Watch a Mustang Shelby GT350R scream up the hill at Goodwood

The quintessentially English Goodwood Festival of Speed gets a dose of rip-roaring American horsepower.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is just an astounding collection of vehicles, from priceless ancients to legends of mid-century motorsport to the racers of the modern day.

Taking place in West Sussex, England, it's a hallmark event for British car enthusiasts, and the hillclimb, where amazing vehicles both old and new run the course to the delight of the huge crowds, is a must-see.

Ford brought examples from its new field of performance vehicles to the hill, including the riotous Focus RS.

But this is the one you want to see and hear in action: The absolutely evil-sounding Mustang Shelby GT350R, with 526 horses and a chassis that's ready to race.

No, this is not a timed lap. Yes, all that slithering oversteer is showboating. Yes, we still love it.

Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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It’s Alive! Hennessey Transforms Ford F-250 into VelociRaptor SUV

The folks at Hennessey Performance are from Texas. They aren’t afraid of taking on big, Texas-sized projects – a point proven after they tore into a handful of Ford Raptor pickups, and turned them into 600 horsepower, family-hauling VelociRaptor SUVs. 

That build has since been put to bed, but now Hennessey is giving it another go, this time with an even bigger base vehicle. Meet the 2016 Hennessey VelociRaptor SUV, built from the bones of a current Ford F-250 Lariat 4×4 pickup truck. The super SUV boasts four doors, middle row captain’s chairs, and as you might expect from Hennessey, a massive amount of power.

As standard, the F-250 Lariat pickup delivers 411 horsepower of V8 grunt from its 6.2-liter gas engine. Hand yours over to John Hennessey and crew, and they’ll supercharge it up to a whopping 600 or 650 horsepower. But that’s merely the icing on top of an SUV-converted cake.

The VelociRaptor conversion adds a ceiling out back, a burly front bumper which can be optioned with an LED light bar and Warn winch, an aggressive rear bumper, sinister set of tires on blacked-out wheels, and an off-road suspension upgrade. Inside, you receive the aforementioned captain’s chairs, a folding third row bench seat (total of seven seats with option for eight), as well as an optional 60/40 folding center console. All the better for containing the groceries while tackling the trails.

Fancy one? Hennessey prices the complete build at $159,500 and requires around six months of build time for the truck-to-SUV transformation.

                                                        Source: Yahoo autos

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Lotus 3-Eleven: The quickest, most expensive Lotus ever

Yes, Lotus considers this roofless, windshieldless speedster to be a road car. There's also a race version

Lotus has always been a purveyor of purpose-built vehicles—witness the relentless lightweight nature of bare-bones vehicles like the Elise, or the original Lotus 7, an exercise in minimalism. The company's latest offering sticks to those roots, while also taking the title for quickest and most expensive. Meet the Lotus 3-Eleven.

Introduced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Lotus calls the 3-Eleven "an uncompromised manifestation of the Lotus spirit," focused on "providing an undiluted driving experience" of "legendary handling and blistering speed."

Packing a tweaked version of the supercharged 3.5-liter V6 from the Evora 400, the newest Lotus cranks out 450 horsepower. The Road version sends that power through a true six-speed manual transmission and Torsen limited slip; the Race variant, with an FIA-approved seat, six-point harness, racing data logger and on-board fire suppression, gets a paddle-shifted six-speed sequential transmission, semi-dry sump engine lubrication, and an oil cooler.

Thanks to a new, bespoke chassis built of bonded and extruded aluminum, Lotus claims the 3-Eleven Race will sport a dry weight of under 900 kg (1984 lbs)—making easy work for the supercharged engine's 332 lb.-ft. of torque. Lightweight double-wishbone suspension front and rear, adjustable front anti-roll bar and Eibach springs with Öhlins adjustable dampers offer all the handling tweaking you could ask for; the Race version's aggressive downforce provides nearly 475 lb of aero grip at 150 mph, while a 0-60 time of less than three seconds is the quickest of any Lotus product. Top speed is 180 mph in Road trim, 174 for the more aggressive aero of the Race spec.

