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Ford Super Duty Helps Momma Bear Save Baby Bear [Car Culture]

Jordan Brown — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:00:00 +0000

A bear cub in Anchorage, Alaska managed to get trapped in a salmon net and couldn’t get out. Seeing the trouble a local hopped into his Ford Super Duty to help the distraught momma bear get him free. More »

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Ford Super Duty Helps Momma Bear Save Baby Bear [Car Culture]

For $750, There’s Waldo [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]

Christopher Champion — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

The popular kids’ books Where’s Waldo , Where’s Waldo, Hollywood and the ultimately ill-considered Where’s Waldo, Auschwitz proved the googly glasses-wearing traveler really got around. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Fiesta may have been how he did it. More »

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For $750, There’s Waldo [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]

For $750, There’s Waldo [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]

Christopher Champion — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

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For $750, There’s Waldo [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]

2011 Ford Explorer: Pricing, Equipment, and Design Details

Jake Holmes — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:48:44 +0000

This morning Ford unveiled the all-new Explorer to employees and dealers at the company’s world headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. A white Explorer made its entrance by scaling then descending a dirt “mountain” atop a stage to rounds of applause from the crowd. While at the event, we garnered a few more tidbits about the the latest iteration of Ford’s iconic SUV. Equipment and Pricing Pricing starts at $28,995 for a base Explorer with the 3.5-liter V-6. The XLT V-6 starts at $31,995, and the Limited V-6 is $37,995. Front-wheel drive is standard; add $2000 to equip any model with all-wheel drive. Pricing for the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine has yet to be finalized, but models so equipped will be more expensive than their naturally aspirated V-6 counterparts. Without all of the factory options selected save for the EcoBoost engine (which is only available with front-wheel drive), the all-wheel-drive Limited maxes out at $48,075. There are ten paint colors and four different wheel designs. Here’s how to tell the trims apart: Base models have a gray-painted grille and wear 17-inch steel wheels with hubcaps, the XLT has a chrome grille and 18-inch aluminum wheels, and the Limited gets a body-color grille with 20-inch wheels (pictured, right). An additional 20-inch wheel design is optional for the XLT and Limited. Although Ford has really been playing up the Explorer’s new safety tech, only Curve Control (of which we’re a bit skeptical) is standard across the line. The blind-spot warning system and second-row inflatable seat belts are options on the XLT and Limited trims; adaptive cruise control and its associated collision mitigation system is available for Limited models only. Buyers of the base-model Explorer can’t choose any of these optional safety bits. We were also told that the Explorer’s all-wheel-drive system is “totally different” from the systems in the Taurus and Flex, which share the Explorer’s platform, but we haven’t yet learned what the actual differences are. Our initial guess is that Ford sees the selectable modes of the Terrain Management system as making the system completely different. We’ll update you when we know more. “Wash it by Hand” As Ford employees and dealers examined the two Explorers on display in Dearborn, design manager Melvin Betancourt said he wants Explorer owners to wash their vehicles by hand. He said that as people run their hands over the Explorer, they’ll notice subtle styling elements not immediately visible from afar. Braille design, apparently. Betancourt said the new crossover features cues from other contemporary Ford products, including Mustang-inspired wheel arches, an F-150–style hood and front fascia, and body sides that resemble those of the Taurus. “Nothing resonates as copycat,” he said. “But there’s so many things that inspire us as designers.” Competition Within the Ford Lineup Betancourt said he doesn’t believe the Explorer will hurt sales of the Edge (a crossover with available all-wheel drive) or the Flex (which seats seven) because each plays in a unique segment. He said the Edge is for buyers who want a “stylish” crossover, the Flex is “more a people mover”, and the Explorer is an SUV that’s separate from those vehicles. We don’t take that to mean that the Explorer is neither a stylish crossover nor a people mover, since it should check both boxes. The Edge Sport ’s optional 3.7-liter V-6 and the Flex’s optional 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine both have more power than the Explorer’s V-6. When asked whether the Explorer might receive other engines, Ford simply told us the 2.0-liter and 3.5-liter mills are the car’s “launch engines.” We take that to mean other powerplants might be added, but not for a while. Ford also wouldn’t comment on the projected take rate for the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, saying it will build as many as customers order. The EcoBoost engine will be less powerful and reportedly more fuel-efficient than the standard V-6. The new Ford Explorer is due in dealerships this winter. Related posts: 2011 Ford Explorer – Spied 2011 Ford Explorer Caught Undisguised! – Spied Ford Releases Teaser Photos of 2011 Explorer

