Camilo Pardo, the Ford designer credited with the Ford GT, is rumored to have left Ford design. AutoWeek magazine claims Pardo has confirmed he's done with Ford. Ford, in the person of Marcey Evans the company's Human Resources PR person, says, "He has not been fired and he has not quit. He is still an active employee with Ford."
We're sure they'll get their stories straight soon.
It might be the design of the GT that will be remembered as Pardo's highlight at Ford, but it's the driving of his personal GT in the 2006 Bullrun cross-country rally that revealed his wild-child status in the sometimes stuffy world of car design.
Videos like the one above, allegedly of Pardo hitting triple-digit speeds on I-94 through Detroit, caught the attention of local ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV which aired clips of the stunt and went on to point out that Pardo had had his driver's license suspended 10 times since 1988 and been nailed for a wide variety of vehicular offenses.
Pardo, though, was at least as well-known in the Detroit area for his paintings and parties he held at his loft, at which some women may or may not have been dipped in chocolate.
Pardo, 45, attended the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit and took a job immediately after graduation with Ford. He would remain with the company for 24 years in various posts and is credited with working on the Lincoln LS and and Ford Thunderbird in addition to the GT. No word yet on what Pardo's future plans.
greenpony says:
10:25 AM, 01/15/09
A woman dipped in chocolate? :-)
editor_karl says:
11:59 AM, 01/15/09
Not to mention the, um, eclectic artwork throughout his studio (and I'm not stalking about the GT prints he created -- which were all very cool too).
bbechtel16 says:
04:13 PM, 01/16/09
Although entertaining, that was some pretty stupid driving. I do not condone. And there's not much public road speeding I don't approve of.
estreka says:
07:14 PM, 01/17/09
There are many companies that would love to have him. The GT is the sexiest car Ford has made, probably ever.