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Ford Escort testing, may be bound for Europe

There has been little news about Ford's China-focused Escort concept since debuting at last year's Shanghai Motor Show, but the no-frills sedan has shown its camouflaged face again during cold weather testing in Northern Sweden. While far from a guarantee, the test location might hint that the Blue Oval plans to market the car outside of Asia.
The Escort's black robe and zebra paint make it hard to tell if anything specific has changed about the design, but the shape of the sedan looks close to what was shown in Shanghai. Under the disguise, you can still make out the hexagonal front grille from the concept. When Ford announced the model, the company said that the design wasn't supposed to be "arrogant or pretentious," and it certainly achieved that. The engine range is still a mystery, but it seems safe to expect small, economy-focused powertrains.
A report from last year indicated that Ford may be considering broadening the new Escort beyond Asia and possibly even selling it in Europe. The fact that the company brought it to Sweden for testing could bolster that argument. A release date hasn't been set yet, but the automaker has promised 15 new products for China by 2015. The basic sedan could be on the road soon.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R-C set to storm Watkins Glen

Ford is bringing its latest high-performance Mustang back to the track with the new 2016 GT350R-C, which will debut and race in this weekend's IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Watkins Glen. The spiritual successor to the Boss 302R that's still taking part in the Continental Tire series today, the first GT350R-C will be campaigned by Multimatic Motorsports. It's had its fully independent suspension completely revised for the track, and it gets everything from new spring rates to new anti-roll bars to a lowered ride height. Like the road-going GT350, a 5.2-liter, flat-plane-crank V8 sits under the hood, although Ford didn't release any specifics on power output. In fact, details are in short supply. We're expecting some sort of sequential racing transmission, wildly enhanced brakes, and a thoroughly race-prepared cabin, although Ford hasn't released any info on that stuff. The Blue Oval also hasn't said anything about the aerodynamic package, but strangely, it looks more or less like what's featured on the standard GT350R. The front fascia and rear wing are pretty much identical, and even the side sills seem roughly similar to the production model. "Like so many Mustangs before it, the Shelby GT350R is a car born to race," Ford's director of global performance, Dave Pericak, said in the attached press release. "We're taking it to the track as the GT350R-C and we're ready to see what it can do against the best competition in the world." Scroll down for the official press release from Ford. And if you're so inclined, you can check out the GT350R-C's debut race this weekend at IMSA.com, with coverage starting at 12:25 P.M. If you prefer normal TV, Fox Sports 1 will get around to re-broadcasting the race on July 5 at 10:00 A.M. Related Video: Ford Performance Shelby GT350R-C to Make IMSA Competition Debut at Watkins Glen • All-new Shelby® GT350R-C embodies Ford innovation through performance as race car makes its competition debut this weekend at Watkins Glen • Shelby GT350R-C to compete in the remainder of the 2015 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge with Multimatic Motorsports • Competition version of Shelby GT350R features all-new 5.2-liter flat-plane crankshaft V8 created to extend on-track performance DEARBORN, Mich., June 24, 2015 – There's no mistaking the wicked sound or aggressive looks of the all-new Shelby® GT350R-C that Ford announced today would see its first official track time at Watkins Glen this weekend.

Ringbrothers drops more hints about its wild SEMA creations

Ringbrothers isn't finished teasing its SEMA creations. First we got a sliver of rear quarter on a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro that revealed a bundle of carbon fiber and SEMA-obligatory deep-dish wheels. The Wisconsin tuner's now announced its litter of cars headed to the show and a few specs, along with two shadowy drawings. The Camaro, christened with the name Valkyrja and a two-tone paint job, gets stretched in two directions with severe fender flares to widen the body and an extended wheelbase. We're not sure what's happening with the Camaro's snout in the drawing, but under that bulging hood we'll find a 416-cubic-inch LS V8 from Wegner Motorsports. Wegner built the 416-cu-in supercharged LS3 V8 that powered Ringbrothers' 1,000-hp G-Code Camaro in 2016.  The second member of the gang is a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 dubbed Unkl. The exterior begs for attention with a deep blue sea paint job, deep front chin spoiler, bulging hood, yellow brake calipers, and what looks like a racing number inside a roundel on the doors. Unkl gets its motivation from a 520-cu-in Boss V8 built by Kaase Racing Engines, rumored to throw about 800 hp.    Finally, Ringbrothers is bringing its Cadillac Madam V for another Las Vegas go-round after giving the custom coupe some updates. The Madam V is a 1948 Cadillac Series 62 fastback coupe body placed atop an ATS-V chassis, first shown in 2016. The firm didn't elaborate on the changes, so all we can expect for now are the coupe's postwar good looks mixed with new-millennium engineering, and a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 with 464 hp under that exceptionally long hood.    For any in attendance at the show, the Valkyrja Camaro debuts at the BASF booth on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019 at 9:30 a.m., the Unkl Mustang gets revealed a couple hours later at the Flowmaster/Holley booth, and the Madam V Cadillac will be on display throughout the show at the Ringbrothers booth.