1918 Ford Model T With Pick Box on 2040-cars

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2015 Ford Transit

As a segment, fullsize vans are stealth-fighter invisible on most consumers' radar. Visit a dealership for any of the four brands that offer them and you'll be lucky to find even one on display. These are commercial vehicles primarily, even more so than pickup trucks. Vans are the shuttles for plumbers, caterers, carpenters, concrete layers, masons, electricians, florists and flooring, and a huge part of this country's productivity is accomplished using them. At the moment, Ford is the 800-pound gorilla in that room - fully 41 percent of commercial vehicles wear a Blue Oval. So when Ford announced three years ago it would be ditching its commercial bread-and-butter E-Series, it meant the Transit that would be replacing the Econoline had huge, 53-year-old shoes to fill.
We were still a bit nostalgic about Econoline vans going away until going directly from the Transit first drive in Kansas City to an E-350 airport shuttle. Climb up through the Econoline's tiny double doors and bang your head on the opening, crouch all the way to your seat then enjoy a loud, rattle-prone, creaky, harsh ride on beam-hard seats while struggling to see out the low windows. This is an experience nearly every traveler has had. By comparison, the Transits we'd just spent two days with were every bit of the four decades better they needed to be. It cannot be understated just how much better the Transit is in every single way. The load floor is barely more than knee high. There's a huge side door, and hitting your head on a door opening is nearly impossible. Stand up all the way if you're under six-foot, six-inches - no more half-hunching down the aisle. There are windows actually designed to be looked out of. The ride is buttery smooth, no booming vibration from un-restrained metal panels and no squeaks. Conversations can be held at normal levels rather than yelling over the roar of an ancient V8. The seats are comfortable. The AC is cold. There are cupholders.
Enough anecdote-laying, what's in a Transit? We're talking about a very fullsized unibody van that's enjoyed a 49-year history in Ye Olde Europe. This latest iteration is part of the "One Ford" initiative, so it was designed as a global offering from the get-go, eschewing the body-on-frame construction the E-Series has used since 1975. Instead, the Transit integrates a rigid ladder frame into an overall frame construction made of high-strength cold-rolled and boron steel. The suspension is a simple but well-tuned Macpherson strut array up front with a rear solid axle and leaf springs.

Shelby GT500 and Roush Stage 3 go head to head at the drag strip

The Ford Mustang is a brilliantly affordable source of horsepower, with a base 300-plus-horsepower version available for well under $30,000. Jumping up to about $35,000 will get you a solid 420 horsepower from a high-revving V8, while those with some extra disposable income can get a pair of 600-plus-horsepower monsters. Both the Roush Stage 3 with its Phase 3 package and Ford's factory Shelby GT500 even crest the 650-horsepower mark, with 675 and 662 ponies, respectively.
Naturally, someone needed to find out which of these hi-po Mustangs was the quickest. And while this video is quite obviously a dealership commercial, at least there's some solid drag racing between two of the most powerful performance machines available for under $100,000.
With two NHRA drag racers at the wheel, the Stage 3 and GT500 go head to head for three races. Scroll down below to see the results in the full video.

Ford Detroit stand map clearest evidence yet of new GT, Mustang GT350R, SVT Raptor

An anonymous tipster has leaked a map of Ford's display stand plans for next week's Detroit Auto Show, and the schematic contains some interesting details that supports the idea of a Ford GT revival, as well as the presence of the rumored Shelby Mustang GT350R and F-150 SVT Raptor. The map, used by workers to help erect the Blue Oval's Cobo Hall display, maps out a show with a performance-heavy influence, with a codenamed vehicle, "Phoenix" sitting front and center, flanked by "Hummingbird 2" and "F-150 SVT Raptor Teaser." Our sources within Ford have confirmed that Phoenix is the long-rumored GT successor (a notion furthered by the presence of a pair of historic GT40s shown near the display entrance), and Hummingbird 2 refers to the GT350R (note also that there's a "Mustang Historic" GT350R on its own dais nearby). We've also learned that while the Raptor is labeled "Teaser," our Ford source assures us this is effectively the production truck. Rumors of a neo Ford GT have been picking up speed for months now, and we've been led to believe that this new car will have motorsports applications firmly on its mind, but it won't follow in the same retro-steeped design footsteps of its 2005-2006 forbearer. While the map does show Focus models on display, including the performance-oriented ST, we note that there isn't a spot seemingly earmarked for the rumored next-generation Focus RS, which has been the subject of the Motown rumormill for some time. Instead, we expect to see Ford's hottest hatch bow at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Even without a Focus RS revival, the Ford stand is shaping up to be a high-performance, high-horsepower showing, and we're excited to see if the Blue Oval can steal the show come Monday. Featured Gallery Ford Detroit Auto Show Stand 2015 Tip: mlewis Auto News Detroit Auto Show Ford Truck Coupe Concept Cars Future Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles Racing Vehicles Performance Supercars ford f-150 svt raptor 2015 Detroit Auto Show ford shelby mustang gt350r