In a way, there was some truth to what Tanner Foust said. The Nürburgring isn’t exactly the first, second, or even third place you’d look to see a pickup truck, let alone a Ford Raptor, bouncing around the curbs and ripping through the truck.
Which is precisely why the hooning maestro and Top Gear USA host had to do it. Can’t say we blame him.
During a recent trip to Germany, Foust and his Rockstar team went to the world-famous race track and decided to put a Ford Raptor through its paces. With most Germans expecting supercar after supercar to take to the track, the sight of a hulking American pickup truck doing the same was definitely a sight to behold.
After all, you don’t always see something like this happening in the Nürburgring. But when you, it’s definitely worthy of being chronicled and shown on YouTube.
Check out the video of Tanner Foust running roughshod on the Nürburgring with the Ford Raptor!
Wolf Racing is no stranger to aftermarket programs for the Ford Focus ST. It’s done it before and now it’s doing it again.
This time, though, the Focus ST was treated to a wide range of modifications, highlighted by a performance kits that crams the word “sports” back into “sports hatchback.”
The first kit, appropriately dubbed Stage I, provides a significant boost to the Focus ST’s 2-liter EcoBoost engine, thanks to a new air filter and a remapped ECU. With these modifications, the Focus ST can pump out 285 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque from its tiny engine. This nets the ST a 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) time of 6.5 seconds.
If you’re above sub-300-horsepower hatchbacks, then you can opt for the Stage II kit, which adds a turbocharger to the air filter/ECU combo of Stage I. In the end, there’s another notable output jump, this time up to 300 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of twist.
Last but not least is the Stage III kit, which includes everything found in Stages i and II, plus it slaps a new sports exhaust system under the Focus. Now that the Focus ST can properly exhale, it is capable of massacring pavement to the tune of 370 horsepower and 409 pound-feet of torque.
With all of that extra power comes the extra responsibility of dragging it to a halt and a new performance brake system is responsible for that. Additionally, Wolf Racing tosses in a coilover suspension that drops the Focus ST by 50 mm (1.96 inches) in the front and 40 mm (1.57 inches) in the rear.
It’s not like Wolf Racing to add that much pop to the Focus ST and just stop there. Nope, this program also includes a number of new styling components, including: headlight covers, roof spoiler lips, and new side skirt and rear skirt attachments.
Pricing for the Wolf Racing’s program for the Focus ST can be found after the jump
The sixth-generation Ford Mustang is already under development, but all we know up to this point is simple speculations. For a long time, we have talked about rumors that the 2015 Mustang will come with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine for the first time since the 1986 Ford Mustang SVO.
At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Edmunds spoke with Ford insiders who let them know that a boosted four banger will be part of the lineup, but only for the European market.
According to the report, this four-cylinder gasoline engine will be offered as a low-emissions alternative to the V8 engine currently offered in the Mustang. The V-8 engine is highly-taxable in Europe, so the four-cylinder engine will help to boost sales.
The engine will be based on the current turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine featured in the 2013 Ford Focus ST. For the Mustang, the displacement will be increased to 2.3 liters through extending the stroke, widening the bore or maybe both. The output will be increased to about 300 horsepower up from the current 250 horsepower. It is expected to keep the fuel consumption at the current 23 mpg in city driving and 32 mpg on the highway.
These are, of course, unconfirmed rumors but they do come from a very reliable source. We’ll keep an eye out for some confirmation from Ford.
If you’re familiar with Hennessey, you know that it’s an aftermarket company that specializes on tuning American sports cars. Every so often, it also dives into building its own model like the ridiculous Venom GT.
Well, the American tuner can also build programs for sporty hatchbacks, like the Ford Focus ST.
Don’t expect anything earth-shattering here, as Hennessey has come to be known in its other programs, but its HPE300 package for the Focus ST is nonetheless impressive.
No aero components were added, but Hennessey did install “Hennessey” badges to go with individually numbered dash plaques to distinguish the Focus ST as one of the 300 models fitted with the HPE300 package.
As the name of the program suggests, the Focus ST receives a new cold-air-induction system and a revised ECU, bumping up the output of the Focus ST to 300 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque.
By all accounts, that’s a pretty impressive update and one that customers can have for the relatively affordable price of just $995. Production of the program will only be limited to 300 units, so if you’re interested, you might want to get a jump on it before they fly off the shelves.
The 2013 Shelby GT500 is already the most powerful GT500 ever launched, thanks to its 662-horsepower powerplant. However, the guys over Lethal Performance also worked on making it the fastest GT500 out there.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Lethal Performance take to task on the GT500, as it did so in mid-2012. This is obviously an update, as the comparison between the launch of last year’s model and this model shows a dramatic difference.
