It proves that square was still fashionable in 2005.

Name:Ford YNus

Detroit Auto Show: 2005

Specifications:Based upon the Fiesta, Mondeo turbodiesel 2.0-liter motor with 134 horsepower (320 Newton-meters of torque) and 236 poundfeet (236 kilowatts), five-speed manual gearbox

Why It Matters Now:

This Ford is not your average Ford. It’s shaped almost like a brick, and has bulletproof windows.

The Ford SYNus, a strange and unusual car, was inspired by armored cars and combined the rugged exterior with a cozy interior. After a three-decade absence, the idea behind the car was for a subcompact model to be made for the United States. The Fiesta supermini finally arrived in the United States four years later.

The Fiesta was and remains a B-segment hatchback in the traditional style, but the SYNus was anything but. The city-oriented concept looked like a small armored truck and had visual cues that were similar to the 2005 Bronco Concept. It was actually only 4013mm (158inches) in length and 1760mm (69inches) wide, as shown in some images.

The wheels were 18 inches in diameter and wrapped in 225/50/R18 rubber tires. This gave it a wider stance than the Fiesta on which it was based. Ford fitted a MacPherson suspension at the front and a torsion beam setup at the rear for “nimble, confident handling”.

According to the press release, the “secure mode” of the concept transformed the cabin into an fortress upon activation. The windshield and side glass were protected by automatically deployable shutters. Access to the rear hatch was only possible after the four-spoke spinner mimicking a vault. These tiny windows at the sides were bullet-resistant and didn’t open.

It was unusual to even get inside the cabin. A combination lock, shaped like a dial, was housed in the B-pillar and located on the driver’s side. Ford placed a 45-inch flat screen LCD inside. The rear seats can be folded and the front ones reversed to create a mobile cinema with Internet access. The SYN was in motion and the display doubled as an enormous rearview mirror, capturing footage from the camera at the back.