Latest news with #FoMoCo
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Ford Mustang GTD Just Broke Its Own Record with a 6:52 Lap Around the 'Ring
Even thought it ran a record-setting run last year, Ford remained unsatisfied with the Mustang GTD's performance at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Despite being the first American car to break the seven-minute barrier at the famed circuit, FoMoCo knew the supercharged pony car had more to give. Well, the automaker has returned to the track — andhere in 2025, it has just shaved more than five seconds off of its previous run. In fact, the Mustang GTD is the now fourth-fastest production car to ever lap the 'Ring, completing the 12.9-mile loop in just 6:52.072. Last year's lap attempts weren't ideal by any means. Ford told Road & Track that it only managed to get three officially timed laps in during the entirety of 2024, owing largely to struggles with the weather. You can even see sections of wet track in last year's documentary about the attempt, keeping the car off of the fastest line at times. The new year, in turn, seems to have brought better conditions around the Green Hell. That's not to say that Ford hasn't made adjustments, with the GTD receiving a thorough rework over the last few months. The team has revised the chassis tuning, adding increased torsional rigidity throughout. The traction control and ABS systems were also reworked, as was the initial powertrain calibration on the supercharged 5.2-liter V-8. Combined with the refined aero package and the tweaks Multimatic Motorsports driver Dirk Müller, and Ford found those five-and-a-half seconds around the 'Ring. A 6:52.072 lap puts the GTD in rarified air. Only the Mercedes-AMG One (6:29.090), Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series (6:48.047), and the current Porsche 911 GT3 RS (6:49.328) sit ahead of the car in the production car segment, which is a massive achievement for Detroit. (Technically speaking, the 991.2 GT2 RS with the Manthey Performance hardware is also quicker, having posted a 6:43.300 on the longer layout completed by Ford; The Blue Oval clearly doesn't see that as a true production car record, however) Ford says that the Mustang GTD will start to roll out to customers this spring, which means we won't have to wait much longer before these beasts hit driveways. We hope to see at least a few owners using the car for its true purpose, in spite of the fact that they seem destined to become some of the more valuable Mustangs of the modern era. We also would love to see Ford continue building machines like this, even if they aren't all made for chasing 'Ring records. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
What's The Deal With Ford's New Megazilla 2.0 Crate Engine?
Ford announced the 7.3-liter, gas-fired, naturally aspirated, pushrod V8 Godzilla engine to its friends and associates way back in February of 2019. At first it was just a truck engine, a big ol' V8 mill that put down a relatively sedate 430 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque in stock trim. Pretty good for hauling around building materials or landscaping equipment, but nothing that was going to set the drag strips aflame, as it were. That said, it had a lot of potential and it didn't take long for hot rodders to figure out how to squeeze a bunch more horses out of the big engine with just a handful of basic, off-the-shelf mods — upwards of 600 of them, in fact. They even wanted the massive engine implemented into other vehicles. Never ones to rest on their laurels, the big brains at FoMoCo immediately got to work making an in-house hot-rodded version of their big, new V8 to beat the aftermarket at its own game. Godzilla hadn't even made it into Tokyo yet, as it were, before FoMoCo was teasing a bigger, stronger, angrier version called the Megazilla. Megazilla? Really guys? When MechaGodzilla was right there? Anyway, the Megazilla engine kept Big-G's displacement, iron block, compression, and general construction and tossed a bunch of hi-po go-fast parts at it — Callies forged H-beam con rods, Mahle forged pistons, CNC-ported cylinder heads, etc. This bumped the Godzilla's output to 615 horsepower and a whopping 638 pound-feet of torque. Not bad, but I think we can do better. Read more: The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Is Exactly What You Want It To Be Ford obviously agrees with me, because in January of 2025 the company unveiled plans for an even bigger, angrier Megazilla, the cleverly named Megazilla 2.0. Now, we all know there's no replacement for displacement, right? Well, there's a corollary to that old saw — boost. Megazilla 2.0 has the same 7.3-liter, iron block, pushrod V8 as the Megazilla and Godzilla mills, but this one has a blower! In fact, it has a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger — the same one used on Ford's smaller, higher-tech Coyote crate engine — that provides enough boost to push an alleged 1,000-plus horsepower out