1999 Ford Ranger 4x4 Stepside Extended Cab on 2040-cars

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Will the new Ford GT race at Le Mans?

Ford stole the spotlight here on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show this year with the reveal of the new GT. Its carbon-fiber chassis, 600-plus-horsepower EcoBoost engine and radical aerodynamic shape made sure of that, but flanking it with the debuts of the Mustang GT350R and F-150 Raptor didn't hurt any, either. Any racing fan looking at the new Blue Oval supercar, however, had to wonder whether Dearborn is planning on putting it on the race track. The House that Hank Built is, after all, a known entity in motor racing. It may be canceling its V8 Supercars program Down Under, withdrawn its support from the World Rally Championship, and it's been years since it's competed in Formula One or Indy. But it still competes in the United SportsCar Championship, NASCAR, NHRA and a variety of motor racing disciplines. One of its most famous and celebrated of racing endeavors, however, came in the form of the original GT40 that brought Ford four consecutive victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, starting with a dominant one-two-three finish in 1966. It's the 50th anniversary of that landmark win which the new Ford GT celebrates, but while the press materials made clear reference to that historical event, any mention of a return as was previously speculated was carefully omitted. That, according to Autosport, could come down purely to the ACO, the organizers of the event and sanctioning body for its associated series, which has yet to announce the revised format for the GTE class under which a potential Ford GT racer would compete in 2016. Longtime Ford racing partner Multimatic is said to have closely consulted with the ACO on the formation of those rules, however, and assuming they're finally formulated to Dearborn's liking, we could be looking at a GTE-spec Ford GT to return to La Sarthe next year in celebration of that landmark victory half a century prior. Chip Ganassi Racing – which races under Chevy power in NASCAR and Indy but recently switched to Ford for its Daytona Prototype – is said to be in line to field the car on Dearborn's behalf. If given the green light, it would be the first time Ford would field a factory effort at Le Mans since the C100 project under the Group C category in the early 1980s. A racing version of the previous Ford GT was prepared by Switzerland-based Matech a few years ago, but without factory support or notable success beyond the FIA GT3 European Championship.

Ex-PR chief Vines accuses Ford of bugging cars, phones

Jason Vines, former head of communications at Ford among other automakers, is accusing the Blue Oval of bugging his company phone and his car during the Firestone tire recall for the Explorer in 2001. The allegations have come to light in Vines' upcoming book What Did Jesus Drive? Crisis PR in Cars, Computers and Christianity.
According to The Detroit News, which has an advance copy of the book, Vines (pictured above) claims that after leaving the company, someone with security within Ford advised him that he had been bugged around the time of the recall. The allegations don't stop there, though. Vines further contends that he might not have been the only one to get this treatment, noting that then-general counsel John Rintamaki also believed he was being listened to.
According to The Detroit News, even if it had been a company phone, recording Vines without his knowledge still would have been a felony under Michigan law.

Wards names its 2015 10 Best Interiors list

Wards Automotive has named the winners of its 10 Best Interior awards, covering a wide but affordable array of vehicles. Where last year's list contained two six-figure vehicles, including the $372,800 Rolls-Royce Wraith, this year's is, well, a whole lot more reasonable. The publication lists the Mercedes-Benz C400 at $65,000 (which seems off), making it the most expensive vehicle here. That said, we'd argue that the entire C-Class line deserves to make this year's list, owing to its varied and high-quality selection of materials. The other vehicle to break the $60,000 mark, meanwhile, is the $60,675 Ford F-150 King Ranch, which has 327,000 pounds of leather lining its interior. Only one other German car, the BMW i3, and one other pickup truck, the GMC Canyon, managed to make this year's list. Here's the full list of this year's winners: 2014 BMW i3 ($52,550) 2015 Chrysler 300C Platinum ($51,175) 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch ($60,675) 2015 GMC Canyon SLT ($40,465) 2015 Honda Fit EX-L ($21,590) 2015 Jeep Renegade Limited ($33,205) 2015 Kia Sedona SXL ($43,295) 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring ($33,395) 2015 Mercedes C400 ($65,000) 2015 Nissan Murano SL ($41,905) See what we mean about the mainstream vehicles? Not only is there a distinct lack of luxury brands, it's the price of some of the vehicles that surprise. The Honda Fit, Jeep Renegade and Mazda6 are very reasonably priced, especially when you compare Wards price with the starting price. The Renegade Limited starts at less than $25,000, the Mazda at less than $22K and the Fit at under $16,000. Head over to Wards for a more detailed explanation of why each vehicle won. Featured Gallery 2015 Ward's Automotive 10 Best Interiors View 10 Photos News Source: Wards Automotive BMW Chrysler Ford GMC Honda Jeep Kia Mazda Mercedes-Benz Nissan Truck Crossover Hatchback Sedan nissan murano gmc canyon Interior jeep renegade WardsAuto kia sedona wards 10 best interiors mercedes c400