I’m not in the habit of photographing 17-year-old Ford Expeditions, but when I saw this red-and-black example on a highway, I realized it was a special edition, so I took a few pictures. I wish I had taken more. This is one of 650 Funkmaster Flex Expeditions — a product of Ford’s partnering with a hip hop DJ, and one of two special editions Ford offered in 2008 in conjunction with car customizers. With its two-tone paint and ground effects package, this Expedition might look like a one-off, but it actually left the factory this way: essentially a semi-custom special edition.
1997 (l) and 2004 (r) Expedition ads
Ford’s Expedition needs little introduction to anyone who’s been on North American roads during the last three decades. Introduced for 1997, the Expedition quickly became a staple of suburbanites who sought big SUVs. In the late 1990s, Ford sold over 200,000 Expeditions annually. In the following decade, however, sales fell to under 100,000, due to increased competition and shifting customer preferences.
2007 saw the introduction of Expedition’s third generation. But despite the new sheetmetal, interior, and refinements, sales didn’t perk up. Ford looked for some creative ways to inject new interest in the Expedition line, and thought that a well-known New York disc jockey might be the perfect man for the job.
Funkmaster Flex was one of hip hop’s most well-known figures of the early 2000s. Though not a recording artist himself, Flex gained prominence as a nightclub DJ and later as host of his own syndicated radio show, originating from New York’s WQHT (Hot 97). However, Funkmaster Flex’s work didn’t stop at his radio show. He had several other shows, on networks from BET to BBC, ran a record label, and owned a party-promotion company. Unlike many other DJs who made it big, Flex continued working in clubs, feeling that knowing first-hand what music pleased crowds would help his other musical pursuits as well. But hip hop was only half of Funkmaster Flex’s passion. Cars filled up the other half.
Rapper Lil’ Kim drives one of Flex’s classic cars, a Chevelle SS, on an episode of “Ride with Funkmaster Flex.”
Cars had long been a passion for Funkmaster Flex (his given name is Aston Taylor, Jr.). Upon achieving financial success, Flex began buying classic cars, and then customizing cars, starting a customization firm called Team Baurtwell, which included celebrities such as Ludacris, Queen Latifah, and Shaquille O’Neal among its clients. With near limitless energy and a passion for broadcasting, this quickly led Flex to host several TV shows. On “Ride with Funkmaster Flex,” aired on Spike TV in the early 2000s, he would visit car shows, host other celebrities, and talk about customized cars. This was followed by other shows with similar formats, such as “Car Wars” on ESPN2, and soon Flex was considered a leading figure on urban car customization. As he said in the “Car Wars” introduction, “Music is my life. But cars are my passion.”
Hip hop and cars have always been closely aligned, and by the mid-2000s, Funkmaster Flex’s prominence in both pursuits attracted corporate sponsors. By 2005, Flex cultivated endorsements from Turtle Wax, Castrol, and JL Audio, and a deal with Hot Wheels to sell miniature versions of Baurtwell customizations. A bigger deal came his way as well.
In 2005, Ford announced it was partnering with Funkmaster Flex to “market to an urban audience.” Initially, the partnership focused on Flex’s Celebrity Car Show, a multicity tour featuring custom cars, celebrity cars, and often appearances by rap artists. Part of the endorsement deal involved Ford providing an F-150 and a Fusion for Funk Flex to customize and bring on the show circuit.
Ford’s partnership with this car-loving DJ carried several benefits. Most conspicuously, it increased the company’s reach to African Americans. Like many automakers, Ford created targeted ad campaigns to Black audiences, and the ad agency (UniWorld Group) that handled this account merged Funkmaster Flex into their promotions. For example, the above 2006 Fusion ad ran in Black-oriented magazines. The website spotlighted on the bottom-right of the ad — grownandsexy-dot-com — included a nightclub video game that featured Funk Flex’s customized Fusion.
However, Funkmaster Flex’s appeal went beyond Black audiences; his radio and TV show audiences crossed ethnic lines. But while his audience may have been ethnically varied, it was not quite so varied by age and sex. Funk Flex’s followers were overwhelmingly young men. That’s precisely why Ford sought his partnership; the company felt its main products were lagging with 18–34-year-old men. A rap DJ / car enthusiast could inject some needed excitement in otherwise staid vehicles. Or, as Ford Motor’s Multicultural Marketing Manager put it, Funkmaster Flex “brings coolness to the line.”
Ford didn’t just pursue coolness among young men with Funk Flex. At about the same time, Ford announced a partnership with another popular car customizer, Chip Foose. Both partnerships resulted in special edition vehicles: For Chip Foose it was an F-150; for Funkmaster Flex, it was an Expedition.