of the Godzilla mill. We love forced induction, don't we, folks? Okay, so, why is this such a big deal? Well, for starters, the fact that the nerds over at Ford Performance were able to force enough air into an iron-block, pushrod V8 to produce north of a thousand horsepower without blowing it, themselves, and half of Dearborn clear to Saturn is a feat in and of itself. Then there's the engine's shape and size. Despite being roughly the size of a 351 Windsor as the Godzilla platform weighs nearly 700 pounds, a small-ish blown V8 with tough as nails internals and a torque curve wider than the Katy Freeway is going to be a godsend for racers. While its official "off-road use only" status will keep it out of the hands of workaday hot rodders, it sounds like just the thing for trophy trucks, desert racers, prerunners, and drag racers of all kinds. Despite its heft, being able to drop more than a thousand reliable horses into a spot the size of an old small block opens up all kinds of possibilities. As stated earlier, details about the new Megazilla 2.0 are still pretty sparse. Its official launch isn't slated until fourth-quarter 2025, and a lot can happen over the course of six to eight months in the auto industry. Obviously, we'll keep you abreast of the situation until then, and if anyone at the Detroit Desk sees a bigger, badder, blown Godzilla stomping around Metro Detroit, you'll be the first ones to know. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
At $6,000, Is This 1988 Ford Ranger GT A Stand-Out Deal?
While some of the add-on parts on today's Nice Price or No Dice Ranger are aftermarket, the rocker and bumper extensions are part of the factory GT package. Let's see if this rare truck's price means it's raring to go. When spending five figures or more on a vehicle, you don't want to have to pause and think about it for a minute when someone asks you what you drive. That was one of the problems with the 2006 Lexus GX 470 we looked at yesterday. Anonymous and unlikely to set hearts racing, it didn't make many friends among us. At $16,000, it wasn't memorably priced either, as evidenced by the 66 percent No Dice drubbing it received in the voting. In case you haven't noticed, older Ford Rangers, and mini trucks in general, seem to be having a moment right now. This appeal hasn't been lost on the fine folks at FoMoCo, who just a couple of years ago reentered the mini truck market with the Escape-based Maverick, a smaller, cheaper option to the now mid-sized Ranger. Evidencing the size's appeal, the smaller truck presently outsells its bigger brother two to one. That's all well and good, but we're here to look at an older and, arguably, bolder truck: a 1988 Ranger GT. It rocks a rare factory package and sports some aftermarket pieces to elevate its uniqueness over even those official parts. Let's start with the GT bits. Ford offered the Ranger with this add-on package for the 1987 through 1989 model years. Putting the Grand in the GT's Touring is a fuel-injected 2.9-liter edition of the Cologne V6, making 140 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque. That could be mated to a standard five-speed manual or, optionally, an A4LD four-speed automatic. Regardless of the gearbox, all GTs were fitted with a Traction-Lok rear diff with 3.73 gearing. Other changes included fatter anti-sway bars front and rear and 14-inch aluminum wheels. Beginning with the 1988 model year, the GT also received a ground effects body kit that caps each end and runs down the bottom of the cab and bed. This truck has all that, plus an aftermarket grille, eliminated side markers and turn signals, hood appliqués, and side vents that look like they came from a late-'70s Pontiac Trans Am. According to the ad, the white paint covering most of the truck is a respray and isn't in the best of shape. It's at least in the original color, as evidenced by the door jambs and bed. Other things to note on the outside include the apparent absence of the original Marchal fog lights in the front bumper and the odd placement of the radio antenna on one side of the bed wall. There seems to be no weirdness in the cabin, although being an automatic means this truck features a split bench and column shift rather than the standard manual's buckets and a console. It does have power windows and locks, cruise control, and old-school Air-Con, so it's pretty posh in there. It also looks to be in remarkably good shape for its age and era. Per the ad, the truck 'runs and drives excellent,' has a rebuilt transmission, and rolls on new tires. It's a three-owner rig, and while the odometer reads 33K, the seller says it has rolled over, so add a one in there. The title is clean, and the truck wears Virginia antique plates. With just under 3,000 built, the Ranger GT is an appreciably rare classic mini truck. This one has had some mods that are now long in the tooth, but the basics are there, and it shouldn't be too much of a chore to remove those and make it right again. Or, a new owner could leave it as-is and just enjoy the added weirdness. The truck seems a solid enough base either way. The only question then, is whether or not it's worth the $6,000 asked for it to turn those hypotheticals into reality. What do you say? Is this custom Ranger GT worth that $6,000 as it sits? Or is that too much for this over-the-top truck? You decide! Washington DC Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears. H/T to Paul Warner for the hookup! Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up via email and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford CEO Jim Farley: Demand Isn't There for Big EV Trucks & SUVs Yet
