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Ford GT dominates Le Mans qualifying, gets slapped with performance adjustment

Fifty years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove the Ford GT40 to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is poised for a historic return to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The new Ford GT took the top two qualifying positions in the LMGTE Pro class, and four of the top five. Ferrari's 488 filled in the rest of the spots in the top seven, the first two from AF Corse. In other words, we're primed for a reboot of the classic Ford-Ferrari feud at this year's race. Or not, as the ACO, which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced sweeping pre-race Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments this morning that make this year's GT class anybody's race. In LMP1, last year's overall winner Porsche locked up the top two spots with the 919 Hybrid and will lead the entire field at race start. Toyota's two-car factory effort followed with qualifying times 1.004 and 2.170 seconds behind the pole lap. Audi rounds out the manufacturer-backed LMP1 class in fifth and sixth. Full qualifying results can be found here. The storyline for the GT cars is perfect - some say too perfect. Ford's class-leading times came after BOP adjustment to the Corvette Racing C7.R before qualifying. BOP is intended to level the playing field in the class by adjusting power, ballast, and fuel capacity. (Check out this explainer video for more, or even just if you love French accents.) But the process is riddled with unknowns and ripe for accusations of sandbagging. That is, if the Ford cars were intentionally slow in practice they could hope for BOP adjustment to improve their race chances. On the Corvette side, last year's GTE Pro winner went from the top of the field to the bottom, barely improving from practice to qualifying. If you think Le Mans is as rigged at the NBA Playoffs, well, it's not that simple. Because if Ford and Ferrari held back until qualifying - the eighth-place Porsche 911 RSR is three-and-a-half seconds off the class pole time - it was a pretty dumb strategy. This morning, the ACO tried to put things back in order by limiting the boost in the Ford GT's twin-turbo V6 and adding 11 pounds of ballast. Ferrari was also given extra weight but allowed more fuel capacity. The Corvette and Aston Martin teams were both given breaks on their air restrictors, which will allow their engines to make more power. Both Ford and Porsche also received extra fuel capacity.

Autoblog Minute: Ferrari F12 TdF, Tesla Autopilot, Fiat brand leadership change

Ferrari unleashes the F12 TdF, Model S owners get an exciting announcement from Tesla, and Fiat North America undergoes a leadership change. Senior editor Greg Migliore reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Ferrari unleashes the F12 TdF, Model S owners get an exciting announcement from Tesla, and Fiat North America undergoes a leadership change. I'm Senior editor Greg Migliore, this is your Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. Ferrari's new F12 TdF gets its name from the legendary Tour de France race that Ferrari dominated back in the 50s and 60s. [00:00:30] This new Ferrari is derived from the naturally aspirated F12 Berlinetta's engine. There are styling and performance upgrades, and the company highlights changes in aerodynamics, weight reduction, and faster shifts. The result, Ferrari says, is a blistering zero to sixty-two time of, 2.9 seconds. It's pretty fast. Tesla released software version 7.0 for Model S owners. The big takeaway from this update is the much anticipated Autopilot mode. Tesla says Autopilot [00:01:00] allows Model S to steer within a lane, change lanes, and manage speed. Software version 7.0 will also allow for digital control of the motors, brakes, and steering for collision prevention. Now do you hate parallel parking? Tesla's got you covered. The Model S can park on command, right after it scans for a spot and alerts you when one becomes available. Jason Stoicevich resigns shortly after losing control of the Fiat brand. Automotive News reported that Stoicevich's leadership role at Fiat was handed over to the company's [00:01:30] head of the Dodge brand. That's Tim Kuniskis. The report cites diminished sales figures as a key reason for the personnel change at Fiat. This change resulted in Stoicevich leaving FCA altogether. Those are the highlights from the week that was. Be sure to check out my full recap this Saturday. Plus I'll have some added insight into BMW's M2. For Autoblog, I'm Greg Migliore. Autoblog Minute is a short-form video news series reporting on all things automotive. Each segment offers a quick and clear picture of what's happening in the automotive industry from the perspective of Autoblog's expert editorial staff, auto executives, and industry professionals.

New Zealander builds 1962 Ferrari GTO replica in chicken shed

The Ferrari 250 GTO is one of the most gorgeous vehicles ever made, but with just 39 produced, they're also some of the most expensive cars in the world, often setting records when they occasionally come up for auction. The eye-watering price presents an insanely steep barrier of entry to ownership, which has led at least one buyer to pursue a different option: simply creating his own. While the beautiful example in the video above isn't an authentic, original Ferrari, the story behind this replica goes far beyond some cheap knockoff slapped together haphazardly. Surrounded by crowing roosters and waddling ducks, Rod Temporo doesn't immediately strike you as a guy who would be building exacting replica racers in his shed. However, first impressions aren't always accurate, and Temporo is a maestro when it comes to metalwork. He has been doing this for decades and has recreated all sorts of vintage vehicles, including a beautiful Jaguar XJ13. Temporo and his team are true artisans. They make their own wood bucks for the body and then bang out the metal body with hammers and an English wheel. According to the video, it took them about four years to complete this 1962 GTO replica starting from scratch. The end result is a piece of automotive art.