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2011 Ford Explorer: Pricing, Equipment, and Design Details

2011 Ford Explorer – Official Photos and Info

Mark Quint — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:24:19 +0000

The Explorer—arguably America’s preeminent body-on-frame SUV—is reborn as a unibody crossover. (And there’s a four-cylinder engine!) At the press preview of the 2011 Explorer, Ford executive Mark Fields said the plan was to reinvent the vehicle “for an SUV market that we still think is very vibrant.” As we’ve known for some time, that reinvention most notably involved abandoning the Explorer’s traditional body-on-frame roots in favor of unibody crossover underpinnings. As a result, one of America’s most recognizable SUV icons now is based on the Taurus’s front-wheel-drive D platform. So even while the name’s the same, the vehicle to which it’s attached is radically different. Keep Reading: 2011 Ford Explorer – Official Photos and Info Related posts: 2011 Ford Edge and Edge Sport – Official Photos and Info 2011 Ford Explorer – Spied 2011 Ford C-Max – Official Photos and Info

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2011 Ford Explorer – Official Photos and Info

Ford considers all-wheel drive hybrid layout for next Focus RS

Scott Mosher — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:44:05 +0000

Filed under: Hatchbacks , Special/Limited Editions , Rumormill , UK , Ford , News The next generation Ford Focus RS could get four-wheel drive and an environmental boost if plans to mount an electric motor on the car’s rear axle become a reality. The manufacturer has already confirmed it will build a new version of the ST model, with the car likely to get a tuned version of the 200bhp 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine already featured in the S-Max and Mondeo. The RS version of the latest Focus is only in the conceptual stage, but Autocar has it from senior sources at Ford that the team behind the car are considering the benefits of the all-wheel drive hybrid layout already adopted by Peugeot on its 508 saloon. Continue reading Ford considers all-wheel drive hybrid layout for next Focus RS Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Ford considers all-wheel drive hybrid layout for next Focus RS

We Put Flames On Your Flames So You Can… You Get The Picture [LOLCars]

Scott Mosher — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Just then, Ronny decided his Ford Ranger ’s flame paint job might be just a little bit too realistic. [ Reddit ] More »

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We Put Flames On Your Flames So You Can… You Get The Picture [LOLCars]

How An Amateur Racer Tackled Pikes Peak In An ATV [Exclusive]

Car and Driver — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a grueling, dangerous event filled with purpose-built racing machines. This year Doug Siddens , a novice, hit the hill in an off-the-shelf ATV he souped up himself. Here’s his story. More »

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How An Amateur Racer Tackled Pikes Peak In An ATV [Exclusive]

Video: Jay Leno’s #12 Chassis 2005 Ford GT “The Greatest Ford Of All”

Christopher Champion — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:13:19 +0000

The iconic Ford GT40 remains to be a classic and the reintroduction of the GT in 2005 in a new road-going form made a lot of enthusiasts very happy. One happy enthusiast to purchase one was Jay Leno. Jay had some unfortunate bad luck with buying a ‘real’ GT40 and instead purchased his red 2005 Ford GT which was number 12, the first one available for purchase. Enjoy the video below of Jay explaining his whole story in obtaining the vehicle along with a few photos of the crew who built it. Of course Jay takes it for a spin in the video. Enjoy!

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Video: Jay Leno’s #12 Chassis 2005 Ford GT “The Greatest Ford Of All”

Ford 6.7-Liter V8 Power Stroke Diesel Could Make 800 Lb-Ft Of Torque [Over The Back Fence]

Car and Driver — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Ford’s new 6.7-liter V8 Power Stroke diesel might make as much as 800 lb-ft o’ torque. Epic. [ PickupTrucks ] More »

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Ford 6.7-Liter V8 Power Stroke Diesel Could Make 800 Lb-Ft Of Torque [Over The Back Fence]