Shelby Defines Excess With New 1000 Horsepower Mustang

When it comes to horsepower, how much is too much? Some would argue that Ford’s upcoming 2013 Shelby GT500, with its 650 horsepower off the showroom floor, already pushes the boundaries. Most would agree that Shelby American’s 800-horsepower Super Snake comes close to offering too much horsepower, but now comes word that the Nevada-based customizer has topped even that effort. Read more…

2013 Ford Explorer Sport Introduced with 350 Horsepower V6 EcoBoost Engine

Our speculations yesterday, drawn into a conclusion from the High-Performance Explorer teaser video, have come to fruition in the form of the new 2013 Ford Explorer Sport touting 350 horsepower.

It was only a matter of time before Ford would inject yet another one of their vehicles with the current EcoBoost (twin-turbo) V6 engine found in the current Taurus SHO. Not only does this engine provide the new Explorer with more power, but it remains to be efficient as well. Ford expects the new Explorer Sport V6 EcoBoost to get 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.

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Video: Ford Teases A High-Performance… Explorer?

Watching the twenty-six second video supplied by Ford, the only thing that’s certain is that a new model of Explorer is coming, and it will likely be in a trim level not seen before. From the sound of the engine, it’s not powered by the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8, either, which means the most lively drivetrain will be the EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 that’s packed into the Taurus SHO. Read more…

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Pricing Posted

Ford’s 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 promises to deliver a mind-warping 650 horsepower and a 200 mph top speed, both in stock form. You can’t take delivery of one just yet, but now we know what the pricing on Ford’s latest uber-Mustang will be. The Shelby GT500 coupe will start at $54,995, including the required $795 destination charge, while the Shelby GT500 convertible is priced from $59,995, including the same destination charge. Read more…

Ford Temporarily Halts Development Of Next Focus RS

Bad news, Euros: if you’re saving up for a new Ford Focus RS, you’ll be saving for a while longer than anticipated. As Left Lane News, via Car Advice, reports, work on the next generation Focus RS has been stopped, in order to focus (no pun intended) on more essential and profitable products. In the words of Gunnar Herrmann, Ford’s vehicle line director for small cars, “We are not working on RS right now. It’s just because we have other priorities to clean up and effectively we have to make a final decision on how we proceed. We have other items to proceed with.” Read more…

Motor Trend Pits The Camaro ZL1 Against The Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca

There’s an old-if-incorrect saying that goes, “never bring a knife to a gun fight.” Truthfully, the outcome of a gun versus knife confrontation depends on a lot of different factors, but here’s something to consider: there’s always a chance that a shooter will miss, even at close range. There’s very little chance that someone armed with a knife will miss. The moral to the story, then, is that it’s best to never underestimate an opponent, no matter what he’s bringing to the party. Read more…

Ford Shows Production-Ready Fiesta ST In Geneva

We’ll hit you with the bad news up front: the Fiesta ST, debuting in “production ready” form at this week’s Geneva Motor Show, won’t be coming to the United States anytime soon. Blame it on a car-buying public that avoids small hatchbacks, or blame it on a weak dollar and strong Euro, but no matter what the reason, the Fiesta ST won’t be in a U.S. Ford dealer’s showroom in the foreseeable future. Read more…

Ford Working On A 177-Horsepower Triple: Report

Automobiles with three cylinder engines have long been the butt of jokes among auto enthusiasts. Anyone who’s ever driven a Geo Metro, for example, knows that acceleration wasn’t one of the car’s strengths. It returned amazing fuel economy and offered a fair amount of practicality, but getting from point A to point B in a hurry wasn’t one of its strong points.

Even four-cylinder engines weren’t always enough to keep car guys amused, but automakers have now topped 100 horsepower per liter in normally aspirated engines. Throw some forced induction into the recipe, and suddenly the smaller and lighter engines have serious potential.

That’s Ford’s thinking behind its latest engine, a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost model that’s currently under development. Reports from Autocar, via Left Lane News, say that Ford is pushing to get 177-horsepower from the engine, courtesy of both an electric supercharger and a conventionally spun turbocharger.

While the performance variant probably wouldn’t be a mainstream engine, it could make an appearance in a Focus model slotted below the Focus ST, or in a higher-performance version of the subcompact Fiesta. In more pedestrian trim, Ford is planning on building some 1.3 million units of its three cylinder per year.

Ford is also rumored to be working on a 320 horsepower version of its 2.3-liter four, likely using a similar method of combined forced induction. When it comes to engines, it looks like sixes are the new eights, fours are the new sixes and triples are the new fours. Since less weight equals better handling, we’re good with this plan.