2005 Ford F-150 Xlt, Clean Carfax, Available Financing, V8 Muscle, Power Windows on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Galpin Auto Sports and Fisker turn the Mustang into a Rocket in LA [w/video]

Galpin Auto Sport and Henrik Fisker made big promises about the Rocket before its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show today, calling it the "ultimate American muscle car." Now that this 725-horsepower carbon-fiber Ford Mustang has officially been revealed, we've now got a chance to see if their vision backs up all the bluster. The Rocket is based off the latest 2015 Mustang, but the entire exterior design has been substantially reworked by Fisker. "This is a project born out of passion, it's a dream come true, to have the opportunity to 'touch' a Mustang and apply my design ideas to it," he says in the model's announcement. The biggest changes come up front, where Fisker has added a gaping hexagonal grille with a polished bar running and two nearly hidden driving lights at the top corners. Long nostrils run down each side of the hood, taking their inspiration from the 1968 Shelby GT500. The Rocket's design also emphasizes its scalloped sides, which run back to functional ducts at the rear to cool the Brembo Grand Turismo brakes. When checking out the Rocket from the rear, it's easy to spot the wider fenders that are beautifully blended into the integrated spoiler. The interior has been left mostly alone beyond some eye-grabbing red leather and carbon-fiber trim. Under the hood, Galpin spokesperson Nathan Hoyt has confirmed to Autoblog that the Rocket employs a 5.0-liter V8 with a Whipple supercharger which can be called to attention with a six-speed manual gearbox. It took only a few months for the vehicle to go from conception to reality. Fisker showed Galpin President Beau Boeckmann early sketches at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and the two parties went from there. "When Henrik showed me his ideas, I got chills - it's literally the most beautiful Mustang I have ever seen," says Boeckmann in the company's release. Production is set to begin in December, with deliveries starting in early 2015. There's no set production total in mind for now, but Hoyt tells Autoblog that the price will be "just over $100,000." Scroll down to read all of the details about Fisker and Galpin's Rocket.

MotorWeek relives '80s coupes with Dodge Daytona, Ford Escort EXP

Get ready for a wave of nostalgia and the rapid realization of the huge progress in performance cars over the last 30 years. For its latest Retro Review, MotorWeek takes a look back at two, front-wheel drive coupes from the '80s that seem to have entirely vanished from the roads today. Both the 1986 Dodge Daytona CS and the 1986.5 Ford Escort EXP were considered affordable, sporty options in their day, but the passage of time hasn't been kind to either of their specs. The Daytona certainly looks the part of a performance machine with a body that's reminiscent of other '80s coupes, like the third-gen Chevrolet Camaro. However with 146 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque from a 2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, acceleration wasn't exactly a strong suit. MotorWeek complained about copious torque steer, as well. The optional CS suspension upgrade package on this Daytona was apparently a nod to Carroll Shelby who was working with Dodge at the time. If anything, the Escort EXP withstands the test of time even worse. As a two-seat coupe, you might have expected Ford's engineers to really turn up the performance to fit the sporty image that the exterior conveyed. That didn't really happen, and depending on which model buyers ordered, they got either 86 horsepower with a 1.9-liter engine or the "high-output" version of that mill with 108 hp.

2014 Ford F-150 Tremor adds some sport to shake things up

Like most quakes, the 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor caught us by surprise. We weren't expecting Ford to offer up another version of its best-seller so soon before the truck's full redesign, but that's exactly what the company is doing.
While Ford calls the Tremor a "performance truck," the new pickup doesn't play on the same level as the SVT Raptor does on dirt, or even the long-gone SVT Lightning did on pavement. Think of it as a parts bin sport truck that probably does a better job looking the part than acting it. The Tremor utilizes the same twin-turbo, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 available across the F-150 lineup, producing 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, but matches it with a 4.10 rear axle - the shortest final drive ratio you can get in an F-150 - for the strongest possible acceleration.
The Tremor does do a decent job looking the part. Available only in short-wheelbase, regular cab configuration with your choice of two- or four-wheel drive, it struts around wearing the F-150's FX Appearance Package, flat black accents, 20-inch black wheels, HID headlights and a special exterior graphics package. The Tremor is the only regular cab F-150 with a flow-through center console, which means it also gets a floor-mounted shifter and bucket seats that are covered in black leather with red piping. Some brushed metal accents and steering wheel with red stitching round out the interior upgrades.