The tuner updated the engine with new camshafts and connecting rods, a modified ECU, a new valvetrain, and new oil coolers. The tuner also installed a new exhaust system and a 4-liter Whipple supercharger kit priced at $5,047. The GT500 has also been equipped with a new set of drag-racing-ready wheels with skinnies up front and a fat pair of slick hanging on the back end.
However, the tuner did not reveal any specifications just yet, but the model already scored an astounding result on the quarter mile. The Shelby GT500 by Lethal Performance ran the straight-line track in just 9.3 seconds at a top speed of 147 mph.
Over the past years, NASCAR race cars have barely resembled their production counterparts with teams opting to use branding stickers and logos as a way to put some distinguishable flavor to the cars themselves.
This year, however, Ford Racing is taking a different approach. Or should we say an approach that harkens back to the days when the phrase "stock car" actually meant something.
With the season-opening race at Daytona scheduled for this weekend, Ford Racing is giving its Fusion Sprint Cup Race Car a major overhaul and facelift, opting to go back to the method of designing the car to resemble the actual Fusion production model that it represented.
The video will show you how Ford managed to design the Fusion Sprint Cup Race Car and the comparisons of the car from its production brother. Of course, it probably helped that the design of the race car was done by the Ford Design Center, something the division hasn’t done since the 60’s.
We’ve gotta say, this return to the stock car approach is a refreshing wrinkle to the 2013 NASCAR season. About the only thing different now is that the Fusion Sprint Cup Race Car is powered by a Ford Racing-sourced 5.8-liter V-8 that develops in excess of 850 horsepower, as opposed to the production model which only has 237 ponies on tap.
Trying to stop a Range Rover driving at a speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) is not always a good move. Three French police officers have learned it in the most tragic way, as two of them - age 32 and 40 - were killed and the third one, aged 54, was seriously injured.
First details suggest that the police officers were chasing the Range Rover for multiple infractions of the road. The police car - a Ford Mondeo - tried to block the SUV, which apparently had no intention to stop and the impact was of a "rare violence."
The Range Rover driver - age 22 - has a pretty hefty criminal record, as he was involved multiple small thefts and drug trafficking, and was arrested five times for driving offenses. Initial reports suggest that during this incident he was under influence and medical reports revealed 1.4 grams of alcohol per liter of blood, while the limit is 0.5 grams / liter of blood. He was also without driving license.
It looks like Ford is preparing to surprise us with a new generation Edge crossover and if the first leaked image turns out to be true, it will be quite a huge surprise. A super-blurry image outlining future Ford models has hit the Interwebz and, as you can see, the 2015 Edge will feature an impressive evolution over the current generation with design inspired by the new generation Fusion.
The front seems to have been heavily revised with a a more prominent grille, sweptback headlights, plus more pronounced and aggressive lines. All of which are welcome additions to the aging Edge.
Its just our crazy impression, or 2015 will really be a busy year for Ford: there will be a new Mustang, new Edge and possibly new Taurus and Expedition.
We’ll keep a close eye out more a better-resolution image and we are sure one will popup soon enough. Until then, break out your microscopes and check out the above image comparing the 2013 model to the leaked image of the 2015 model.
Press days for the 2013 Chicago Auto Show will begin tomorrow, so it’s no surprise that starting today you will be hearing details about the models to be displayed in there. For example, Ford, in collaboration with fifteen52 and Ken Block, will be unveiling a very cool tuning kit based on the Focus ST. In fact, this cooperation will bring three different projects, with the first one being the TrackSTer project.
The new TrackSTer has been specially designed to pay tribute to Ford Racing’s past models, but in the same time, it proves just how far Ford’s performance envelope can be pushed.
The project includes a new short-throw shifter and a performance exhaust system from Ford Racing, which has also provided a Mountune engine build, using forged rods and pistons, a performance intercooler and an upgraded ECU.
From its racing brother, the ST-R, the new TrackSTer borrows the Quaife limited slip differential, the Center Force custom clutch kit and the four-piston front calipers.
Ford announced the initial details and images of the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) - a racecar that will be used in the 2013 season of the Global RallyCross Championship and Global X Games events. The car will be driven by Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan.
Built by Ford Racing and OlsbergsMSE, the new Fiesta ST GRC is based on the new Ford Fiesta ST production car set to go on sale this summer. No official details or specifications have been confirmed yet, but, by taking a closer look to these first images you will notice the car gets a pretty aggressive aerodynamic kit, with large front and rear bumper and a pretty impressive rear wing. The interior has been specially designed for the racing and includes a role cage and of course, racing seats.
Full details will be unveiled in a couple of days during the car’s official debut at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show. We’ll bring you all of the details once they are release.
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