Funkmaster Flex sitting in what appears to be a prototype of his namesake Expedition. The red steering wheel and some other details didn’t make it into production.
In the summer of 2006, Ford announced that Funkmaster Flex would have an “official” vehicle put into production in limited numbers. This ended up being the 2008 Funkmaster Flex Expedition.
While most celebrity special edition vehicles receive only cursory input from their namesakes, this car was different. Being a car customizer, Funkmaster Flex worked directly with Ford designer Melvin Betancourt to create this car. The end result bore many similarities to Team Baurtwell’s characteristic projects — unique paint, custom wheels, color-coordinated interior, and subdued ground effects. In essence, this car was an automotive version of a mixtape — a compilation of its creator’s favorite things. One wouldn’t expect anything less from Funkmaster Flex.
The Colorado Red and Black two-tone paint was this car’s most distinctive feature, and one that Flex prioritized, figuring that since two-tones were largely unavailable from manufacturers, this car would immediately stand out as something unique. In talking about the paintwork, Flex said he designed it to be neither “too busy or overloaded.” He said he wanted the car to “make a statement at a stoplight with no overkill.”
Also making a statement without overkill was the body kit, designed by Flex and Betancourt and manufactured by 3dCarbon. Custom front and rear fascias and side skirts gave the impression of the car riding lower than a typical Expedition — as did the removal of the roof rack and running boards. Its 20-inch chromed wheels weren’t quite so subtle, but didn’t look out of place on the Expedition’s large frame.
The main visual affirmations of this car’s identity were the chromed FMF fender logos.
On the inside, this special edition featured four black leather captain’s chairs, numerous FMF logos, and a Colorado Red center console. Each vehicle received a numbered console plaque signed by Funkmaster Flex himself. As on would expect, the FMF Edition came equipped with the goodies of the day, such as a high-end sound system (of course), MP3 player, power-folding third-row seat. All of these cars came with the standard Expedition’s 5.4-liter 300-hp V-8 and six-speed transmission.
Debuting at the New York Auto Show, next to a Foose F-150.
The Funkmaster Flex Special Edition debuted at the 2007 New York Auto Show, and went on sale at the end of the year as a 2008 model. With an MSRP of $40,910, the FMF Edition was a $2,170 option. Overall, that wasn’t too much of a premium for a semi-custom car, which was very much the point. As Flex himself said, he wanted to hold the price low, to avoid “breaking people’s pockets.”
My only other picture of our featured car — I wish I could have taken more.
Ford produced 650 of these cars — more than the 500 that was estimated back in 2006 when the collaboration was first announced. Nowadays, of course, these are mighty rare, so seeing one driving along Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia was an unexpected surprise.
Funkmaster Flex’s association with Ford lasted for several years after this Special Edition Expedition debuted. Although Ford had raised the possibility of a 2012 FMF Expedition, no other official vehicle resulted from this partnership. As of 2025, Flex is still broadcasting on Hot 97 and remains one of the notable figures in both hip hop and car customization, but for enthusiasts of rare special editions, this automotive mixtape would count as Funkmaster Flex’s greatest hit.
Wow, if I had ever known these existed, I had forgotten all about them. I am quite sure I have never seen one. Excellent catch, especially from a fleeting encounter on the highway!
This is really interesting. I’m not from the East Coast, so I wasn’t familiar with the Funkmaster Flex media empire, but his shows sound interesting.
Thanks – I wasn’t familiar with him either before researching this, but I found his story to be an interesting one. I’m glad others do too.
I unironically love the over the top factory customs of the 2000s. This may be one the more tasteful of the bunch too. Pretty similar in concept to the Harley Davidson Edition F150 with the two tone black and silver.
Good eye, Eric!
Around about the time that these were new, my then next door neighbors traded up from their 2nd generation Toyota Highlander to an Expedition. Stated reasons were that they had two small children and a dog and therefore needed a “large” vehicle. The dog, not being Clifford, was somewhat dwarfed by the Expedition, and as he aged found it difficult to actually get into the vehicle on those relatively rare occasions when he needed wheels. Ultimately, disappointment with a lack of exclusivity as well as difficulties maneuvering the Expedition in and out of the 3 car garage necessitated trading the Ford for a Mercedes GL class.
They probably should have bought the FMF version.
I’m still not sure what to make of Expeditions – whether I like them or not. My brother-in-law has an Expedition of this vintage – it has well over 200,000 mi. and has seen some pretty demanding use. However, it’s also had a lot of problems, and if he wasn’t the kind of person who can fix just about anything, I’m sure the car would have been junked long ago. One thing I’ve noticed about Expeditions is that they seem to develop serious rust in some pretty unusual places.
Wow! I had completely forgotten about these. I did some work at Hot 97 a couple years ago, and got to see one of the mix booths where Flex worked – it was customized for his size with the decks on the side at an angle with a cutout in the middle.
