Can't decide whether you want to buy a Lamborghini Gallardo or a 2007 Ford Mustang? We feel you. But thanks to handy hands and obviously demented soul of one John Haugh of Cleveland, Ohio, you needn't make that choice. You can instead buy the Gallardo V10-powered, Mustang-bodied, um, thing that Haugh built for reasons that may never be fully understood.
Tearing the V10 out of a Gallardo to implant in the back seat of a 2007 Mustang is a lot like, um, taking something of great value and appeal and putting it into something else of considerably lesser value and appeal. Actually, come to think of it a Lambo-motored Mustang is not actually like anything else at all.
Anyway, Haugh built the car for the SEMA show, the only venue where such a thing would make any kind of sense to anyone -- almost. The disappointingly named the Tractorri is now up for sale.
So for the low, low price of, well, no price is listed. Considering that Haugh once was quoted saying, "If someone were to take the amount of money I put into the Tractorri and doubled it, I still don't think I'd sell," we anticipate he's going to want quite a lot of money for what amounts to the antithesis of one of those fake-Ferraris built on a Fiero chassis.
JamesList via Jalopnik
Categories: Ford,Lamborghini,SEMA Show,Tuners and Modifications
So you say you've heard enough already about the 550-hp 2011 Ford Shelby GT500? What are you, a communist? Either way, you haven't actually heard the GT500.
Well now you have. Or rather, you've heard a recording of the nasty GT500 through what are, let's face it, probably pretty crappy speakers. Even so you get a sense of the rip and burble of the new exhaust system overlaid with the positively toddler-level whine of the supercharger.
It's worth making the jump just to see some poor sap driving the convertible 2011 GT500, top down, in the middle of a Michigan winter.
2010 Chicago Auto Show: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500
Continue reading The 550-hp 2011 Shelby GT500 Sounds Like Goodness.
Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Convertibles,Coupes,Ford
Ford decided it couldn't wait until the actual start of the 2010 Chicago Auto Show to reveal its two new variations of the 2011 Transit Connect utility van. One is a pure electric version of the standard model while the other is a taxi conversion.
The 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric is designed as a short-errand hauler that doesn't give up any cargo capacity in return for clean running electric motor. The 2011 Transit Connect taxi is exactly what you would expect, a striped down people hauler with vinyl seats and extra wiring for a sign on the roof. The taxi version of the Transit Connect does introduce a natural gas or propane conversion for the standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder, however, and that conversion will be available for all Transit Connects, not just the taxi version.
IL News: 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric
IL News: 2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi
Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Ford,Future Vehicles,Minivans
In addition to the specifications laid out in the press kit, Ford officials made the following claims about the 2011 Shelby GT500 at today's press conference in Detroit:
- It will be one tenth quicker to 60mph and two tenths quicker in the quarter-mile than the 2010 model.
- The Performance Pack will add 18% more downforce.
- The exhaust has 32% less backpressure.
That's about it, which is clearly isn't much, but in the land of Mustang, no detail is too small to rub in the face of the bowtie boys.
2010 Chicago Auto Show: 2011 Shelby GT500
Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Convertibles,Coupes,Ford,Sports Cars
There wasn't much revealed today about the 2011 Shelby GT500 that we didn't already know from previous leaks. Yes, it's new aluminum block 5.4-liter V8 makes 550 horsepower. Yes, you can get a glass-roof coupe and yes there's a new SVT Performance package that adds a few extra mechanical bits to the big-buck Mustang.
For all the details, check out our full story on the 2011 Shelby GT500
Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Convertibles,Coupes,Ford,Sports Cars
Last week we brought you a partial list of the upgrades in store for the 2011 Shelby GT500 courtesy of an order guide leak. This morning, some crafty members at TeamShelby noticed a video of the upcoming GT500 on one of Ford's media sites. The pictures you see here are screen grabs from that video which has since been taken down.
Continue reading More Details Leak on the 2011 Shelby GT500.
Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Classic Cars,Convertibles,Coupes,Ford,Future Vehicles,Sports Cars
What do you know, the Ford Fusion Hybrid might suffer from the same predicament plaguing the latest Toyota Prius. Rather than wait for customers to complain, however, Ford is instituting what it calls a "Customer Satisfaction Program."
The program involves loading revised software to the Fusion Hybrid's brake system controls to smooth out the transition between conventional and regenerative braking. This is essentially the same issue Toyota is contending with on the Prius. In that situation, customers have stated that the brakes actually quit working for a split second while the transition is made. Ford claims that none of its customers have complained about a loss of braking. Instead, the Fusion complaints have focused on a "different brake feel" that Ford hopes its new software update will cure.
None of this is surprising. Anyone who has driven a Fusion or a Prius knows that both cars have an odd brake pedal feel that could confuse customers who are not used to driving a hybrid.
Categories: Ford,Hybrids,Toyota Recalls
Quite an interesting January as the domestics gained while there were mixed results for imports. You might have heard about that Toyota recall thing? Yeah, that news dinged Toyota's sales a good 16%, could be even worse in February if the situation doesn't improve.
