2017 Ford F-150 Raptor : V6 Twin-Turbo + 10-Speed Transmission....Hell yeah!!

The 2017 Raptor will be powered by a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission. This marks the first use of the long-anticipated 10-speeder Ford and General Motors Company have been developing for trucks. It may eventually find its way into the Mustang as well...oh yeah!.

The V-6, Ford claims that it will produce more power than the outgoing Raptor's 6.2-liter V-8, which is rated at 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque. It will also have less weight to push around, thanks to the new F-150's aluminum body. Ford says it cuts over 500 pounds of the kerb weight over the previous Raptor.

The Raptor comes standard with Fox Racing Shox, but they've been enlarged and allow for more suspension travel. There's also an available Torsen limited-slip front differential, a new transfer case that's supposed to offer more flexible power delivery, and a Terrain Management System with mulitiple driving modes including Normal, Street, Weather, Mud, Baja, and Rock, that alter vehicle parameters under different conditions.

The Raptor won't go on sale until the fall of 2016.

2016 Ford GT unveiled at NAIAS

Ford unveiled the all-new GT, an ultra-high-performance supercar that serves as a technology showcase for top EcoBoost® performance, aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fiber construction.

The GT is one of more than 12 new Ford Performance vehicles coming by 2020. It joins Focus RS, F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R in the growing Ford Performance lineup. The GT will hit the road in select global markets to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The all-new GT supercar features rear-wheel drive, a mid-mounted engine, and a sleek, aerodynamic, two-door coupe body shell. It is propelled by the most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever – a next-generation twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 producing more than 600 horsepower.

The GT features an all-new, port/direct dual fuel-injection setup to improve engine response, plus a low-friction roller-finger-follower valvetrain. The twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 will be paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle for near-instantaneous gear changes and exceptional driver control.

The GT makes extensive use of lightweight materials, including carbon fiber and aluminum – enabling outstanding acceleration and handling with improved efficiency. An active rear spoiler is keyed to both speed and driver input, reactively deploying and adjusting its height and/or pitch angle depending on conditions.

The GT features aluminum front and rear subframes encapsulated in structural carbon fiber body panels. Carbon fiber is one of the world's strongest materials for its mass – enabling an ultra-stiff foundation for chassis components, while creating a lighter overall package for increased dynamic performance and efficiency. The two-seat cockpit is accessed by upward-swinging doors, and features driver and passenger seats integrated directly into the carbon fiber passenger cell.

The state-of-the-art chassis is suspended by an active racing-style torsion bar and pushrod suspension, with adjustable ride height. The 20-inch wheels are shod with Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 tires featuring a unique compound and structure designed specifically for the Ford GT. Multi-spoke wheels encircle carbon-ceramic brake discs at all four corners.

Ford's commitment to and capability in delivering technologies typically offered only in elite vehicles is evident in the GT. These include advanced active aerodynamics, such as a deployable rear spoiler, and a host of material and technology innovations to help better serve the driver, such as SYNC® 3 – the latest version of Ford's advanced connectivity system.

Ford 'EcoBeast' Trademarked

Ford has protected a new name that might end up of on of its trucks. 

The title ‘EcoBeast’ has been protected by Ford and is categorized as either an automobile or automobile engine. The term is a play on Ford’s EcoBoost lineup of motors, all of which feature turbochargers. The brand might simply be protecting the name to use it on merchandise, though it could also show up on a Ford vehicle, likely a truck.

With the next gen Ford Raptor reportedly being tested, it won't be a surprise if we see the nameplate on the new Raptor. Rumor has it that Ford will be rolling out the new 2016 Ford  F-150 Raptor at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show; a vehicle that would be worthy of the EcoBeast nameplate.

WRC comeback for Solberg?

Petter Solberg could make a sensational switch back to the World Rally Championship next season.

Solberg departed the WRC at the end of 2012 when Ford withdrew, after finishing on the podium on five of 13 rallies in a factory Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

"I won't be in round one, that's pretty sure. But after that, who knows? I like Sweden and we did well there in the last couple of years [winning the Swedish historic event in his own Ford Escort]."

"Things are happening, and, yes, maybe it is possible [to go back to the WRC]."

