Archive for the ‘News’ Category

In yesterday’s press release, Ford announced that a 2013 Shelby GT500 will be auctioned, in partnership with the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Held every year since 1971, the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction has helped Ford raise more than $3 million for the JDRF in the last five years. Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes because it’s usually diagnosed in childhood, is an autoimmune condition that affects nearly 1.3 million Americans, or five percent of people with diabetes.

Other Ford cars that have been auctioned in the name of the JDRF include production samples of the Shelby GT500KR and the Shelby GT, as well as the Grabber Blue Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca last year.

On Saturday, January 21, the auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, will be televised live on SPEED Channel. Ford’s President of The Americas, Mark Fields and members of SVT will join the one-of-a-kind car on stage for the event. The 650-horsepower GT500 comes equipped with six-point harness Recaro racing seats, donated by Recaro North America, and is signed by the members of the SVT engineering team. It will likely remain “a museum piece as it can’t be registered for road use,” according to AutoBlog.com.

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As we told you last week, Ford has a new Fusion in the works. This week, Ford unveiled the sporty looking coupe at the Detroit Auto Show, and it was everything industry experts had anticipated.

Drawing on the “One Ford” model, which has Ford bringing the same vehicles (though sometimes renamed) to every market, rather than making different models for European, Asian, South American, African, and North American drivers, the Fusion is slick. The Wall Street Journal said it drew on design elements of the Aston Martin, but most people will look at it and think BMW or Mercedes. This is not your average, boring, make-sure-it’s-really-yours-bef0re-putting-the-key-in-because-they-all-look-the-same family sedan. This is the make-everyone-at-the-PTA-jealous-of-the-European-styling-of-your-American-vehicle family sedan.

Even better than its looks are the Fusion’s technical specs. Ford plans to make both an electric-gasoline hybrid model (the Fusion Hybrid) and an all-electric model (the Fusion Energi), and all three versions are impressively fuel-efficient. Even the all-gasoline model has an EPA mpg of 23city/33hwy, which is great for a five-passenger mid-sized sedan.

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The much-anticipated Detroit Auto Show is next week, and industry experts are buzzing with anticipation over Ford’s redesign of the classic Fusion sedan. The Wall Street Journal reports that the 2013 Fusion “will look more like the ultraluxury sports car Aston Martin Vantage than the current boxy version.”

Ford is keeping details close to their vest. Photos and videos? Nowhere to be found. How about fuel efficiency? Mum’s the word. What about price? Their lips are sealed. How many will they produce? No one will say, though the WSJ notes that in October, Ford increased Fusion production capacity at its Michigan manufacturing plant to 350,000 units per year.

Long revered as an American auto maker, Ford has partnered with a European design team for the new Fusion. The same studio is responsible for the redesigned Ford Focus, while the American design team focuses on trucks and SUVs. According to journalists who’ve gotten a sneak peek at the redesigned sedan, the  Cologne, Germany-based team has taken details of the Aston Martin and Mustang fastbacks and integrated them into the family-centric vehicle.

Form meets function. Sounds like a winner. If you’re looking for your own reliable, efficient Ford car, truck or SUV, browse our latest online specials on new and pre-owned vehicles 24/7 at damerowford.com.

Ford announced Wednesday that production of the 2012 Focus Electric, the company’s first five-seater, all-electric, gasoline-free vehicle, has begun. The Focus Electric will have a fuel efficiency rating of 100MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) and joins Ford’s line of fuel efficient hybrid vehicles, including the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi. It will be the first electric vehicle to be powered at 240-volt outlets, providing a full charge in approximately three to four hours. Owners who don’t want to install a $1,500 240V home-charging system (set to be available at Best Buy) can use household 120V outlets, allowing the car to charge in 18–20 hours.

The Focus Electric debuted at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and uses unique technology in its heating and cooling system. While not nearly the most powerful car on the market – it clocks in at 123hp and has a top speed of 84mph – the Focus Electric’s quick charging time, family-sized seating room, and incredible fuel efficiency make it ideal for commuters. Its battery – approximately the same size as that in the Nissan Leaf – has an estimated range of 70 miles per charge.

Interested in owning a hybrid or electric Ford vehicle? Looking for your own efficient Ford car, truck or SUV?  Browse our latest online specials on new and pre-owned vehicles 24/7 at damerowford.com.

sources: social.ford.com, caranddriver.com

For any true car enthusiast, tearing up some pavement in a 1932 Ford Roadster would be a dream come true.

This was the motivation for Ken Gross to build his own Roadster from the ground up. As Automobile Magazine reports in their feature on the hot rod, Gross began dreaming about his ideal roadster in 1956 while still a high school student.