Production of this purpose-built machine begins in February 2016. The 3-Eleven Road rings in at £82,000 (around $129,000 at today's rates), with the Race version demanding £96,000 (roughly $151,000). That makes this the most expensive vehicle to ever wear the Lotus badge. And if you want one, you better move fast: Befitting the name, only 311 examples of this beast will be produced.

                                                    Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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New Nissan Juke-R: Same as the old, but now with 600 hp

The old Juke-R was admirably bonkers. Thankfully the recipe doesn't change too much, except the good stuff gets a little better.

The Nissan Juke-R: alien larva spawn of CUV and Godzilla, beloved by some, to others a bemusing sideshow. In its second act, not much has changed. And that's good, because 600 hp AWD hatches are good.

The original Juke-R made 485 hp, thanks to a driveline swiped from the GT-R. The differences are minor, for the most part. The new Juke-R conforms to the 2015 model year Juke's facelift: new headlights, new mirrors, that sort of thing. The custom fascias are also revised to increase cooling to the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6. And like anything properly bonkers, there's a lot of carbon fiber.

But the big news is the revised power output, which now matches the top-flight GT-R Nismo—600 hp, a stonking 115 more ponies than the ur-Juke-R. So the real question, at this point, is: will Nissan sell the new Juke-R to anybody, like the company quite incredibly did with the previous car? Nissan's staying mum for now.

Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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2016 Chevrolet Cruze Aims To Avoid Sophomore Slump

Nothing summed up the failures of old, pre-bankruptcy General Motors quite like its inability to build a competent small sedan for nigh on decades — the kind of car that’s the most popular vehicle worldwide, which other automakers had long mastered. 

Which is what makes the current Chevrolet Cruze such a remarkable scoop of vanilla. Launched in 2009, the Korean-designed Cruze was the first small Chevy in decades that matched well against all comers, foreign and domestic. Worldwide, Chevy sold 3.5 million; in the United States, the Cruze became the first Chevy many young families ever bought. It’s a safe, enjoyable car that doesn’t excel in any one area, but also has few weaknesses. 

And that means the all-new 2016 Chevy Cruze revealed today also has a challenge that no previous small Chevy sedan has faced — a reputation to live up to, instead of down.

Riding on a new, 250-lb. lighter chassis, the 2016 Cruze will remain a sedan-only model in the United States for now; Chevy remains mum on the possibility of a hatchback. While the current model has a variety of engine choices, the 2016 Cruze will launch with just one, a new 1.4-liter turbo rated at 153 hp and 177 lb.-ft of torque, tied to either a six-speed automatic or manual. With more power and less weight, the Cruze will now hit 60 mph in eight seconds, and get 40 mpg on the highway with the automatic. The diesel option will return next year.

All of this is roughly par or slightly better than among the crowded field that includes the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and others. Chevy’s calling card for the Cruze will instead rely on styling and space. The new Cruze is an inch lower, but also 2.7 inches longer, most of which has gone into passenger space. That let Chevy designers use a more sweptback windshield and sleeker look which scans as stylish but not for everyone. 

Inside, Chevy has learned to offer every gadget it can — from in-car WiFi and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay linkages to wireless phone charging. On the new, high-end Premium trim, there’s heated-and-cooled front seats with heated seats in the rear. The bowtie brand will also tout the safety angle, with 10 air bags and tech like collision warning and lane keeping.

Prices will not likely change much from the current car, starting just below $20,000 and rising from there. We’ll have to experience the new Cruze in person to see whether it avoids a sophomore slump, or rises to the front of the class.