"Nothing is sorted for next season. I always said I would never say "never" when I was asked about going back to the WRC."

"Rallying is in my heart and always will be."

He says his time in World RX has given him and edge to take back to rallying.

"I definitely feel a more complete driver now," he said. "When I started in Condroz, the feeling was stronger than ever behind the wheel.

"What I have been doing for the last two years has made me look at everything and analyse it a little bit differently. I'm driving better than ever now."

2015 FIA WRC Calender

All rallies in the 2014 schedule were confirmed for next year by the FIA World Motor Sport Council at its meeting in Beijing, with some significant date changes in the first part of the season.

“We’re delighted to confirm the 2015 calendar and to retain all 13 rounds for next season. The breadth of events geographically ensures a truly global championship,” said WRC Promoter’s managing director, Oliver Ciesla.

“We’ve again blended a mix of classic events that date back to the championship’s origins with newer, but firmly established, rallies. All will offer a challenging variety of roads and conditions to ensure that WRC will provide the ultimate all-round test of driving ability,” Ciesla added.

Here is the schedule for the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship

Round	Rally	Dates
1	Monte-Carlo	22 - 25 January
2	Sweden	12 - 15 February
3	Mexico	05 - 08 March
4	Argentina	16 - 19 April
5	Portugal	21 - 24 May
6	Italy	11 - 15 June
7	Poland	02 - 05 July
8	Finland	30 July - 02 August
9	Germany	20 - 23 August
10	Australia	10 - 13 September
11	France	01 - 04 October
12	Spain	22 - 25 October
13	Great Britain	12 - 15 November

Galpin-Fisker Rocket 2015 Ford Mustang

When renowned designer Henrik Fisker approached his longtime friend and colleague, Galpin Auto Sports manager Beau Boeckmann, with advanced design sketches for a super-tuner 2015 Ford Mustang, the two wasted no time. And in Less than four months, the 725 horsepower Galpin-Fisker 'Rocket' is turning heads at the 2014 Los Angeles auto show. These tw muscle car maniacs are now preparing to put this monster into production.

The Rocket was designed by Henrik Fisker, who has a pretty good track record of designing striking cars. He's worked on the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB8 and 9, and, of course, the Fisker Karma, which, for all its troubles, was at the very least a remarkable design.

Rocket’s design also builds heavily on the modern lines and cues on the 2015 Ford Mustang GT on which it is based. The familiar Mustang logo gallops across a hexagonal carbon-fiber grille, split horizontally by an aluminum bar. The Galpin-Fisker Rocket’s new face sits on top of a carbon-fiber front splitter, which is matched with enlarged front intakes and two massive hood scoops that help cool the car’s 725-hp V-8 engine. Custom side skirts, flared fenders, brake-cooling side skirts (for the 15-inch Brembos), a rear diffuser, and a rear decklid spoiler are also included to improve aerodynamics and downforce.

“My favorite Mustang is the 1968 Shelby GT500 that had this long hood and huge air intakes,” said Fisker, in a statement. “It gave me butterflies the first time I saw it. We wanted to recreate that feeling with this car.”

As impressive as the car looks in person, what’s even more impressive is the time frame in which it went from idea to reality. Once the ball started rolling on the Rocket, the partners were dead-set on bringing the car to life. “When [Fisker] showed me that design, I literally got chills,” Boeckmann told AUTOMOBILE at the Los Angeles auto show. Galpin Auto Sports would then unveil a one-off tuner 2015 Ford Mustang at SEMA, with the same supercharged, 725-hp V-8 engine.

2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

Features :

500 horsepower from Ford's first production flat-plane crankshaft 5.2-liter V8 — an engine usually associated with a European sports cars or race cars.

The 2016 Shelby GT350 has a six speed manual transmission and five different driving modes.

The 2015 Mustang, which is the base of the 2016 Gt350 is already 28% stiffer than the previous car and the GT350 is even stiffer still and the ride height has been lowered by about two inches.

The GT350 gets a new aluminium hood that has been sloped and lowered to look even better.

The aluminum front fenders accommodate the wider front track and wider wheel arches.