Time to drop a “Flex Bomb” –
That’s awesome. Seeing those broadcasting booths is fun even for those of us who have no connection with the people involved. Years ago I had a relative who worked for Sirius, and got a tour of their facilities – it was really impressive… one of those things I remember even after a long time.
Thank you for being my teacher today, Eric703! Who knows what promotional avenue would have alerted me to this back around 2008, so it’s fun to catch up…perhaps I’ll see one here in SE WI or in my Chicagoland travels.
I like the effort to keep the cost down for the premium package, even if the market might perhaps have supported a higher price. Cool!
You’re welcome!
I was also impressed by the relatively modest cost of this special edition. I assume they sold pretty well; I didn’t see much evidence of “leftover” FMF Editions being sold at discounts.
I have zero affinity for that type of urban music or culture and appreciate the explanation in the article.
With that said, I remember seeing one of these when they first came out and, despite not knowing the background or who Funkmaster Flex was, thought they were kind of cool. Unlike many of his ilk, FMF had some real artistic sense, and it’s readily apparent in his namesake Expedition. Someone at Ford marketing was definitely clued into the current, hip trends of the time, sort of like a hip-hop, rap Bill Blass Edition Expedition.
On top of that, it seems like one of those rare special edition trim-jobs that would have appreciated in value over the years, particularly given the extraordinarily low production numbers. In short, it’s simply a good-looking Expedition, regardless of the why and who came up with it.
Thanks. In writing this article I looked at quite a few of Funk Flex’s custom creations – and certainly does have good artistic sense. I particularly like the two-tone exteriors and interiors on his cars.
I have seen a couple of these in real life. I think they are a pretty neat special edition. Being near NYC here in CT, Flex held not only a number of car shows in the state but actually sponsored a late-model oval race at Waterford Speedbowl in CT back in 2004 or 5. Lil Kim did the start and the boys from OC choppers were there too.
Loving the two tone inside and out .
-Nate
Ford should have commissioned a Funkmaster Flex edition Flex
I thought that too – and it turns out that the Flex name may not have been a coincidence.
I came across a reference in Automotive News that Funkmaster Flex suggested (or at least was consulted on) the name “Flex” for the Ford Flex. Ford’s concept car had been called Fairlane, which Funk Flex said sounded too boring for what was supposed to be a cutting-edge crossover. He’s quoted in the article as saying “…they asked me if they could call it [Flex], and I was cool.”
And Funkmaster Flex did customize a few Flexes as well:
“Flex” certainly a better name for that vehicle than “Fairlane”, and a much better name than “Utopian Turtletop”…
About three years ago, one of these made its way through a dealership where I worked. It was headed for the “budget lot” and was maybe a hair better in condition than average for an Expedition of that vintage in the midwest. Dealership stickers indicated it was previously sold at a buy-here, pay-here lot. I got to see just how un-special certain special additions ended up being while working there.
Interesting! One feature on these cars I’m curious about – regarding how it’s held up – is that red interior trim, such as the console. It’s hard to tell what that stuff was made out of, and whether it would still look good after a few years, or whether it would be scratched and peeling.
Can’t say I care for this in any spectrum, the paint scheme looks like a fire chief car, the chrome wheels are gaudy the painted dash pieces look like a 16 year olds first car mod, I don’t like most rap music(certainly of that era) and I don’t put Foose on a golden pedestal that many do.
However, as a time capsule this really does capture the post-9/11 pre Great Recession mid aughts style of “custom” car perfectly. I was a teen in these years so it certainly brought back some memories!
I detest big chrome wheels, but other than that, I think this car looks pretty good. But yes… now that you mention it, the paint scheme does look a bit fire-chiefy. In fact I’m pretty sure our local battalion chiefs drive Expeditions that look mighty similar.
Not my locality, but here’s a good example:
I wonder what the likelhood might be that the 1999 Woodward Edition Prowler was the inspiration for the FMF Expedition…
Some of the FMF styling touches have been incorporated into Ford’s regular styling options. Many of their later model SUVs displayed black roofs with factory dark tint windows, and 20 inch wheels, which gave way to 23 inch wheels on the Navigator. My Flex has the black roof and dark windows combined with a black tailgate panel. It’s two tone; Shadow Black on top, with a Silver Ingot body. It also sports black 20 inch wheels. My only contribution was when I had the hood repainted after it sustained some hood damage in a parking lot. I left off the big hood letters, and the car looks so much cleaner and more custom.
I like the way the black roof was integrated into the paint design of the FMF Expedition. Omitting the running boards and luggage rack also makes for a cleaner design. The body colored grille was an attractive part of this model Expedition, even the regular production ones.