                                                            Source: Yahoo autos

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Barrett-Jackson to Auction Wild 1967 Mustang During Palm Beach Auction

If you’re like us, you have a love-hate relationship with the auction companies like Barrett-Jackson, Mecum, and Auctions America. We love them because they provide us an excuse to do absolutely nothing on a weekend except sit on the couch, sip a frosty beverage, and watch the live coverage of collector cars rolling across the block for hours on end. B-J Scottsdale is the car guy equivalent of the Super Bowl for football fans—we make a sport out of guessing the gavel price of our favorite cars. The hateful part of the relationship is that most of us can’t afford to bid on anything, and the fact that when, say, a 1965 fastback sells for a ton of money, suddenly everyone with a beat-to-death coupe thinks their car is worth ten times what it really is. But, it’s fun to be Walter Mitty through the television, isn’t it?

Well now Mustang fans have a legitimate reason to watch the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, Florida this April 17-19 at the South Florida Fairgrounds, as there will not only be the usual selection of rare and collectable Mustangs up for sale, but also this fully custom 1967 Fastback, which has been appropriately tagged as lot #427. That’s appropriate because under that flawless black paint and between those insanely huge wheels is an all-aluminum big-block that’s making 750 horsepower. Here’s Barrett-Jackson’s official description of the car:

“This car has recently been completed. There are only a few hundred break-in miles to get everything fine-tuned. It has been lengthened and widened with a rib down the middle of the car from the front to the back. The engine has a NASCAR-style, back-set set-up. It has a custom front end featuring tri-bar halogen headlamps in custom buckets, PIAA projector driving lights and black anodized aluminum grille. Custom hood with flush locks and smoothed underside with full carbon-fiber inner fender and radiator covers. Aluminum radiator, transmission cooler, Shelby 427 aluminum bored and stroked by Keith Kraft to 527/750hp big block V8 engine, 3x2 500cfm carburetors, polished aluminum oval air cleaner and polished aluminum tri-power intake manifold. Custom-made snakeskin black anodized finned valve covers, MSD coil, distributor and plug wires, March billet serpentine drive belt system, billet pulleys, polished aluminum air conditioning compressor, chrome alternator, aluminum oil pan, ceramic-coated exhaust headers and stainless braided lines throughout. Tubular front A-arms, Wilwood 16-inch cross-drilled and slotted rear disc brakes and Wilwood 6-piston rear brake calipers, braided stainless steel brake lines and an adjustable air ride coilover front/rear suspension. Tremec T-600 6-speed transmission. Dual exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers, custom side exit exhaust tips, aluminum drive shaft, custom drive shaft loop, Currie 9-inch narrowed rear end, adjustable 4-link, fully tubbed rear. Shaved doors with Kindig It Design smooth door handles and bullet side mirrors. Trunk houses air ride air compressor, accumulator tank and dual batteries. Quarter window side body scoops, flush mount custom gas filler cap, Shelby-style rear deck lid with spoiler, and Shelby taillights tucked, smoothed and painted to match rear bumper. Outstanding, show-quality black exterior paint. The interior features custom billet and leather door panels, leather upholstered padded dash, carbon-fiber dash, Wilwood brakes and clutch pedals, Lokar billet gas pedal, indigo blue on carbon-fiber Dakota Digital VHX analog gauges, Dakota Digital center console with USB jack, indicator panel, custom upholstered leather interior with contrasting white stitching, custom windshield visors, custom embossed headliner with accent lighting, custom upholstered leather bucket seats, Hurst floor shifter and polished air conditioning. Custom iPad Mini-controlled hidden stereo system with 1500-watt True Power ARC Audio Black Series stereo system, sound insulation throughout, fully custom upholstered rear interior with hidden speakers and custom kick panels with hidden speakers. Air Ride Technologies programmable suspension system, power windows and custom billet door sills.”

There are a few other custom cars being auctioned at Palm Beach, but the Mustang is by far the wildest. Any guesses what the bid will be when the gavel comes down?

“We have some world-class customs already consigned for Palm Beach,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “We are excited to once again make our Palm Beach auction a fun and entertaining event for everyone in attendance.”

