Formula Ford With EcoBoost Unveiled at 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show

Just the Facts:

• Ford's new Formula Ford single-seater features the new EcoBoost engine.
• The power plant represents a cutting-edge piece for the 44-year-old series.
• The prototype 2012 model was introduced this week at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show.

FRANKFURT, Germany — The prototype 2012 Formula Ford racecar rolled out by Ford Motor this week at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show featured the company's new EcoBoost 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine.

The introduction of the direct injection, turbocharged engine — a production piece, by FF rules — is not only an environmentally friendly move, not only a bold step by Ford to upgrade the marketing value of the series that carries its name, but also a rare innovation in this entry-level single-seater racing series where longevity of chassis and engines is legendary.

The name has been retained by various series in the U.K., the United States, Australia and other countries, but many forms of the series, including the FIA-sanctioned series in Europe, are anything but spec. Various chassis manufacturers are represented and engines other than Ford are permitted.

One thing that has remained a standard is the prohibition of wings and other radical aerodynamic components. Drivers must rely on mechanical grip and their own car-control skills, which leads to hotly contested races.

The series was launched in 1967 with an event at the famous Brands Hatch course in Great Britain, with racing school operator Jim Russell as the promoter. At first, it featured production engines and gearboxes and even street-legal tires on cars patterned after the midengine Formula 1 machines of the time, only much less sophisticated.

The so-called Kent engine, an OHV 1,600cc four-cylinder, became a series standard and, incredibly, remained so until 1993, when the Zetec overhead-cam engine and later the Duratec came into use.

Over the years, drivers such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, James Hunt, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna launched their careers in Formula Ford racing, followed more recently by the likes of Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Jenson Button and others.

More than four decades later, Formula Ford remains a primary gateway for aspiring drivers around the world.

Inside Line says: Ford has also announced that it will resume manufacturing of the Kent engine cylinder block, another tribute to the venerable series even as an all-new chassis and engine are introduced.