Ford
Los Angeles 2014: Ford Unveils Track-Focused Shelby GT-350 Mustang
The man himself may no longer be with us, but Caroll Shelby’s legacy of working with Ford to create some serious performance machines lives on with the latest entry into the portfolio, the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-350. Unlike the previous generation’s Shelby Mustang, the GT-500, the GT-350’s primary objective isn’t massive horsepower numbers and straight line acceleration. Instead, the GT-350 is designed from the ground up to be a road course terror, and this little pony has the goods to carve through corners with the best of them.
Ken Block Assaults the Streets of LA in Gymkhana 7 with an 845 HP, AWD Mustang
Professional rally driver Ken Block and his Hoonigan racing team have returned with the latest tire-destroying showcase of car control theatrics known to man, Gymkhana. For those unfamiliar with the series, now in its seventh official installment (there’s been a few more that apparently didn’t warrant an entirely new episode number), Gymkhana videos feature high speed stunt driving through some treacherous, often urban environments, with feats of drifting prowess that really must be seen to be believed. This time Ken takes us to the streets in and around downtown Los Angeles, and the weapon of choice is a custom built, all-wheel-drive, 845 horsepower 1965 Ford Mustang coupe. It’s absolutely glorious.
Preview: 2015 Ford Mustang RTR
At this week’s SEMA show, drifting luminary Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Ford unveiled the Mustang RTR package which, along with the platform it’s applied to, is all-new for 2015. Along with the requisite visual upgrades, the top-tier Mustang GT RTR gets a big dose of additional grunt – to the tune of 725 horsepower.
WR TV: 2014 Ford Focus ST
This week we find ourselves behind the wheel of another factory-built hot hatch. Much like the Fiesta we featured in September, the Focus also gets a thorough high performance reworking for ST duty from Ford’s engineers.
WR TV: 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost 2.3L Performance Package – POV Test Drive
While we had a great time putting the new GT through its paces, perhaps the biggest surprise of during our stint with the all-new Mustang lineup was the new EcoBoost model. Slotted between the base V6 and the 5.0-powered GT, the EcoBoost Mustang gets motivation from a turbocharged, DOHC 2.3-liter four cylinder motor which outputs an impressive 310 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque, recalling the short-lived Mustang SVO of the early 1980s which still carries a cult following today for its light weight and eminently tunable turbocharged powerplant. Our tester was also equipped with a six speed manual and the optional Performance Package, which includes a 3.55 limited slip differential and 255/40R19 summer tires.
Rumor: Ford GT Successor Currently in Development
Sources indicate that preparations could be underway for Ford’s factory GT program to return to Le Mans in 2016 – the 50th anniversary brand’s victory at the famed circuit with the Ford GT40 Mk II.
Driven: 2015 Ford Mustang GT
Fifty years ago, Ford took the style of a European coupe and fastened it to the bones of the Ford Falcon and created the first pony car. More than nine million examples later, the Mustang is a legitimate icon of Americana, and its massive popularity has created an aftermarket so healthy that one phone call can get you everything you’d need to turn otherwise stock vehicle into a corner carving road racer or a 9-second drag strip beast. Marking its 50th anniversary, Ford has made some fairly sweeping changes to the car, including the first application of an independent rear suspension ever in the standard Mustang (SVT’s brief flirtation with the idea in the 99-04 Cobra models notwithstanding), an all-new look inside and out, and a new turbocharged four cylinder EcoBoost model now on offer, recalling the beloved Mustang SVO of the 1980s. 2015 also marks the Mustang’s entry into the European market, which brings with it a whole different set of challenges and buyer expectations. Earlier this month we took to the back roads of Malibu to find out if the 2015 Mustang GT has the goods to attract newcomers into the fold while still keeping its rabid fanbase happy.
WR TV: 2015 Ford F350 Super Duty
Today we’ve wrangled one of Ford’s most capable pickups for a thorough look from top to bottom, and then head out on the road for a pair of POV test drives. For 2015, the Super Duty line of pickups gets a new optional 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8 which outputs 440 horsepower and a stump-decimating 860 pound-feet of torque. Naturally the F350’s towing capacity has risen as well, with the maximum fifth-wheel/gooseneck trailer figure now pegged at an astronomical 26,500 pounds.