Live coverage of the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Palm Beach will be broadcast on Velocity and Discovery during 19 hours of live, high-definition TV coverage from Friday through Sunday, April 17-19. If you want to sell a car at the Palm Beach auction, Barrett-Jackson is now accepting consignments at Barrett-Jackson.com/Consignment/Home/OpenRequest. And if you’re a high roller and feel like jumping into the shark tank of bidders, follow the link to Barrett-jackson.com/Bidder/Home.

                                                Source: www.mustangandfords.com

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Chevy Reveals New Camaro Convertible, Says Top Drops Easier Than Ever

General Motors unwrapped the drop-top version of the newest Chevy Camaro Wednesday, showing off a roof that can go down while the car is in motion. That’s a big improvement over today’s convertible version, which is overly complicated and can only function when the car is stopped.

The carmaker teased the convertible earlier this week, showing a 15-second video of the car driving down some desert roads, promising “There’s only one button between you and the sky.” Chevy says it will be the only convertible available that is capable of opening and closing its roof at speeds up to 30 mph. You can also open the top remotely with your key fob.

Leaked images of the convertible showed up on Chevy’s site Tuesday, according to fan site Camaro6.com, which posted the photos on its home page.  

The new convertible Camaro will be available in early 2016, weighing some 200 lbs. less than the previous version. As with the hardtop, fans will have a choice of three engines — a four-cylinder turbo, V-6 and 455-hp V-8, each available with either an eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission.

“From the beginning, the Camaro’s architecture was developed to incorporate a convertible with uncompromised driving dynamics,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “Customers will appreciate what they don’t feel: quivers, cowl shake or an under-damped chassis typically found in a four-seat convertible.”

In 1967 – Camaro’s first model year – the available convertible model came with a manually operated top. A power-operated top was a $52.70 option selected by 47 percent of buyers.

The Camaro left the market in 2002, and came back in 2009. Since its rebirth, the muscle car has annually outsold the Ford Mustang and attracted scads of buyers who had never been GM customers before.

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FORD DRIVERS LOOKING FORWARD TO EXCITING NEW CARS AS IMSA TACKLES WATKINS GLEN

By Team Ford Performance Correspondent

Joey Hand spent three seasons racing in the European-based Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship. He returned to America in 2015 and joined Ford Performance as a key part of the Ford EcoBoost developmental team.

On Sunday, Hand will again join his Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates racing teammates at Watkins Glen for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The 36-year-old driver is looking forward to the event for reasons beyond the obvious.

“The new Ford GT -- we can finally talk about it!” said Hand, who with Scott Pruett shares driving duties of the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost Riley DP in the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

It’s hardly been a boring week for Hand, who spent the early part of the week testing the car at Putnam Park, just west of the team’s shop in Indianapolis.

Hand looks like a kid just given the keys to a candy store when the subject of the new Ford GT arose. He didn’t talk about the No. 01 race car test long before the subject again turned to the latest Ford to take on Le Mans.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Hand half-asks, half-exclaims. “I’m very proud to say I’ve been a part of the Ford GT’s development, particularly with respect to the Ford EcoBoost engine, the same engine as we have in our race car. Whoever gets in that car -- and I’m talking about just the street version -- is going to have one sweet engine. They’re gonna love it!”

Abandoning for a moment thoughts of the Ford GT, whose GT40 Le Mans-winning ancestors likewise had a homologated street version, Hand turned his attention to the test earlier this week.

“It’s the first test when I’ve been the sole driver of our EcoBoost-powered car,” Hand said. “I really needed the seat time in it and enjoyed the test immensely. I got in a lot of seat time learning some of the things I hadn’t yet really fully understood. I feel far more comfortable in the car.”

Some help to the team’s race car is coming from IMSA in the form of a larger opening in an engine air-intake restrictor the team has had for the 2014 and the first five races of the 2015 seasons, although a smaller increase than either Hand or Pruett would like.

