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And the Top Gear UK Cars of the Year for 2013 are...

Those loony Brits at Top Gear have named their Car of the Year, and if you're thinking it's the McLaren P1, Jaguar F-Type, Land Rover Range Rover Sport or Rolls-Royce Wraith, we're sorry to inform you that none of those Anglo automobiles earned the crown. In fact, the winner of Top Gear's most prestigious award is quite the surprise.
Of course, those cars weren't without their own awards. The P1 was the top hypercar (sorry, Porsche 918 and Ferrari LaFerrari), while the F-Type netted best convertible and the Range Rover Sport was voted SUV of the Year. Other honorable mentions included the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black and S-Class, the Porsche 911 GT3, the BMW i3 and the Ferrari 458 Speciale. The winner, though, wasn't even a high-dollar supercar. It was the Ford Fiesta ST.
Yes, the Fiesta ST beat out some off-the-wall cars like the revolutionary Volkswagen XL1 and the bonkers Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak, not to mention all the cars we listed above, to take the title of Top Gear Car of the Year. And if you've driven one, you'll completely understand why.

Mustang parts under the new Lincoln Aviator mean good things for Ford

NEW YORK — As we mentioned last night, underneath the new Lincoln Aviator "concept" there appears to be an independent rear suspension lifted right from the Ford Mustang parts bin. And while it's pretty cool on its face that Mustang rear-drive platform bits are being reused in the broader Ford universe, what this means for the next Explorer could be really cool. A quick caveat: The Aviator here in New York is very close to the production version, but it's not technically a production car. It looks hand-built, with temporary exhaust and some show-car touches. The suspension underneath looks exactly like a Mustang's, but the actual production Aviator will almost certainly use beefier components with the same basic design and geometry, since the Aviator will be much heavier than the smaller Mustang. That being said, we're fairly confident that even at this early stage, the Mustang-derived suspension seen in New York is a preview of what'll be under the production Aviator. Furthermore, Ford won't say it, but based on what we're seeing on Aviator, it's a safe bet that Ford will utilize the Aviator platform for the next Explorer. That would enable the economies of scale necessary to produce a brand new rear-drive-based SUV platform in the first place. It also means that the Explorer should be available without AWD — and given the stable of powerful EcoBoost engines, and the competent 10-speed automatic in the parts bin, a rear-drive Explorer has a shot at being a decent driver. Aviator wouldn't go rear-drive-based if driving dynamics weren't important; Explorer should inherit these priorities. More evidence: The Explorer spy shots we saw back in February sure share the Aviator's general proportions. Even back then, before Aviator was revealed, we were hypothesizing that an EcoBoost 3.5-liter-powered version could boast as much as 400 horsepower, if the Expedition's tune were adopted. Suddenly, the Explorer seems very interesting. So, an EcoBoost, rear-drive Explorer sure sounds like something Ford Performance would be interested in, right? We knew an Explorer ST is coming, but with 365-400 horsepower potential and a chassis designed with dynamics in mind, it doesn't seem like as much of a stretch as the Edge ST. And a performance-oriented AWD system is a possibility, too. That's an area where Ford has been gathering experience at a rapid pace. What do we not expect from a new Explorer? A V8.

Galpin-Fisker Rocket shows up topless in Monterey

The Rocket Coupe, introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year, was a collaboration in reimagination carried out by designer Henrik Fisker and Galpin Auto Sports on a Ford Mustang. The next version of that concept has come to Pebble Beach in the metallic red form of the Rocket Speedster Concept you see here. In this guise the Mustang convertible gets a speedster tonneau cover that runs all the way to the front seat headrests, covering the back seats. As with the rest of the bodywork the cover is fashioned in carbon fiber, portions of it visible in places like the stripes running along the hood from the hexagonal grill to the tonneau, and the exposed carbon fiber air ducts that are mesh-filled to improve airflow through the cabin. And yes, it still has that nose. Underhood is a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 725 horsepower, all that cavalry brought to a stop by 15-inch Brembo Gran Turismo brakes up front tucked behind 21-inch custom wheels. Although it is labeled a concept, it too will go into limited production like its hardtop forebear. The press release below has the info, the gallery above has the goods. Related Video: GALPIN FORD AND HENRIK FISKER UNVEIL ROCKET SPEEDSTER CONCEPT AT 2015 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE Acclaimed Automotive Designer and Visionary Customizer turn the Ultimate Mustang into a Stunning Speedster MONTEREY, Calif. (August 15, 2015) – Galpin Auto Sports and Henrik Fisker unveiled the latest iteration of the "Ultimate American Muscle Car" today at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance; the 2015 Rocket Speedster Concept. Following a short drive onto the legendary Pebble Beach Concept Lawn, Henrik Fisker and Galpin Motors President, Beau Boeckmann introduced the convertible carbon fiber-bodied super-Mustang, intended for low-volume production. The car was featured as one of only a few special designer cars in front the Lodge at Pebble Beach. Featuring a fully integrated carbon fiber speedster cover that transforms the four-seat convertible into a two-seat speedster, this new edition Rocket maintains exceptional visual drama and performance with the top up or down. As with the Rocket Coupe, the Concept carries a carbon fiber hood feeding air into the supercharged 725-hp V8 engine through two sculpted air intakes, aiding the grill and front splitter in maintaining optimal cooling and aerodynamics. Constructed by GFMI Metalcrafters, Inc.