A lot of cars make their way to Jay Leno’s Garage but not a lot of them are of the sports-hatch variety.
The Ford Focus RS is one such car and normally, it doesn’t find its way to Jay Leno’s Garage, because, well, it’s not legal to own in America. But this isn’t an ordinary Focus RS; this one has been stamped and tuned by no less than Galpin Auto Sports.
In this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, the affable comedian and certified car nut invited Beau Bachman, the head honcho of Galpin Auto Sports, to his garage with the latter bringing a heavily-tuned Focus RS. The two proceed to talk about the car itself, including the aftermarket work Galpin Auto Sports did to bump up the output to an impressive 420 horsepower, far and away more than the 305-horsepower output of the standard European Focus RS.
Check out the video and click past the jump to know more about the Ford Focus RS after the jump
The second-generation Ford C-Max was unveiled in 2010 and Ford is already preparing the first revision for this compact minivan. With this revision, Ford is continuing its attempt installing its new "Aston Martin" looking face on all of its vehicles. The revised C-Max was been caught testing in cold conditions in Sweden.
The first spy shots reveal that the revised C-Max will receive the same treatment applied to all the other models in the lineup. Translated, this means we are going to see a new trapezoidal front grille, bracketed by laser-cut headlamps with LED daytime running lamps and a new power-dome hood. We expect to see some minor updates on the interior where Ford will add new technologies, including the new MyKey system offered in all the other models.
Under the hood, the lineup of engines will remain unchanged, but Ford will most likely add the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost petrol engine that delivers a total of 119 horsepower.
Expect the revised Ford C-max to arrive later this year, most likely in September at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Formula Drift Champion, Vaughn Gittin Jr., officially unveiled the 2014 Mustang RTR that seems to be ready to rock the 2013 Formula Drift season. The 2014 RTR was developed by Autosport Dynamics and will make its competitive debut at Formula Drift Round 1 in Long Beach, California April 12th and 13th. After that, Vaughn will compete in the World Drift Series in China and in numerous other select competition and demonstration events in Europe.
If last year’s model impressed you, the 2014 version will be a sensation. Its V-8 engine delivers a total of 845 horsepower - an increase of 45 horsepower over the previous model year. As usual, the engine has been developed by Ford Racing, so you know it’s built to run with the best of them.
The car sits on 18-inche wheels wrapped in Nitto NT05 tires sized 295/35R18 on the rear and 275/35R18 on the front. The model is distinguished by a carbon-fiber body with RTR appearance package. On the inside, it adds Recaro racing seats with Takata six-point harness.
Though Ford decided not to offer any big unveilings at the 2013 New York Auto Show, Shelby American came with a tuning kit based on one of its pickups, the 2013 Ford SVT Raptor. The kit adds enhanced power and handling, and a specially designed exterior and interior.
Shelby installed a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger onto the standard 6.2-liter V-8 engine in the Raptor and a new Shelby Stinger exhaust system. As a result, the engine’s output jumps from the standard and already awesome 411 horsepower up to a total of 575 horsepower. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox that transfers the power to all four wheels. Additionally, an "Off-Road" mode that calibrates the transmission, stability and traction control systems for optimal operation at high speeds off road.
The package includes a set of Shelby side fender heat extractors to keep the engine cool and make the truck look downright sweet. Also included for the exterior is your choice of one of three Shelby graphics packages – Traditional, Shelby Splash and Shelby Super Snake – so everyone knows that this isn’t any old SVT Raptor.
On the inside, the base kit comes with a custom interior that includes two-tone leather with contracting stitching, a serial numbered dashboard badge, and boost and fuel pressure gauges to make sure everything is within spec.
There are also a number of optional items you can add to the base kit, for a fee of course. First up is an optional set of customs wheels wrapped in 35-inch Goodrich All-Terrain tires, a Shelby roof-mounted light bar, front and rear Shelby-spec bumpers, a spare tire and bed-mounted spare tire carrier. More options are coming down the pipe soon.
The update package is priced starts at $17,995 – a relative bargain – and will be limited to only 100 units, so get to ordering.
The Ford Mustang is turning 50 years old on April 17, 2014 and Ford is planning something big. The first step in this huge celebration is the creating a logo that signifies the muscle car hitting the half-century mark. After an internal design competition, Ford has chosen a logo to commemorate the event and it is that of designer Michael Thompson.
As you can see in the above image, the trademark galloping mustang graces the top of the logo with the phrase “50 YEARS” underlining it. According to reports, this logo will be used on various products, including: jackets, shirts, watches, pinball machine and much more. There is no mention on whether this logo will grace the 2014 Mustang, but we think it’s safe to assume that it will be there.
While this logo is cool and the refreshed 2014 Mustang is awesome, we are still awaiting the official reveal of the next-gen mustang, which was leaked via some clay models a few days ago. All the experts, us included, expect to see the next-gen Mustang revealed on the `Stang’s 50th birthday.
So, until then, we are going out to pick up the cliché “Over The Hill” birthday cards.