“It’s a tough job,” Pruett said with respect to the sanctioning body’s need to provide tight competition. “We should’ve either had an increase in the air intake’s diameter or changes allowed in the body long before now because the help has come at a time when it’s not helping us in the points championship; plain and simple.

“Our V-6 EcoBoost engine is unlike anything seen before and with engine electronics playing such a huge role nowadays, it’s probably been difficult for the sanctioning body to gauge the balances necessary to provide tight competition.”

Pruett couldn’t help but talk about the Ford GT.

“I’ve gotten a really good shot of adrenaline from all the excitement surrounding the Ford GT program, particularly in regards to our Ford EcoBoost engine. Everything we’ve done has been aimed at making the Ford GT the best car on the road. And it’s such an incredible car to drive. I’m very proud to be an ongoing part of that program.”

While at the recently completed 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pruett got to do a few things many could only wish to do.

“We filmed for three days,” Pruett said of a photo shoot centered on the car’s return to France in an effort to reprise Ford’s success at one of the world’s most recognizable races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“I got to drive the Ford GT in Paris up the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe (de l'Étoile), the city streets, out in the countryside and at Le Mans. I’m telling you, I’m getting goosebumps again just talking about it.”

 “It has been such a huge adrenaline pump that I can’t wait to get back into the competition this weekend at The Glen.”

Ford’s excitement at Watkins Glen International doesn’t end with the Ford GT because the new Ford Shelby GT350R-C will be showing the new stuff of which it is made.

Making it debut Saturday in the Continental Tire 150 at The Glen is the latest Mustang in an evolutionary chain of Mustangs that in time stretches all the way to 1964, when Ford Motor Company’s innovation started what soon became known as racing’s spirited “Pony Car” era.

Because the “flat-plane crankshaft”, a.k.a., 180-degree crank, couldn’t simply replace the cross-plane crank that for decades has been an essential part of the reciprocating engine, a new engine design had to come from the minds of Ford engineers and now can be found in the Mustang.

Gone with that cross-plane crankshaft are eight large counter weights and thus shaved from the new power plant are huge amounts of weight, allowing for quicker revs, the ability to push out exhaust gases far faster than has been the case in the past and together provide a far-faster throttle response in the Shelby GT350R.

Also gone are cantilever ball joints, replaced by cross-axis joints that work with the Ford Shelby GT350R’s cross-link suspension and stiffer control arm delivering a better feel for the road and responsive handling most often found in the world’s most expensive sports cars.

Look for the new 2015 Ford Shelby GT350R-C to bear the Nos. 15 and 158 out of the Multimatic Motorsports stable for now. Expect a lot of new Ford Shelby GT350R-C numbers in the future.

Live television coverage of the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen begins with the race start on Fox Sports 1 at 10 a.m. EDT, Sunday, June 28, and spans four hours until 2 p.m. EDT, when the coverage shifts to Fox Sports 2 until just beyond the race's conclusion.

The Continental Tire 150 at The Glen will be broadcast live Saturday beginning at 12:25 p.m. EDT. A delayed broadcast of the race can be seen July 5 on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 10 a.m. EDT.

                                                               Source: racing.ford.com

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$202k Aston Martin DB9 GT gets HP bump and more

The DB9 has been in production for 11 years, but the latest version ups the oomph by 30 hp and gets a wealth of other upgrades.

There's something about the older Aston Martins in the company's lineup. TheVantage GT, while outclassed on paper by the Corvette Z06 and the Jaguar F-type V8, manages to retain an analog sports-car feel that's wholly charming in its own right. And the DB9, despite 11 years in production, remains an involving, lovely thing to drive. It is, perhaps, the most idyllically Aston Martin of all the models the company sells. However, the last example we drove was still using Volvo's typefaces from Aston's days as part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group. The new DB9 GT fixes that. More importantly, it offers more power.