On the flip side, both Ford and GM improved their year-over-year sales in January. Credit some of those gains to incentives designed to get the attention of wary Toyota consumers. Nissan and Hyundai also picked up some nice gains in January. For a full run down on all the stats, check out the full report on AutoObserver.
AutoObserver: January Whacks Toyota, But Sales Firm for Other Makers
Categories: Auto Industry,Chevrolet,Ford,General Motors,Honda,Toyota,Toyota Recalls
The crafty, Mustang-obsessed folks over at MustangHeaven have uncovered the order guide for the 2011 Shelby GT500.
Were you hoping for a new aluminum engine block? Bingo, you got it. How about a glass roof coupe? Done. Some standard HID headlights? Check. MyKey? Check.
Other notable option is the SVT Performance Pack. It will include a 3.73 limited slip rear end, revised springs and shocks and unique side stripes.
MustangHeaven
Categories: Coupes,Ford,Future Vehicles,Sports Cars
Here's a better look at Ken Block's new Ford Fiesta rally car going through tech inspection before the Sno*Drift Rally in Atlanta Michigan yesterday. Look carefully and you can see inside the door frame that the car was once red (same thing inside the hatch). We're going to go out on a limb and say that this is the same Olsbergs-built Fiesta which Kenny Brack drove to victory over Travis Pastrana in the X Games last summer. Really, how many of them can there be?
That video and more after the jump.
Continue reading Block Fiesta At Tech In Michigan, First Race Now Underway.
Categories: Ford,Motorsports
Remember Mercury? It's sort of like the Buick of Ford. Expect for all the new product.
It's been slowly swirling the drain for some time now, yet various Ford officials keep meekly voicing support for the brand. This despite the fact that the last new Mercury product shown at an auto show was the refreshed Milan -- in 2008.
Just yesterday AutoObserver Senior Editor, Bill Visnic, was at the Washington D.C. auto show yesterday where he observed the following:
CEO Alan Mulally was asked if the company's Mercury brand has a future. It is a question that comes up a lot lately.
Mulally seemingly backed Mercury full-go, but was careful to qualify his support. Not once, but twice.
'The plan right now is (to develop) Ford, Lincoln and Mercury,' Mulally answered. He said Ford is working to more effectively position Mercury with smaller vehicles that occupy the void between the mainstream Ford brand and Lincoln, which directly targets the luxury-premium market. "That's our plan - to continuously improve the Mercury and Lincoln brands," Mulally said.
But after a little more discussion, Mulally felt compelled to reiterate: 'That's the plan right now.'
No, Mulally didn't draw imaginary quotation marks in the air when he said 'right now,' but his careful persistence in emphasizing the qualifier palpably left room for Ford - and Mulally - to change course anytime about Mercury, which more than a few analysts and skeptics continue to insist should be done. - Bill Visnic, senior editor, Edmunds AutoObserver
Categories: Ford
It's going to take a while to get used to writing Ken Block and Ford in the same sentence. But here we go: Pictured above is Block's new Rally America Championship Ford Fiesta race car. And while the dripping-paint motif of the Monster-sponsored Fiesta is, you know, pretty ugly really the car is cool.
Block will debut the car at this weekend's Sno* Drift rally in Northern Michigan. It'll be the first of six Rally America races Block will race the Fiesta in this season. Ford will also provide his race car for seven rounds of the World Rally Championship, although that car will be a Focus RS. And, naturally, Block will also perform at the X games in July driving a Ford.
We'd be surprised if Block didn't squeeze in the filming of a sequel for his hooliganism-as-high-art Gymkhana series of videos.
Make the jump for an more photo and video samples of the new Fiesta racer as well as links to Block's earlier work with a certain Subaru.
Earlier Story: Ken Block Leaves Subaru for Ford -- and WRC.
Continue reading Ken Block's New Ford Fiesta Rally Car Revealed.
Categories: Celebrities,Ford,Motorsports
Sorry folks, but we had to keep the winner clean, so some of you were clearly ineligible.
Thanks for suggestions though.
Categories: Ford
Who knew seatbelt airbags could be so fun? Well, at least these guys seem to be enjoying them. Why, we're not entirely sure.
Got a caption to sum this one up?
And don't forget to check out the caption contest on our Long-term blog.
Categories: Ford
It appears as though GM's new plan to drum up interest in its products revolves around challenging its competitors to contests that are either heavily weighted in its favor or utterly pointless to begin with.
First we had the CTS-V challenge, a seemingly straightforward "my car is faster than yours" event that quickly became mired in rules clearly meant to stack the deck in Cadillac's favor.
Now the shameless boasting has moved into the truck world as GM's product chief, Tom Stephens, has challenged Ford to a good ol' fashioned truck pull. You know the drill, chain a couple pick ups together and see which one wins/blows up first.
It's a classic "hold my beer and watch this" charade that has absolutely nothing to do with the respective capabilities of the trucks involved. The fact that anybody at GM, not to mention its product chief, thinks there's any validity to this PR stunt is disappointing. And slightly embarrassing -- for them.
Pickuptrucks.com
Categories: Chevrolet,Ford,Trucks