It has been rumored for quite some time now that Blue Oval will be celebrating Mustang’s 50th anniversary with the launch of the muscle car’s sixth-generation. While the car’s final design is still a secret, a set of images of a clay model have surfaced on the Internet, revealing what the 2015 Mustang could look like.
As previously suggested, it looks like the next Mustang will adopt a more global design, but in the same time it will pay tribute to classic Mustang models. As we can see from the clay images, it appears that the 2015 model year will adopt a fastback appearance with wide hips - a tribute to the first-generation Mustang.
According to the guy who posted these images on Mustang6g Forums: "This clay design study model was confirmed to be of the next-gen Mustang (s550), although it may not be the final design settled upon."
Setting a world record is no small feat, especially when you’re doing it in less-than-ideal circumstances.
That’s why WRC racer, Mads Ostberg, deserves a raucous round of applause after setting a new world-record for the longest ever jump on snow by a rally car. Driving a Ford Fiesta WRC, Ostberg managed to fly his little race car over 60 meters (196.85 feet) in Trysil, Norway.
The World Rally Championship corroborated the record, posting Ostberg’s record-setting jump on its official Twitter account.
While the record is in itself an impressive accomplishment, it still fell way short of the overall jump record of 82 meters (269 feet) that Travis Pastrana accomplished a few years back when he jumped into a barge in the middle of the sea back on New Year’s Eve 2010.
Still, Ostberg’s attempt is impressive in its own right, considering the circumstances he had to deal with in order to set the record. Like we said, give the man his due props.
Check out Pastrana’s record jump after the, well, jump
Last year at the New York Auto Show, Shelby American unveiled the 1000 as a celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary. The model got sold like hot cakes, so this year at the 2013 New York Auto Show, we are going to see an improved version of the model named 1000 S/C, which is essentially a GT500 with a double shot of car `roids.
Unlike the initial version, the new S/C delivers a total of 1,200 horsepower – a 250-horsepower increase over the previous 950 horsepower. This output is even more impressive when compared to the standard 662 horsepower level delivered by the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 - the model it is based on.
So how did Shelby almost double this output? You’ll have to come back next week if you want to find an answer to this question. We do know that Shelby yanked out the 5.8-liter V-8, stripped it to just a bare block and installed strengthened internals.
Along with the output increase, the new 1000 S/C also received an adjustable suspension, a performance cooling package, big brakes and, of course, a new set of wheels to roll on.
As usual, exclusivity comes with a huge price. The price for the upgrade goes up to an amazing $154,995, not including the base GT500 - which is priced at $54,650. There will be only 100 units built so you better hurry up!
We’ll bring you full details once Shelby release them.
Click past the jump to read Shelby’s press release
The Ford FF1 isn’t exactly the kind of car you’d expect from the Blue Oval, but the three-cylinder, EcoBoost-powered single-seat racer sure is quite a ride, isn’t it?
Set to make its public debut at the 20th Goodwood Festival of Speed this coming July, the FF1 is the evolution of the Formula Ford Racer that was unveiled a few years ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show. That model was built to meet the FIA’s safety standards, complete with a tubular steel frame for the body, front and rear carbon crash structures, side-intrusion panels, wheel tethers, a removable seat and an FIA-approved head-restraint system.
More importantly, the FF1 proved to be quite the formidable Nürburgring slayer, completing a lap in just 7:22, the 11th fastest recorded time on the ’Ring’s time sheet, besting the likes of the Ferrari Enzo, Pagani Zonda, and yes, even the Lamborghini Aventador.
All that was possible, thanks to the car’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine that delivers 205 horsepower and mates to a six-speed manual transmission. This compact powerplant is capable of sprinting the FF1 to 60 mph in less than four seconds with a top speed of 158 mph. Equally important is its ability to cover 100 miles per gallon without any modifications.
So what’s the Ford FF1 going to do at the 2013 Festival of Speed? It’s going to be on display and, on top of that, it’s going to tackle the famous Goodwood hill climb.
Nothing will impress people faster than a lightweight little rocket beating supercars twice its size and three times more powerful. That’s the Ford FF1, folks.
Image Note: The above image is of the Formula Ford Racer, not the FF1. We will reveal the FF1 once Ford releases the images
Earlier this month, we showed you a Ford Focus ST that was tuned by Hennessey. It turns out that John Hennessey liked the program so much he decided to enter it to the TX2K13 Burnout Contest.
What better way to show off the Focus ST’s improved engine than to see it in an all-out burnout competition, complete with lots and lots (we mean LOTS) of smoke.
The American aftermarket company managed to take a video of the Focus ST doing its best tire burning exhibition and it’s totally ridiculous, bordering to the point of insanity.
We knew that with a right program, a car like the Focus ST is capable of doing some impressive burnouts. But what we didn’t expect was the kind of smoke this Hennessey-tuned Focus ST managed to produce. Really, there are sports cars that can’t come to the burnout level that this sports hatchback managed to accomplish effortlessly.
Check out the video and you’ll understand why we’re so impressed with what the Hennessey-tuned Focus ST was able to do.
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