The 5935-cc V12 (which AM refers to as a 6.0-liter) gets a bump from 510 to 540 horsepower. It's still a distant cry from the Ferrari FF's 651-horse wind-'em-up whopper or the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG coupe's 621-hp spine extractor, but AM V12s have always been pleasant engines with a wonderful snarl—and the DB9 GT backs up the snarl with a claimed 4.4 seconds to 60 and a 182-mph top speed. Unlike the Rapide and the Vanquish, which have moved to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the DB9 GT still makes do with six cogs.

Inside, the GT receives Aston's AMi II touch-screen infotainment suite, an update to the AMi system that arrived in the Vanquish. The company claims its revised menu structure makes it more user-friendly.

Outside, the revised DB9 gets a black-painted splitter and rear diffuser, black-anodized calipers, and a GT-engraved fuel-filler cap. Revised headlights and taillights round out the package. If you'd like, the new rear lamps can be fitted with carbon-fiber inserts. If that's not enough of the wonder plastic for you, the side strakes, splitter, and diffuser can also be crafted from the stuff. And if black calipers don't cut the Grey Poupon, Gaydon happily offers alternative colors.

Inside, the grand tourer now features "GT" badging embroidered on the seats. Coupe customers get a microsuede-wrapped steering wheel, while Volante buyers will be set up with a more traditional, leather-covered tiller. Speaking of the wheel, Aston notes that the unit is inspired by the helm of the rippingOne-77. The price for all this new finery? It starts at $202,775.

Elsewhere in Astonland, the Rapide S and Vantage receive upgrades. The AMi II system finds duty in both the two-seat zoot scooter and the swoopy four-door. The Vantage gets a couple of new exterior colors—Cinnabar Orange and Ultramarine Black—as well as new interior leather hues, including Vivid Red, Royal Mint, Black Damson, and Bronze Metallic. Royal Mint, Spicy Red, Copper, and Deep Purple stitching colors are now available to round out the zazz.

                                                      Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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CONFIRMED: 2016 Ford Focus RS will be sold "globally"

UPDATE: At an event this morning, Ford President and CEO Mark Fields confirmed that the Focus RS will be sold worldwide. Fields said, "We have a new Focus RS coming to market, and it's coming globally." We will update this story with further information as its received.

The original story continues below:

We've been hearing rumors that the U.S. will get a Ford Focus RS super-hatch for months. Now we have some exclusive info on what's coming. A Ford source has confirmed to Road & Track that the next-generation Focus RS is likely to come to North America in extremely limited numbers. Unlike its predecessor, it'll be AWD.

The old car (shown above) featured a turbocharged inline 5 pushing 305 hp to the front wheels through what Ford called the RevoKnuckle, to reduce what would otherwise be shoulder-dislocating torque steer. The new car wipes the board clean and starts over. In addition to AWD, the RS will be the only Focus to pack Ford's new 2.3-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder, available now in the Lincoln MKC and very soon in the 2015 Mustang.

In the Mustang, this engine makes 310 hp, 320 lb-ft of torque. In the just-released Lincoln MKC crossover, the same engine makes 285 hp. In both applications, a twin-scroll turbo is employed.

Our source says that at this stage, the Focus RS horsepower numbers aren't finalized, and we don't know if it'll pack the same Honeywell twin-scroll turbo as its stablemates. If we had to place a wager, we'd bet on near-Mustang power levels for the Focus RS, putting it well above the Focus ST in the pecking order.

What we hear squares with other rumors about the Focus RS coming stateside, while fleshing out some more specifics. A number of hurdles still remain, however: marketing studies, government certifications, and corporate willpower—but it ultimately looks like the VW Golf R will get some serious competition next year. We can't wait.

UPDATE: We have additional details about the upcoming 2016 Focus RS from another trusted source, including power output, so let's start with that. With the Mustang GT's V8 holding down a 435 hp spot at the top of the Ford performance pecking order (for now, until the 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 emerges), the Focus RS is free to turn up the horsepower wick. Since the 2.3-liter Ecoboost is easily capable of more than its 310 hp output in the Mustang, which was dictated more by fuel economy concerns than anything else, the RS is free to pump out between 325 and 350 hp. The higher figure is more likely. This is because as a low-volume, niche product that doesn't compete with the Mustang GT, there's no reason to hold the Focus RS back.

