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1947 Chevy rat rod pickup leaves rubber and smoke in its wake

Cool comes in multiple flavors. One one hand, we have the sophisticated attraction of svelte design and the efficient use of power. Of course, on the other hand there is the allure of being the bad boy and going against the grain. That is part of the appeal of rat rods. Ideally, they are built without rules to an owner's specific tastes, and this widened and heavily modified 1947 Chevrolet pickup rod is a perfect example of that spirit.
Coming down the highway with a bent grille, rusted body and pouring smoke, it looks like the pickup from hell. It backs up the looks with some very impressive mechanicals too. Owner Troy Gubser says that the truck packs a Ford Power Stroke diesel with to 42 pounds of boost that runs out of 8-inch exhaust stacks at the back. He claims it managed 505 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque on the dyno. To harness all that power, this hot rod has a ZF five-speed manual gearbox with a ceramic clutch and short-throw shifter. Plus, it has cool little features like a doorbell on the tailgate that operates an air horn.
You might not expect a truck like this to actually be useful, but it has a fifth wheel coupling to haul an RV around drag races and car shows. The air suspension also probably keeps the ride fairly comfy when Gubser wants it to be. Scroll down to check out this beastly rat rod pickup and watch it engage in some diesel drag racing. Warning, there is some NSFW language.

Ford looks to protect logo from Toronto mayor followers

One is a member of the Detroit Three and the maker of the Mustang, Fusion, Explorer and F-150. The other is an admitted loudmouthed, drunk-driving, crack-smoking mayor in Canada. Unfortunately for one, it shares its name with the other. Yes, Ford Motor Company is going to great lengths to keep its iconic Blue Oval logo from being appropriated by supporters of besieged Toronto mayor Rob Ford.
At a United Way event earlier this week, some of Mayor Ford's fans showed up with shirts that featured the automaker's logo with the words "Ford Nation," on them. Naturally, Mayor Ford signed them. FoMoCo was quick to issue an unhappy statement:
"Ford did not grant permission for use of its logo. We view it as an unauthorized use of our trademark and have asked it to be stopped," spokesperson Jay Cooney said. There was also a statement from Ford of Canada's Twitter account after a user alerted the company:

V6 engines will outpace V8s for the 2015 Ford F-150

How times have changed. Even five years ago, who would have thought the mighty V8 would be just another engine choice for buyers of the 2015 Ford F-150?
Ford is projecting about 28 percent of the next-generation trucks will have the 5.0-liter V8. That's nothing to sneeze at, but consider this: Ford figures its two EcoBoost truck engines - the new 2.7-liter V6 and the existing 3.5-liter V6 - will also each account for about 28 percent of the F-150's sales (56 percent total). That leaves only 15 percent of the pie for the 3.5-liter (non-EcoBoost) V6. The new F-150 goes on sale late this year.
Ford figures its two EcoBoost truck engines will each account for about 28 percent of the F-150's sales.