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Ford reveals EcoBoost-powered Riley prototype for Daytona 24

It's not the first time Ford has participated in the Daytona Prototype class as an engine supplier, but in revealing this new EcoBoost V6-powered Riley Technologies prototype for the new United SportsCar Championship, Ford is making a statement: "We want to show Ford EcoBoost's capabilities as an engine that provides both performance and fuel economy, on and off the track," says Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing.
In addition to supplying the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6, Ford had its production designer Garen Nicoghosian give the racecar brand-inspired design cues with support from Ford Racing chief aerodynamicist Bernie Marcus.
The car is scheduled to compete at next year's Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 25-26, but before that, Michael Shank Racing is working with Ford at another goal. Driving his Ford Thunderbird, NASCAR champion Bill Elliott set the track's top speed record at 210.364 miles per hour during a qualifying run for the Daytona 500 - way back in 1987 -- and Ford thinks it's about time for that record to fall. What better time the introduction of this new Ford-powered Daytona Prototype? Michael Shank Racing plans to use the twin-turbo V6-powered racer to beat Elliott's record, and it expects to begin prepping for the top-speed run on October 9. Scroll down for the full press release below on Ford's latest race effort.

Formula Drift kicks off 11th season on Streets of Long Beach

The 2014 Formula Drift series kicked off last weekend in Long Beach, and saw Chris Forsberg, who you'll recall went mad and drifted around a warehouse in an Infiniti M, take the title behind the wheel of his Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z (shown above).
Forsberg really ran away with the first round of competition, outscoring his closest opponent, second-place finisher Kenneth Moen and his Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX, by 20 points. Third place was 2013 championship winner Michael Essa and his Yokohama BMW M3, 30.5 points behind Forsberg.
In the manufacturers' title, Nissan took an early lead with 122 points, which isn't a huge surprise considering five of the top ten drifters were piloting either a Z or a product of the brand's S platform. Ford, which had two drivers (Justin Pawlak and Vaughn Gittin, Jr.) in the top ten, took home second place, while BMW is currently third in the manufacturers' standings.

2016 Ford Police Interceptor Utility is ready to tackle Chicago's mean streets

As is the way of things, when a civilian vehicle gets a significant update, it's only a matter of time before its police counterpart gets similar upgrades. In the case of the Ford Police Interceptor Utility, it's debuting with the same visual updates as the Explorer on which it's based, at this week's 2015 Chicago Auto Show. Like the civilian-market Explorer, the PI Utility is available with a standard 3.7-liter V6 that pumps out 304 horsepower and 279 pound-feet of torque. The higher-caliber option is the tried and true 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, complete with 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. The standard Explorer's optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder, meanwhile, won't be offered to the boys in blue. Regardless of engine, the Utility enjoys standard all-wheel-drive, as well as a six-speed automatic transmission. The tranny's default setting is primarily for fuel sipping, although if it detects more aggressive inputs – based on brake line pressure, deceleration and lateral acceleration rates – it switches over to Pursuit Mode, offering officers snappier upshifts and more aggressive downshifts. The PI Utility's other cool, new system is called Surveillance Mode. To protect officers from sneak attacks, Surveillance Mode warns them when someone approaches the rear the car, raising all four windows and locking the doors. While Ford says the system has "intermittent fault filter technology" to prevent "erroneous changes in sensor signals," we're betting it won't be long before veteran officers uncover some way to prank rookies with the tech. Beyond these new systems, this is the same Utility that officers know and love, only with a significant facelift reminiscent of what's found on the civilian model, which debuted at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. The new grille has a positive impact on cooling performance, Ford claims, while a new headlight setup accommodates the high-beam-based "wig-wag" lights. The new look has also allowed Ford to offer police departments additional customized lighting options, for that special touch. Inside, a new steering wheel and center console should make officers' lives easier, as will the new (and requested) liftgate release button, found in the overhead console. Check out the first images of the new Police Interceptor Utility (and, sporty drivers, memorize that headlight pattern) up above. Be sure to check back for additional live images once we check out Ford's latest cop car, at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.