To put the power down, Ford will employ an entirely new AWD system intended for high-output applications. It's not the same system employed on the Fusion, Escape, and MKZ. The new system will employ torque vectoring front and rear to aid handling, and after debuting in the Focus RS it will trickle down to other applications.

That means the Focus RS might have some high-performance AWD company in Ford's lineup soon.

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The Ford Focus RS: 345 HP, AWD, and U.S.-bound

Here's everything you need to know about Ford's newest, hottest hatch.

Ahead of its run up the hill at Goodwood, Ford has officially released a power figure for the 2017 Focus RS. It will make 350 PS, or approximately 345 hp. No other updates to previously released information have been made at this time. The original article continues below. - Ed.

After all the hype, speculation, and rumors, we've finally got the dirt on the 2017 Ford Focus RS: It's all-wheel-drive, it makes "well in excess of 315 horsepower," and it's finally coming to the North American marke

Unveiled today, the newest, hottest hatch in the Ford lineup is a technological juggernaut. Powered by the same 2.3-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine you can get in the 2015 Mustang, Ford tells us the fire-breathing five-door will make north of 315 horses.

For the record, that mill puts out 310 horses in the 'Stang. But Ford made significant upgrades for hot hatch duty, with a bigger turbo compressor, better airflow, a "much bigger" intercooler, and improved breathing through intake and exhaust. Notably, the EcoBoost engine features auto stop-start, a nod to ever-tightening fuel efficiency demands. But with direct injection, variable cam timing, and a 6,800 rpm redline, it's definitely been built for performance.

The exhaust features an active valve to "optimize the balance of back pressure and noise output." Expect hoons to wire that baby open to its loudest setting post-haste.

All that turboey power goes through an honest-to-goodness six-speed stick with a short-throw lever and upgraded clutch, and on to a seriously wild all-wheel drivetrain. Named Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring, the system features twin electronically controlled clutch packs on either side of the rear differential. Up to 70 percent of engine torque can be sent to the rear axle, with these twin clutch packs sending some or all of that power to each rear wheel.

The result: A torque-vectoring rear end that monitors sensor inputs 100 times a second to coax the car around bends. "During cornering, the rear drive unit pre-emptively diverts torque to the outer rear wheel immediately based on inputs such as steering wheel angle, lateral acceleration, yaw and speed," Ford says. "This torque transfer has the effect of 'driving' the car into the bend, achieving improved turn-in and stability, and virtually eliminating understeer."

The whole setup is good for more than 1 g of cornering grip, Ford says. It's also capable of flinging the Focus RS into lurid tail-out oversteer—"at the track," Ford insists.

Chassis improvements over the basic Focus include an advanced Electronic Stability Control with brake-based torque vectoring that, yes, works in concert with the drivetrain's torque vectoring. Lots of vectoring going on here. Springs, bushings, and sway bars are all stiffer than the Focus ST, and the RS features two-mode switchable dampers with street and track settings. The RS has electric-assist power steering, but a more rigid front suspension knuckle design and shorter link arms promise "outstanding feel," Ford assures us.

All that power and handling gets to the ground through 235/35 R19 tires: Pilot Super Sports are standard, while ultra-sticky Pilot Sport Cup 2 track-focused tires are an option. And that serious body kit does downforce duty—Ford claims the front splitter, rear spoiler and underbody aero bobbles give the RS zero lift front and rear, while that big-mouthed front fascia creates room for a significantly larger radiator.

Inside, you'll find bolstered part-leather Recaro seats and Ford's newly-simplified SYNC nav and infotainment center, along with a flat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel, alloy pedals, and turbo, oil temp, and oil pressure gauges atop the center console.

We're told the Focus RS will hit the market "sometime in 2016." We can't wait.

