Steps from the Manhattan entrance of the Holland Tunnel, the club’s HQ is a vast open space, dotted with classic cars, supercars and the machinery to keep them alive and healthy. You can see the whole roster of cars available to their members at the club’s website. Until you pony up the funds to become a member, enjoy this quiet stroll through what they had in the shop as John Krewson and I were about to head out of town.

1974 Triumph TR6

Insert overused joke about not driving this very far from the club.

2006 Ariel Atom

The club’s Atom is a 2.5 model: the chassis is an Atom 2, whereas the engine is the same Honda unit found in the Atom 3 Krewson drove at Lime Rock Park.

1975 Ferrari 308 GT4

Look at the wall and you’ll see a line painting of this very car a 308 GTB/GTS—executed by none other than Camilo Pardo, designer of the Ford GT. Which, incidentally, is one of the cars in the club’s fleet of modern supercars.

1966 Ford Mustang Fastback

Behind the Mustang is John Krewson and behind him are old German and Italian exotica.

Buckets

Car paraphernalia at the head of a service bay, right below Pardo’s painting of the Ferrari.

2007 BMW Z4M Coupé

The last car to come with the awesomest engine ever made by BMW: the straight-six 333 HP S54B32, also found in the E46 M3. Behind the Bimmer is the Atom.

Lewd Signage Above Atom

That rod is what will prevent your head from coming apart should you flip the Atom.

The Atom’s Headlight

Further proof that Ariel’s supercharged shopping cart is in fact street legal.

Screws

Cars need fixin’ at times!

Toolbox

I spoke English and was allowed to stay. Those with keen eyes shall spot the 24 Hours of Lemons sticker (it’s below and to the right of the flag previously seen on the grounds of the State Capitol in Columbia, South Carolina).

The Offices

Krewson knows I’ve got my viewfinder trained on him. Notice artistic paint overflow.

1996 Porsche 993 C4S

The last of the air-cooled 911’s. This car has one of the sexiest rear wheelarches in recorded history. Also, water cooling is for sissies.

1974 Triumph TR6

What was I saying a few captions ago about not driving it far from life support? Oh, never mind.

1975 Alfa Romeo GTV

Do not approach this car if you’re not wearing a well-cut suit. It will sense your lack of style and expend all the voltage in its battery to shock you into submission.

What we know is Pardo's been telling folks before the Detroit Auto SHow he thought he'd be fired "sometime soon." We've now been told by a very trusted source he's been either fired or asked to leave the automaker in the next few weeks.

We attempted to reach Pardo, but he's unavailable and currently out of the country. Still, we're reporting the news because we feel our source is correct and the information's accurate. We asked Ford to comment and were given a "no comment." Don't read anything into that non-response because Ford routinely doesn't comment on employment actions regarding staff. We're also not sure Camilo would be able to say anything anyway if we were to ask him, as he'd more than likely have some kind of a non-disclosure agreement.

The news Camilo Pardo, the designer of the gorgeous Ford GT, has been asked to leave Ford comes as a shock to us. Even more shocking is the news we hear he'd basically been sidelined the past couple of years doing sketches of non-notable items like side-view mirrors.

Despite our highly credible sources, we're hoping this is just a rumor and nothing more. It'd be a shame to see more Pardo-less designs coming out of Ford. Frankly, they need all the design help they can get these days — and the thought of guys like J Mays — designer behind the 500, Freestyle and the Jaguar XF — continuing their reign of Pardo-less designs makes us shudder a little more than usual about the future of this company. Pardo's a guy who can make lines of millionaire Ford GT owners queue up on command for a chance to get a signed autograph. Although we love Peter Horbury's big balls, I don't see him or J Mays getting that kind of attention at auto shows. If this news is truly true, it's a sad day indeed for FoMoCo fan-boys.

Heffner Performance and Camilo Pardo team for Special Edition Ford GT

Heffner Performance is a name that has become synonymous with ultra high performance exotic car tuning. Having already successfully modified Ford GT and Lamborghini Gallardo’s for added performance, the team at Heffner Performance looked to expand their range by teaming with world reknowned artist and Ford GT chief designer Camilo Pardo for a special edition Ford GT. The combination of these two unique talents has provided for one of the most desirable Ford GT supercars ever produced.

