Detroit High Schoolers Build a 1965 Ford Daytona Coupe From Scratch
What was your favorite class project in high school? Whatever it was, it almost certainly was not as cool as assembling a functional 1965 Ford Daytona Coupe from parts. That’s exactly what more than 50 high schoolers from Detroit Public Schools Community District’s Breithaupt Career and Technical Center accomplished this year as part of a collaboration between Ford Motor Company Fund, Detroit Public Schools Community District, and Experience Aviation.
The students were provided roughly 1,000 different parts and given the task of applying the skills of problem-solving and teamwork to the project. In assembling the Daytona Coupe over the course of 18 weeks, the students were given a first-hand experience with STEAM learning skills.
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“Ford is proud to be a part of a collective effort to help Detroit Public School Community District students prepare for careers in STEAM,” said Shawn Wilson, multicultural manager, Ford Motor Company Fund. “Students who are inspired to learn are better prepared to reach their full potential in academics and in life.”
The 1965 Ford Daytona Coupe was designed by Factory Five Racing Inc., and the parts used to assemble it included a Ford 306 engine, Ford TK5 transmission, and a new independent rear suspension. The final product was revealed on the track at the Dearborn Development Center, where students from Breithaupt CTC teamed with students from Douglas Academy for Young Men to participate in a min hackathon and panel discussion with Experience Aviation founder Capt. Barrington Irving, the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
“The significance of this project is the empowerment and industry knowledge it builds for students,” Irving said. “Now, each student can point the finger at themselves and say, ‘I am the scientist, technologist, engineer, designer, and mathematician who made this happen.’”
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