Courtesy of customisers Chip Foose and Funkmaster Flex, the new 2009 Ford Flex showed two distinct new looks at this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, USA.

Ahead of Flex’s arrival in North American dealerships next (northern) summer, Ford tapped the duo to help customers start dreaming about the customisation options this all-new vehicle brings.

“The Ford Flex elicits emotional responses from people unlike any vehicle in recent memory, yet customers have distinct interpretations of how the Flex can fit into their lifestyle,” says Kate Pearce, Ford Flex marketing plans manager. “Bringing Flex to SEMA before the production vehicle’s launch gives us an opportunity to explore the endless possibilities within the world of customisation – and to help further broaden the vehicle’s strong appeal.”

Funkmaster Flex and Foose each have taken a unique approach in customising their vehicle, yet both remain true to the Flex’s core design while providing their take on the latest luxury trends. Foose focuses on what he sees in suburban styling, while Funkmaster Flex brings the hottest in urban influence to his project.

2009 Ford Flex designed by Chip Foose
Foose gave the Flex a look of contemporary suburban luxury that accentuates its already stand-out good looks.

Riding on Foose Design 22-inch wheels and Eibach springs customised for a lower appearance, the Foose Flex exterior features a custom-mixed, tow-tone blue and cream pearl paint job (see image above).

Inside, this colour scheme continues with three-tone blue, grey and tan premium leather surfaces by Katzkin Leather.

Custom front and rear fascias and rocker panels are complemented by a custom wrap-around chrome beltline. Additional exterior details include painted appliqué door handles and a relocated licence plate. With custom upper and lower grilles and bold FORD lettering across the front and rear, the Foose Flex reflects the right amount of expressive luxury appeal.

“When Ford called, I was quite excited to be one of the first to get my hands on the Flex,” says Foose. “I didn’t want the individual pieces I added to be the most eye-catching parts. I wanted it to look as if it came from Ford’s design studio.”

Flex2 designed by Funkmaster Flex
Funkmaster Flex brings his vision of urban luxury to Ford’s newest crossover with the Flex2. His signature two-tone paint scheme is integrated cleverly into the Flex2 through a House of Kolor Kandy custom paint job that features a Brandywine body colour and a unique faux-brushed aluminium roof. Flex2’s exterior design is further enhanced by custom 3dCarbon accents including side vents, upper and lower grilles and a rear upper spoiler.

The all-black leather interior features Katzkin custom seat covers with alligator print inserts and stainless steel colour stitching on the seats and interior trim. To keep the party going inside the vehicle, Funkmaster Flex added two Invision headrestraint-mounted DVD systems in the first and second rows, along with a JL Audio 12-inch subwoofer and amplifier to enhance the tunes.

Flex2 rolls on custom 22-inch NC Forged wheels and Cooper Zeon XST tyres. With a 1-inch lowered suspension and Borla dual rolled exhaust tips, Flex2 is an urban legend in the making.

Ford Flex

The 2009 Ford Flex is set to redefine the modern American journey when it goes on sale in the northern summer of 2008. This vehicle sets a higher standard for style, features, functionality and comfort in the industry’s fastest-growing crossover segment.

The 2009 Flex will come straight from the factory with several key features and technologies, including:

• Two-tone roof – An all-black greenhouse – a Ford first – that visually integrates the body with the available two-tone roof. Customers can pair a White Suede or Silver roof option with one of Flex’s 10 available exterior colours or choose a body-colour roof.
• High-tech lighting – Available HID headlamps and LED taillamps, plus 7-colour programmable ambient lighting in the console, footwells and cupholders.
• Available refrigerator – Unlike competitors’ systems that merely keep cold beverages cool, the Flex’s compressor-driven refrigerator can cool up to seven 12-ounce cans, four half-litre bottles or two 20-ounce bottles from room temperature to 41 degrees F in approximately two-and-a-half hours. That’s 40 percent faster than a standard home refrigerator.
• Multi-Panel Vista Roof™ – It not only brightens the interior, it gives Flex occupants seated in each row their own skylight.
• EasyFuel™ System – Flex’s capless fuel filler saves time by doing away with unscrewing and replacing a fuel-filler cap and provides a better seal, cutting down the emissions of smog-forming vapors.
• Ford SYNC™ - Ford’s industry-exclusive, voice-activated hands-free in-car communications and entertainment system - This available system fully integrates mobile phones and digital media players into the vehicle. The SYNC in-car communications system was developed in collaboration with Microsoft and will be offered exclusively on Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles this year.

• Big wheels – Standard 18-inch or available 19-inch bright aluminium wheels that plant the crossover firmly on the road.
• Ford’s exclusive second-generation door-entry keypad – Housed within the vehicle’s black B pillars, the flat-panel, backlit keypad eliminates the need for door-mounted buttons and gives customers the ability to unlock doors, disarm the alarm system and disable the auto-lock function by entering a five-digit code.