Camilo Pardo had met Jason Heffner in 2006 when Heffner Performance modified Camilo’s first GT, an all-white 2005. Having had the chance to drive one of the initial twin turbo GT cars, Camilo immediately qualified it as “the baddest GT I’ve ever been in.” It was only a matter of time before they began discussing a collaborative effort, as each sought to take the GT to another level of performance and design quality.

The Heffner Twin Turbo system for the Ford GT is already proven on the street, as well as the track. Whille the car retains all its stock driveability, performance was shown to be otherworldly at the inaugural Car and Driver 0-200-0 shootout. Making over 900hp, the system has proven to obtain 200 mph from stop in under 19 seconds, clocking over 150 mph in the quarter mile. One of the few outside vehicles to ever see the inside of the Ford proving grounds in Dearborn, MI, the Heffner Twin Turbo was an instant hit with many of the team who engineered the original supercar. The essentials have remained the same for the Camilo Edition, but this special edition features an all new, Camilo-designed billet aluminum intake.

The car features a number of key aesthetic improvements the designer had wanted to include from the factory including

Unique Roundel and Number Graphics
Heritage racing-inspired paintjob
Flat black BBS wheels
Concept-Style rear bumper treatment from Classic Design Concepts
Black-lip mirrors
Aluminum seat grommets
Chrome Shift ball
Lasercut door trim rings from OEM supplier Quality Metalcraft
Wide-shaft shiter
Wrinkle black valve covers
Flat black gas cap and door latches
T&A Shocks lowering
Polished exhaust tips
Brembo caliper graphics

These represent subtle modifications that Camilo Pardo felt could transform the car with a more futuristic, race-inspired look. By any measure, the artistic talents of Camilo have taken this car to another level. It is a striking vehicle on the road, retaining the grace of the Ford GT but with an intensity that screams out for speed. The Camilo Edition Heffner Performance TT GT also includes a Setrab transmission cooler for additional performance enhacnement.

The project was a true collaborative effort by leaders in their respective fields. The car was sold only moments after it was revealed at the Ford GT National Rally III to a GT owner that decided, though he already had 4, he absolutely had to have it. At this time, Camilo and Heffner are looking forward to the chance at collaborating on another successful and exciting project.

[Source: Heffner Performance]

Ford GT designer Camilo Pardo displayed a number of outfits at Miami Fashion Week along with his Latino-spec Mercury Milan Voga. According to Pardo, "The way the skin wraps around a vehicle is very similar to the way a dress wraps around a figure. It's amazing how close they are." Yeah, Camilo. But we'd rather make out with a chick than a Mercury, FYI. [Thanks to Scott for the tip.]

Designer fuses his passion for fashion, cars [Detroit News]

Related:
They All Turned the Color of Avocado: Mercury Shows Hispanic-Themed Milan at Miami Fashion Week [Internal]

There's nothing like downing a quart of H agen-Dazs while watching a five-hanky episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to get in touch with our weepy side. We weren't watching yesterday (sorry, k-hole) when Ford GT designer and pop artist Camilo "Straight out of Central Casting" Pardo appeared on the show to make-over a bedroom with one of his paintings. The Queens, NY native returned to his hometown to appear on the ABC show, which was renovating the home of a family from Lichtenstein who'd been forced to emigrate due to boredom, and had been wracked with leprosy ever since they were attacked by zombies during a camping trip in Pennsylvania. Well, it might have been that.

Related:
Camilo Pardo: The Automobile's Andy Warhol? [internal]

Camilo Pardo's a scotch-bonnet hot property these days, thanks to his design work on the Ford GT. His art studio is renowned for wild parties, earning odd-but-understandable comparisons to Andy Warhol's Factory. Does that make the GT the three-dimensional equivalent of the Campbell's Soup can? And when's Lou Reed gonna show up with a transvestite? By the way, Camilo, that ponytail thing? More Sterling Marlin than Sterling Morrison, if you ask us.

Chicks and Cars [Detroit News]

Related:
Between the Lines: The New York Times Advertorializes on Car Design [Internal]