Can’t afford a new Mustang? Now you can 3D print one from home

By Andrew Hard June 12, 2015

You wouldn’t download a car, would you? You would? Well then, we have good news. Ford has listed digital 3D printing files for several of its vehicles online. That means if you have additive manufacturing tools on hand, a model of your favorite Ford is just a few clicks away.

Schematics of the F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350R, Focus ST, and Fiesta ST can be bought at The Ford 3D Store, where you’ll find .STL files available for $5 each. As advertised, the 1:32 scale miniatures will come out at around 6 inches long, but users can adjust the scale as they please.

Does that mean you can print a full-scale Mustang from home? Most likely not. However, Ford expects the sales of desktop 3D printers to exceed 1 million units by 2018, so we can’t rule anything out.

“3D printing at home is a growing trend, and it makes sense for us to offer our customers a chance to make their own 3D Ford models,” said Mark Bentley, Ford Licensing Manager. “At Ford, we’re using 3D printing every day to rapidly prototype parts, and now we want to share that fun with our fans.”

If you don’t have access to a 3D printer or the polycarbonates, resins, and vibraniums necessary to manufacture the car yourself, you can also buy pre-formed replicas sculpted from single color PLA plastic.

According to Ford, an extremely detailed model of the all-new GT will be available on June 15, presented in full color sandstone.

Ford GT model — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ford isn’t the first manufacturer to host its 3D printing files online. Last year, Honda made the schematics for many of its past concept cars available to the public, but it did so for free. Included on Honda’s site are the original NSX Concept, the Motor Compo scooter, and the gel-filled Puyo concept.

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Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…

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