The GT350 has some advanced materials and technologies including Ford's first use of MagneRide dampers, a system long used by General Motors for continuous adjustment of the suspension for optimal handling.

To harness all its power, the car has Brembo brakes and the car has stiff 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires with customized sidewalls, tread face and compound for maximum grip on the road or at the track.

The car is also more aerodynamic.

The interior was designed around the driver with specially designed Recaro sport seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel and upgraded gauges to monitor performance. Ford even took out a lot of the chrome trim that might otherwise distract the driver.

Ogier wins Wales Rally...And its Goodbye Hirvonen!!

World Champion Sebastien Ogier comfortably scored his eighth win of the season in the Wales Rally GB. Ogier in his Volkswagen Polo R remained unchallenged after his team mate Jari Matti Latvala, who looked promising on the opening day before he crashed mid way in the opening stage.

Mikko Hirvonen had an emotional end to his career after he finished in the second place.

Here are the Top five timings in the Wales Rally GB after the Power Stage.

1. Ogier (VW): 3:03:08.2

2. Hirvonen (Ford): 37.6

3. Ostberg (Citroen): 1m03.6s

4. Neuville (Hyundai): 1m14.9s

5. Evans (Ford): 1m24.3s

Ogier after winning:

"The win is the best way to finish the year - that was the target. We wanted to enjoy it here. We started flat-out and we made a great difference, but after Jari-Matti had his problem my race changed and I had to control it. Not the best fun but I had to do it. When the conditions are like this it's not too bad. I'm so happy for Mikko to finish on the podium. It's a great achievement."

Hirvonen after finished on the podium in his last Rally:

"I'm so happy! I couldn't have a better end to my career. A great fight. For sure I am going to miss things. There are so many people to thank. To you all - thank you!"

Jari-Matti Latvala won the rally-closing Power Stage in a Polo R to take maximum bonus points. Thierry Neuville claimed two points for second in a Hyundai i20, with Østberg taking one point for third.

2015 Ford Mustang GT “King Cobra”

SEMA 2014 saw a handful of Mustang put up on show. Believe me, after checking out the pictures of all of them has really made me fall deeper in love with the American muscle car. The RTR Spec 5 Concept and then the 1965 Hoonicorn Mustang blew people away at tyhe SEMA Auto Show 2014.

Ford Racing just showed off exactly how crazy you can get with the newest pony, throwing its entire catalog of factory-supported go-fast high performance parts at our favourite coupe. The result is the King Cobra, a 600-plus-horsepower supercharged Stang that can rip through the quarter-mile at a staggering 10.97 seconds.

Ford Racing has made its intentions clear to make a fast car go even faster as it has put all of its Ford Racing kits and upgrades into the King Cobra.

The King Cobra has a 2.3-litre belt-driven supercharger developed in conjunction with Roush Performance,  along with the requisite intake manifold, throttle body, air intake, air-to-liquid intercooler, fuel rail with high-flow injectors, and retuned ECU.

Also the King Cobra prototype 2015 Mustang reportedly blasted down Michigan’s Milan Dragway to a 10.97 second quarter-mile on slicks.

Ken Block's 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn RTR

Why is the Hooonicorn getting people mad? Here's the reason....

Block's ASD Motorsports and Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s RTR built the Hoonicorn over the course of two years using input from Block’s twisted mind and inspiration from just about every corner of motorsport. Gymkhana 7 should be the best thing ever.

• The 1965 Ford Mustang packs a 410 cubic-inch Roush Yates Ford V8 engine used in NASCAR, good enough to produce 845 horsepower. 
• It is an AWD (All Wheel Drive) and a six-speed manual gearbox dumps power to the pavement.
• The wide Mustang body is the work of RTR and Block’s own Hoonigan Racing Division, while the 18-inch fifteen52 wheels are shod in Pirelli Trofeo R tires that use a specialized compound exclusive to Block.
• Block has basically married a NASCAR stock car with a WRC racer.

*information taken from autoblog

2015 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5 Concept

Everything about the 2015 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5 concept that you might wanna know:

Mustang RTR is the vision of World Champion drifter and Mustang mad man, Vaughn Gittin Jr.

