Shelby Mustang CS 6

Carroll Shelby is known for among other things, building really fast cars.  Soon, he may also essentially the inspiration behind the production of a new twin turbo Mustang.  Not only would a twin turbo V6 Mustang be faster than the current V8 GT, but it would be lighter and more fuel efficient.  In fact, if you want a Mustang that is all of those things, you can have it right now.  It’s called the CS 6.
 

On August 22, 1902, the luxury automobile company Cadillac was founded by mechanist Henry M. Leland. An engine builder for Oldsmobile, Leland took it upon himself to redesign the Oldsmobile engine, modifying its valve ports and compression ratio to produce a smaller, more powerful engine. When Leland presented his finished product to Oldsmobile, they were apparently uninterested. Undeterred by their rebuff, Leland then took his engine to the brain trust at Ford Motor Company. FoMoCo, which was on the brink of collapse, was so impressed with Leland’s design they agreed to assemble an automobile around it. The company that formed around that automobile was Leland’s Cadillac Company, named for the French founder of Detroit, explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Apparently hoping to duplicate Ford’s success in the compact car market, Chevrolet has revealed their own craptacular version of the Ford Fiesta global-design frame: the new Chevrolet Cruze. Slated to replace the Chevrolet Cobalt in the U.S. in 2011, the Chevrolet Cruze will make its official debut on the road in March of 2009 when it’s released in the European market. The 2010 European Cruze will be offered with 3 different engines, either a 112-hp 1.L, 140-hp 1.8L, or a 150-hp 2.0L turbodiesel. When it hits the United Sates in 2010 as a 2011 model, the Cruze will most likely feature similar specifications.

2009 Ford Focus RS

Perhaps to punish us for all the grief we’ve given them over their small cars, in 2009 Ford will introduce the 295-hp Ford Focus RS pictured above to the European market, while we here stateside get a redesigned, fugly - to be quite frank - Ford Focus, pictured below.

2009 Ford Focus

For the 2009 U.S. model, the thick chrome vents of the 2008 Focus are gone, replaced with more subdued black chrome. Gaining a premium trim level in the form of the Ford Focus SEL, both the SEL and S models will only be offered in 4-dr sedan form [all other trim options, SE and SES, will be offered as either a 4-dr sedan or 2-dr coupe]. Standard on all 2009 Focus models will be a 2.0L 4 cylinder 140-hp engine with a 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic transmission.

On August 20, 1962, the first Ford Thunderbird was produced. Designed to serve as a prototype, the Ford Thunderbird was Ford’s rapid-fire response to the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. When it finally rolled into the commercial market in 1955, the Ford Thunderbird quickly outsold the Corvette. With a 292 V8 193-hp engine, the T-bird was unlike anything Ford had ever produced before. The early T-birds were all fiberglass hard-top convertibles with a few canvas-tops being offered in ‘56 models. After it became apparent that Ford had stumbled upon a guaranteed formula for success, engineers began to tinker with the design. Ultimately, the Ford Thunderbird lasted for 12 successful generations and sold approximately 4.2 million units. Although Ford officially pulled the plug on T-bird production in 1997, limited edition ”Retro Birds” were produced from 2002-2005. So celebrated was the brief comeback, the 2003 Thunderbird earned a coveted spot in the James Bond film “Die Another Day.”

First Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1955-1957 "Classic Two-Seat Thunderbird"

To View All 12 Generations of the Ford Thunderbird, Click “Read More”

2010 Lincoln MKT

On Friday, Ford gave the official green light for production of the 2010 Lincoln MKT, Ford Motor Company’s luxury crossover vehicle. Developed under the codename “D472″, the Lincoln MKT was originally introduced in January at the 2008 North American International Auto Show as a Ford Taurus/Lincoln MKS/Volvo S80 inspired concept vehicle. In the fall of 2009, the Lincoln MKT vision will become a reality when 2010 models hit dealer floors.

New 2010 Ford Fiesta

On Thursday, Ford Motor Company began global production of the new Ford Fiesta, the B-car intended to serve as the “blueprint” for Ford’s new “Global Ford” program. Ford, publicly struggling to tread water in the midst of rapidly sinking SUV and truck sales, announced months ago plans to condense its global market and shift priority focus to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. 

Launched in 1976, the Ford Fiesta was a hit with the part-time-job-at-The-Gap tax bracket in the United States until production was officially cancelled in the U.S. in 1997. Obviously huge fans of fruity little cars, the European market continued to prove receptive to the Fiesta long after it had run its course in North America. Now, with 2/3 of Detroit looking towards to the fuel-efficient, compact car European market success for financial salvation at home, Ford has decided to bring the whole operation back home to roost with the 2010 Ford Fiesta. 

For 2009, Ford has given the Escape, its sub-compact SUV, an eco-friendly overhaul [and has also provided some fairly comical marketing photos of the Escape as this rugged, off-road vehicle].

The conventional 2009 Escape models will be fully integrated with FFV [Flexible Fuel Vehicle] technology, allowing them to be powered by E85 ethanol fuel. Getting a power boost all across the board, both the Escape Hybrid and the base-trim Escape receive 2.5L, 4-cylinder in-line engines to replace their previous 2.3L I4’s, equaling an overall boost in horsepower from 153-hp to 171-hp. 

The other day Jalopnik, inspired by our list of the “10 Cars That Are Guaranteed To Get You Laid,” good naturedly [we choose to assume] generated their own list, “5 Cars ‘Guaranteed’ To Not Get You Laid.” The list itself was spot-on and scored considerable bonus points with us for including the Toyota Prius, but a few of the site’s commenters shared some slightly-less-than-glowing appraisals of our list. Admittedly, our [read: my] first instinct was to politely instruct the naysayers to lick our figurative balls - but at least one of them had stopped engaging in same-sex relations long enough to suggest a pretty decent idea: what about a list of cars that will get the common  man laid? I mean sure, it’s a given the Bugatti Veyron will score you some tail, but what normal guy can afford one? So we decided to create a new list of cars [and two trucks] ranked by price from least [20k] to greatest [60k] that are guaranteed to get the Average Joe laid.

1. Dodge Ram 1500 ST

Prior to 1994, driving a Dodge Ram pick-up truck would’ve earned you an appreciative nod at Home Depot and not much else. After undergoing some significant cosmetic revision, however, the Dodge Ram emerged from the factory as a half-ton, big rig-inspired, “macho man” [here's to you, Randy Savage] pick-up truck. The unique chrome grill was a new accessory too, and made the new Dodge Ram 1500 immediately distinguishable from its other pick-up truck brethren. To break it down mathematically: ”muscle” plus “bling” is [greater than or] equal to “road head.”

Saleen S5S

Best known for its upscale versions of the Ford Mustang, Saleen’s S5S is an impressive departure from the American automaker who is taking aim (based on the prototype) at all of its Italian competition.  It’s fast, it’s pretty and in terms of supercars, it’s cheap.  Now they just have to build it.