WR TV: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST
Today we’re getting behind the wheel of one of our current favorites in the hot hatch segment. Weighing in at just over 2700 pounds, the ST is outfitted with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four cylinder motor which generates 197 horsepower and 214 foot-pounds of torque, up a whopping 77 HP and 102 LB-FT from the standard Fiesta. Accordingly, it comes as little surprise that the ST has plenty of oomph when dipping into the throttle, and paired with a stiff chassis, uprated suspension and torque vectoring wizardry which equates to quick turn-in and flat, generally neutral cornering, the Fiesta ST is an amicable companion for attacking your favorite twisty stretch of road.
WR TV: 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor
Earlier this summer we got a chance to get behind the wheel of Ford’s latest performance-oriented pickup, the F-150 Tremor. With the new aluminum-bodied 2015 F-150 due to land in showrooms in just a few short months, we thought we’d give this hopped-up version of the outgoing model a thorough once-over before it goes the way of the dodo.
Ford, Chrysler Truck Rivalry Heats Up As Torque Ratings Rise
Just as the horsepower rivalry between the Big Three has spawned increasingly more capable sports cars and muscle cars, the war to claim the top spot in the world of pickups has evolved into a tit for tat battle of one-upmanship. While horsepower is the measurement that go-fast fanatics salivate over, in the realm of trucks, it’s torque that dictates who’s the king of hill in terms of capability. Over the course of the last few days, both Ford and Chrysler have traded blows that have caused the crown bounce back and forth across Detroit this month. But regardless of where it lands, it spells good news for consumers.
Ten Cars from the 1980s That Every Enthusiast Should Drive
In the 1980s, automakers started turning towards high-tech electronic equipment like on-board computers and digital instrument clusters. Some companies went as far as designing software that actually talked to the driver if a door wasn’t fully closed or if the oil level was low. A lot of the driving aids that we take for granted today were born in the 1980s, even if they didn’t become widespread until much later.
WRR TV: Perseverance Pays Off at Road America
Ride along onboard the #60 Ford Mustang Boss 302R of Jack Roush Jr. during the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on June 21st.
Rumor: Hellcat Powered Dodge Charger SRT On the Way
Recently discovered SAE documents indicate that the 707 horsepower, supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat motor used in the top spec 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT is also bound for at least one other engine bay in the Dodge lineup.
Ten of the Greatest Supercharged Engines Ever Made
Supercharging is a type of forced induction that has historically been used by automakers to raise an engine’s power output. Bolted to the side or to the top of the engine, the supercharger creates a powerful combustion by blowing compressed air into the cylinders.
Driven: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
Back in 2005, when Ford unveiled the newly retro-inspired Mustang, designers from Chevrolet and Dodge took notice of the excitement Ford was generating for nostalgic design coupled with modern performance and convenience and set to work creating their own responses, which resulted in the fifth generation Camaro and the third generation Challenger, the latter of which returned after a twenty five year hibernation. The Challenger SRT8 in particular caused quite a stir – its visual presence and torquey, rumbling 425 horsepower Hemi V8 was considered by many to be the most convincing and honest reinterpretation of the classic.
Update: 2015 Ford Mustang Official Specs Revealed
The pony car wars show no signs of letting up any time soon. While the new Dodge Challenger, and particularly the 707hp Hellcat variant, have been stealing the limelight as of late, Ford has just announced the official specifications and output figures for its all-new Mustang, which is set to hit showrooms later this year.
Racecar Profile: Spec Racer Ford (Gen 2)
With nearly 900 chassis delivered across the country and the relatively low operating costs associated with SRF, it’s little surprise that Spec Racer Ford has been one of the most popular classes in the SCCA for nearly three decades.
WRR First Laps: Onboard Crash on Lap 1 at the Long Beach Grand Prix
Ride along in the #52 Ford Mustang Boss 302S, #73 Porsche Cayman S, #1 Chevrolet Camaro, and #51 Nissan 370Z as we bring you multiple angles of the crash on Lap 1 at the Long Beach Grand Prix.
Gearhead Theater: Love the Beast
If your movie watching habits are anything like the staff here at Winding Road’s, your insatiable hunger for all things automotive means you’ve likely come close to picking the bones clean in the world of cinema during your never-ending search for car-related gems you might have missed, but here’s one that just might have flown under your radar.
WR TV: Factory Five Racing AC Cobra Replica
While we may be living in the golden age of performance right now, there will always be a place in the hearts and minds of gearheads the world over for the classics.
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