Gross made many modern adjustments to make his vehicle street-worthy and used parts that are meant to last. For example, he swapped the traditional 59A engine block for a military 59Z version which is made of stronger iron. The car also features alloy wheels, hidden electronics and a manual spark advance for the engine. The result is a strong, immaculate-looking hot rod that anyone would be proud of!

It took four decades before Gross acquired all the pieces needed to achieve his dream roadster, but he did it.

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Wonder how one car company can achieve such exceptional fuel economy across dozens of models? It turns out that good old-fashion hard work, preparation, and scientific research in Ford’s wind tunnel are the keys to creating the most aerodynamic designs possible.

It is only by this level of attention that Ford’s aerodynamicists (yes, this is a real job title) accomplished 40MPG in the 2012 Focus. They employed an innovative new active grille shutter system that opens during low-speed, stop-and-go-driving and closes during higher, steady speeds to achieve optimal aerodynamics and fuel-efficiency. This system is thought to be the future for other Ford models as well, and we will almost certainly see imitations from competitors with Ford leading the pack.

Through painstaking detail work, Ford designers and aerodynamicists have also delivered impressive fuel-economy results with the all-new Ford Explorer and Flex Crossover. The Explorer delivers a very solid 25 highway MPG through optimal balance between aerodynamic details such as the front airways, sideview mirrors, and rear spoiler. Watch the video below to get the full scoop!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a3Dd3WMz3c

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Industry professionals and car enthusiasts alike have been anticipating the day when Ford would make its C1 platform available in America. That day has finally arrived and the wait is over, with the introduction of the 2012 Ford Focus Titanium.

According to a recent Auto Blog review, the somewhat skeptical editors were impressed with its overall design, handling, power and fuel-efficiency. The test model was equipped with the Titanium Handling Package, which delivered sharp turns and quick response with an impressive EPA fuel economy of 27/37 MPG. The new design also earned major points when onlookers stopped to inquire about the vehicle as editors gave it a routine post-test wash.

We spent just one week with the 2012 Ford Focus, but that was plenty enough for us to realize that it’s a worthy contender in the hotly contested compact car segment. – Jeremy Korzeniewski AutoBlog.com

For those craving a class-competitive compact in the U.S. market, the 2012 Focus proves to be a global contender.

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The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid has erased any doubt that an American car company can offer an affordable, well-built sedan. This was the conclusion of  Motor Trend‘s editors after one year of access to the Fusion in their famous fleet.

Besides the Ford’s excellent design and handling, the Fusion scored major points for requiring nothing more than a few standard oil changes and tire rotations during the year. Besides its low maintenance cost, the Fusion hybrid reduces 3,504 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Combine this with its astonishing range and gas mileage, and you have a all around winner in the sedan class.

[W]hat impressed just about everybody was that it’s simply an honest, affordable, well-constructed sedan. The thing the experts said American car companies weren’t supposed to be capable of anymore. – Kim Reynolds Motor Trend Magazine

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With the Ford Mustang, one thing hasn’t changed with time – it is still one of the hottest sport vehicles on the market. In a recent Auto Guide review, one editor compared the new 2011 Mustang GT with his original 1987 version and found vast improvements in all categories, making it still one of the best rides on the road.

Other than its classic design, the Mustang’s main attraction is raw power. The new  GT boasts a 5.0-liter V8, the first 5.0-liter engine to power a Mustang since 1995 and with nearly 100 more horsepower than last year’s model, the 2011 GT is setting the standard for vehicles in its class. Fuel efficiency is also increased over last year’s model and the entire outfit uses high-tech American aluminum instead of the iron of yesteryear.

On the road, this GT Convertible feels solid as a bank vault. No squeaks, no rattles, and less chassis flex or cowl shake than the new Mercedes E-Class, or BMW convertibles. – Ken Glassman for Auto Guide

Now if we could just get some sunshine so we could let the top down…

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Not only is the Ford Mustang Boss 302 a hot-looking sports car, it can tear up some serious pavement. Edmunds Inside Line took the new Mustang for a spin on the famous Laguna Seca raceway and found the vehicle to be unrivaled in its performance.

The original Boss 302 was introduced in 1969 as a road racing car for the street. The 2012 version is more powerful, louder, quicker and offers better handling than any previous models. It is offered with two levels of equipment: the standard Boss 302 and the limited-edition Boss 302 Laguna Seca package. Both come with 5.0-liter engine that cranks out 444 horsepower.

Check out the test drive in this video:

Looking for your own Ford car, truck or SUV? Browse our latest online specials on new and pre-owned vehicles 24/7 at damerowford.com.