2006 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor Sedan 4-door 4.6l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

More evidence GT500-replacement will be named GT350

During the recent unveiling of the 2015 Ford Mustang, we saw the car in both V6 and GT form, but we'll have to wait a little bit longer to see the successor to the Shelby GT500. In the meantime, though, it looks like SVTPerformance.com has confirmed reports that this high-performance model will bring the Shelby GT350 name back to Ford.
According to the forum post, a user found the Shelby GT350 name on a Ford promo website listing its 2015 lineup. The Shelby GT350 name was first used on a Mustang back in 1965, and most recently it has been a model created for customers as a post-title purchase by Shelby American. As for that car, Shelby confirmed earlier in the year that its GT350 would be phased out at the end of this month.
The million-dollar question for Mustang and Shelby enthusiasts is when we'll see next factory Shelby GT350. Last we heard it was planned for a debut at the New York Auto Show. We've included our previous spy shots of this hi-po, sixth-gen Mustang, and we've also captured it on spy video showing off its exhaust note.

Ford Mustang SVT caught looking fierce on the 'Ring

The next-generation Ford Mustang SVT is one of the most anticipated performance cars of the moment. We've already seen it testing multiple times, but it has always been covered is some very heavy camouflage. However, Ford has just given us our best view yet of the new muscle car. According to our spy photographer, the Mustang was at the Nürburgring for high-speed testing, which meant that the Blue Oval had to remove most of the heavy obfuscation that the SVT has worn previously.
The stylish, more revealing camo makes picking out some of the more interesting details about the SVT rather easy. Starting from the front, there is the big hood scoop to feed cold air to its still mysterious engine. You can also immediately make out the model's new grille and lower front air dam. It has a vertical piece running from the bottom of the hood all the way to the ground. The aggressive styling almost gives the 'Stang the look of two fangs ready to bite down. The hood seam is even taped off here, which shows us its outline.
Around the side, it appears that the front and rear fenders are wider than stock, and the sills are certainly much larger. You can also just make out the SVT's bigger brakes behind its black wheels with a polished lip. Finally, at the rear, things appear mostly stock other than the diffuser that the exhaust outlets nestle into.

Lincoln dealers to build standalone dealerships separate from Ford

Way back in 2011, Ford Motor Credit Co. established Lincoln Automotive Financial Services as part of what Automotive News called "a campaign to set the Lincoln brand apart." Lincoln's been on a wild, public ride in the seven years since, which included a near-death experience in 2013 under former Ford CEO Alan Mulally. But Ford's luxury brand has rebounded and is ready to take another shot at setting itself apart. Automaker execs have asked dealers with twinned Ford- Lincoln dealerships in 30 major U.S. markets to build standalone stores. According to company data, the move isn't a gamble — dealers with standalone showrooms sell more vehicles. Lincoln's standalone dealerships in the 30 major U.S. markets that account for 70 percent of luxury segment sales increased 48 percent from 2014 to 2017, compared to an overall Lincoln brand sales increase of 18 percent. After a former Ford-Lincoln dealer in Minneapolis opened a devoted Lincoln store this January, sales have climbed 60 percent so far this year. Dealers in Orange County, California, and Atlanta, Georgia have seen sales double since opening exclusive Lincoln storefronts. The sales manager at the Atlanta dealer said, "Customers have pulled up and said, 'This is how it should be.'" Robert Parker, Lincoln's head of marketing, said, "Customers expect the environment to be equal to the product. They want to buy a luxury product in a luxury environment." That issue repeatedly comes up when a mass-market brand launches a luxury product; observers have lately wondered how much the issue affects sales of Hyundai's Genesis brand. Out of 845 Lincoln showrooms nationwide, there are 150 Lincoln dealers in those 30 major U.S. markets. So far, 72 dealers have made or are working to make the standalone switch on their own. Lincoln is asking the remaining 78 shops to follow suit, to agree to a new facility by July 2019 and to have the store finished by July 2021. Only the showrooms would need to be exclusive, service and other back-end departments can remain in Ford-branded complexes. Wielding the carrot, Lincoln will help dealers with relocating, and pay more for every car sold. Wielding the stick, Lincoln said that come Q2 2019, it won't let twinned dealers sell Black Label trims if they don't already. Over the next couple of years, Lincoln will complete the revamp of its lineup. Said marketing honco Parker, "The next phase of the transformation is critical.