Rare Rides: This 2008 Ford Expedition Answers the Question Nobody Asked, 'What Would Funkmaster Flex Do?'

Corey Lewis
by Corey Lewis
rare rides this 2008 ford expedition answers the question nobody asked what would

You’d definitely remember if you’ve seen one of these before, as today’s Rare Ride vehicle is anything but subdued. We’ve already featured a different special edition F-150-based vehicle here before, when the Neiman Marcus Edition Lincoln Blackwood strolled across these pages. Many of you found the black color scheme, trunk carpeting, and wood trim a bit plain though, even if you didn’t admit it.

So today we turn up the [s]volume[/s] bass to an uncomfortable level, with the Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition.

Back in 2008, Ford felt it was missing out on the lucrative custom automobiles market, and that there was a consumer niche not being served by the eight different trim levels of the Expedition that were already available. So what’s cool in the late 2000s era? What could Ford do (cheaply) to get some feet into showrooms and bums into some special, embroidered leather seats?

A tie-in with a rap star was obviously necessary. The Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition was born.

For just 650 examples, Ford sent a Limited trim 4×2 Expedition to a customization warehouse (or maybe behind an abandoned Pizza Hut, or something) where Funkmaster Flex had left a list of changes to be made.

There was only one color scheme for the exterior: the body was painted bright red, the roof painted black, and an orange pinstripe applied.

There are various Funkmaster Flex “FMF” badges on the exterior and interior, smoothed bumpers, a body kit, and chromed six-spoke wheels.

The exterior theme carried over to the interior (yay!) with red and black seats …

… home to an awful red center console that appears to be made of Frisbee plastic.

Every example got a number and a signature by the car’s namesake for that special feeling of individuality, for which Ford asked buyers to pay more than a regular Limited 4×4, and less than a King Ranch 4×4 — $40,910.

This one’s currently for sale on eBay, and the seller is asking $20,900. If you have a 40-percent off coupon handy, it might be a buy. You could pop that center console out and switch it for a regular one without too much trouble, change the badges, and tell people it’s a secret Harley-Davidson Edition.

[Images via eBay]

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  • Geekcarlover Geekcarlover on May 18, 2017

    The exterior I like. The interior reminds me of some of the cars friends drove in highschool. The had mix and (not) match hoods or quarter panels that had clearly come from a junkyard donor vehicle.

  • MajorKusanagi MajorKusanagi on May 20, 2017

    I have one. It's number 000 of 650. So I wonder, is it a pre-production car?

  • Inside Looking Out You should care. With GM will die America. All signs are there. How about the Arsenal of Democracy? Toyota?
  • DenverMike What else did anyone think, when GM was losing tens of billions a year, year after year?
  • Bill Wade GM says they're killing Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Any company that makes decisions like that is doomed to die.
  • Jeff S I don't believe gm will die but that it will continue to shrink in product and market share and it will probably be acquired by a foreign manufacturer. I doubt gm lacks funds as it did in 2008 and that they have more than enough cash at hand but gm will not expand as it did in the past and the emphasis is more on profitability and cutting costs to the bone. Making gm a more attractive takeover target and cut costs at the expense of more desirable and reliable products. At the time of Farago's article I was in favor of the Government bailout more to save jobs and suppliers but today I would not be in favor of the bailout. My opinions on gm have changed since 2008 and 2009 and now I really don't care if gm survives or not.
  • Kwik_Shift I was a GM fan boy until it ended in 2013 when I traded in my Avalanche to go over to Nissan.
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