• It has a Ford Racing 5.0-liter Aluminator V8 engine.
• It has a close-ratio six-speed transmission.
• Also Magnaflow and American Racing have provided the exhaust system and headers, respectively.
• 20-inch HRE wheels which are designed specially for the RTR.
• Spec 5's body kit comes from RTR, including flared panels that widen the car two inches in front and 2.75 inches in back.
• In addition to that, a unique hood, chin spoiler with carbon-fiber splitter and new grilles have been fitted, as have a new diffuser and rear spoiler, which suit the 2015 Mustang look.

This is what RTR had to say in its press release.

Keeping in tune with RTR's out-of-the-box styling and functional approach to performance, the Mustang RTR Spec 5 Concept was dreamed up and brought to reality. Not only is this car built for pure fun, but this car will serve as a research and development tool under President and Founder Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s right foot and prowess behind the wheel, resulting in the "RTR Tactical Performance Line"
of parts by RTR for the serious enthusiast.

"In addition to launching our 2015 Mustang RTR, we wanted to do something over-the-top that highlighted our commitment to untraditional aggressive-styling and performance," says Vaughn Gittin Jr. "Something that from a distance had the feeling of an OEM concept car, but at a closer look clearly shows that there is much more. I look forward to thrashing this beast and putting our exclusive RTR Tactical Performance product line in addition to our partners products to the ultimate test."

The Mustang RTR Spec 5 Concept was a collaborative effort by Mustang RTR, MA-Motorsports, and ASD Motorsports.

Powertrain
Ford Racing 5.0 Aluminator XS
Ford Racing Aluminum radiator
Ford Racing close ratio 6-speed transmission
Ford Racing control pack
American Racing headers
Magnaflow custom racing muffler
Driveshaft Shop 9" conversion with 4:56 gears
Bosch 044 Fuel pump
Driveshaft Shop aluminum driveshaft and axles
Revolution Automotive custom tune

Chassis
ASD Motorsports custom front lower control arms
Custom coilovers

Wheels & Tires
Nitto NT05 Tires
RTR by HRE Tech 7 3-piece wheels (20x10 front, 20x11 rear)

Exterior
RTR Spec 5 wide flare panels (50mm front, 75mm rear)
3m 1080 film wrap (matte silver) by Speedesign
RTR chin spoiler with carbon splitter
RTR upper grill with integrated lighting
RTR lower grill
RTR rocker splitters
RTR rear diffuser
RTR rear spoiler with gurney lip
RTR composite hood, fenders, doors and rear decklid

Interior
Bosch DDU7 Motorsports display
Recaro Racing seats
ASD Motorsports hand-brake
Takata Racing harnesses

Filtration
K&N Air filter
K&N Oil filter








*information taken from autoblog

1964 Ford Mustang

1964 Ford Mustang Convertible

The first generation Ford Mustang was launched in the US on April 17, 1964.

It combined it sporty looks, economy, and performance in a package that had an affordable price tag.

The Mustang had enough options that you could have it as an economy car to a luxury sports car.

The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobiles which consist of sports-car like coupes with long hoods and short rear decks.

It gave rise to competitors such as the Chevrolet Camaro, and Pontiac Firebird, AMC Javelin, as well as Chrysler's improved Plymouth Barracuda and the first generation Dodge Challenger. 

Available Engines

Engine Type	Displacement	Carburretor	Power	Torque
Straight 6	170 ci	1 bbl	101 hp @ 4400 rpm	156 lb-ft @ 2400 rpm
V8	260 ci	2 bbl	164 hp @ 4400 rpm	258 lb-ft @ 2200 rpm
Hi-Po Windsor	289 ci	4 bbl	271 hp	312 lb-ft
V8	289 ci	4 bbl	229 hp @ 4400 rpm	304 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm
V8	289 ci	4 bbl	210 hp	300 lb-ft

Transmission

3-speed Manual

4-speed Manual

Cruise-O-matic Auto

Dimensions

Wheelbase : 108 in

Overall Length : 181.6 in

Width : 68.2 in

Front Tread : 56 in

Rear Tread : 56 in

Tires : 6.50 x 13/7.00 x 13//7.00 x 14

Curb Weight : 2449 lbs (Hardtop), 2615 (Convertible)