                                                  Source:  www.roadandtrack.com

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The Koenigsegg Regera has 1500 hp and no transmission

This might be the most interesting hypercar development in recent memory.

 It's hard not to think of the hybrid supercar in Darwinian terms when you come to realize that the Koenigsegg Regera has transcended the transmission altogether in a rather incredible evolution. Instead of an electric motor behind or in addition to a traditional gearbox, the transmission of the Regera has atrophied like those cave fish without eyes—replaced entirely by a trio of three electric motors. Koenigsegg calls it "Direct Drive".

A mechanical transmission is simply not needed. Instead, the 1100-hp, twin-turbocharged, 5.0-liter Koenigsegg V8 (which, in Koenigsegg fashion, makes more power on E85 Ethanol) sends power directly to three electric motors, one attached to the front of the crankshaft and providing power to both the battery and to the rear motors—one for each of the rear wheels. The battery is a 9.27 kWh lithium-polymer type, weighing 253 lbs. and located in the central chassis tunnel. When the electric motors are factored in, the total system output is a claimed 1500 hp at the crank and 1475 lb-ft (2000 Nm) of torque.

Source: www.roadandtrack.com

 

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You need to hear the Alfa Romeo Giulia's 510-hp scream

Alfa Romeo's wowing the world with the new Giulia, a sport sedan set to take the fight to the mighty BMW M3. The fastest one, the Quadrifoglio, packs a screaming V6 that Alfa says churns out 510 horsepower.

And hoo boy do those horses scream.

Take a listen. We'll have more on the Giulia soon. This is certain to leave you wanting more.

Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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How good is the revolutionary 2015 Ford F-150?

Covert Baja 1000 prototype racing. Late night TV host pimping. "Moon shot" metaphors.Sledgehammers. With all of the hoopla surrounding the redesigned 2015 Ford F-150, it's way too easy to forget one simple question: Is it a good truck? Consumer Reports finally has the answer. Indeed, the F-150 is a good truck, but theChevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra and Ram 1500 are better. 

We hear your collective gasp. After all, we lauded the new F-150 as being part of the future because of its revolutionary aluminum body. The resulting weight loss, coupled with an amazingly small 2.7-liter EcoBoost turbo V6, helps the truck return a class-leading 17 mpg. Plus, that same engine feels downright frisky to drive, and it doesn't bat a whisker at towing a good-sized trailer. (Read the complete Ford F-150 road test.)

Indeed, the powertrain is a high point. So is the roomy and tomb-silent cabin. Towing and payload capacities are high, particularly with the available 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. We certainly appreciate all of the clever and innovative gadgets, ranging from the familiar tailgate step to new features like spotlights in the mirrors. 

So what's the problem? Put simply, the F-150's engineering proves to be far more revolutionary than how it actually drives. For years, Ford has built the most "truck-like" pickup, and this truck doesn't stray from that path. It's like Ford was afraid that they already asked buyers to swallow enough "newness" with the 2015 F-150, so they slavishly benchmarked how the old truck felt from behind the wheel. 

Even for a truck, the F-150 feels cumbersome to drive, with slow and vague steering. Constant jitters from the suspension spoil the ride—a compromise that doesn't fly anymore in this class, since the Ram 1500's unique rear coil spring suspension raised expectations for ride quality. 

The MyFord Touch infotainment system didn't win the truck any points either, although the impending move to Ford's new Sync 3 infotainment system might gain a few of those points back. Finally, our F-150 SuperCrew XLT 2.7-liter 4x4 carries a hefty $45,750 price tag, making the better-riding, more efficient Ram 1500 EcoDiesel with its lofty 20 mpg overall a reasonable alternative.

There are a lot of good things about the 2015 F-150. Sales have been strong, and we're sure many repeat F-150 owners will love their new truck. But we just wish that the F-150 captured the same ride and handling magic that Ford works on their great-to-drive cars.

Source: www.consumerreports.org

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