street Journal on August 21, “there are a lot of celebrities who people want to see, but they don't necessarily want to hear them talk.”
The production version of the battery electric Focus which will feature in Jay Leno’s show is scheduled to be released in 2011.
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