You can't fault Ford for trying, but it seems that its decision to kick off its electric vehicle plans with the likes of the F-150 Lightning is taking its financial toll on the Dearborn-based automaker. On Wednesday, Ford CEO Jim Farley took to the proverbial stage during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call to say in no uncertain terms that the current stage of EV manufacturing wasn't sustainable. "For larger retail, electric utilities, the economics are unresolvable," Farley said in the earnings call, according to InsideEVs, referring to big EV SUVs and pickup trucks. "These customers have very demanding use cases for an electric vehicle. They tow, they go off-road, they take long road trips. These vehicles have worse aerodynamics and they're very heavy, which means very large and expensive batteries." Considering gas-powered pickup truck and full-size SUVs have been Detroit's bread and butter for ages, it wasn't surprising that FoMoCo targeted the category for one of its first volleys into the EV market. Indeed, they're hardly alone; Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Rivian, and Tesla all crank out some version of all-electric pickup here in 2025, and more are coming from the likes of Scout Motors and beyond. But the big EV utility vehicle market that manufacturers initially relied on isn't as strong as automakers had been counting on. "Retail customers have shown that they will not pay any premium for these large EVs, making them a really tough business case," Farley said. The lowest-trim F-150 Lightning starts at $49,875, making it not terribly expensive in the grand scheme of truck sticker costs. However, a comparable internal-combustion F-150 starts at $10,000 less — and generally speaking, Lightnings cost around $13,000 more than their gas-powered crew-cab F-150 equivalents. Meanwhile, Chevy's bulky Silverado EV starts at $75,195, roughly $20,000 more than the four-door short-bed Silverado 1500 LT that serves as a direct ICE comparison, and Tesla's Cybertruck only builds on that with a $79,990 sticker price. And the production costs may not be worthwhile for Ford. Reporting from Bloomberg suggests that Ford is losing significant money on its EV programs, which in turn has contributed to the automaker's stock decline over the course of 2024. Analysis of Ford's Model E-business earnings shows the electric wing of the automaker at a $5 billion deficit for 2024, in addition to $1.9 billion in development costs. Ford's Rouge complex in Michigan, where the F-150 Lightning is produced, was shut down for two months at the tail-end of 2024, too. It wasn't until the automaker started to offer $2000 home chargers for free that EV sales came out of hibernation, rising fourth quarter EV sales by 16 percent after an extended period of dealer lot stagnation. "We have observed lower-than-anticipated industry-wide electric vehicle adoption rates and near-term pricing pressures," Security and Exchange Commission documents filed by Ford on February 6, 2025, read. "The trend may be exacerbated as a policy change in the United States could reduce or eliminate supply- and demand-side incentives, resulting in slower adoption of EVs." "Battery costs remain high, which is detrimental to electric vehicles reaching pricing parity with ICE vehicles and further exacerbates the pricing pressures on electric vehicles. Furthermore, as we invest in battery production, including the construction of battery plants, if we are unable to operate those plants at their expected capacity because electric vehicle adoption rates remain lower than anticipated or otherwise, we may be unable to recoup the investments we have made." Ford has a plan to dig their way out of this EV spiral, however. Instead of building a previously promised three-row EV SUV, Ford is refocusing on a line of more accessible EVs priced around the $30,000 mark, Farley explained. The company is aiming to compete with the long-rumored affordable Tesla model — a vehicle that has endured through multiple waves of Elon Musk's chatoic decision-making process — and the legacy automaker is doing so in a start-up-like way, employing a former Tesla executive and a "skunkworks" team of engineers. In addition, Bloomberg states that Farley revealed last month that Ford's future EVs will benefit from the availability of a on-board ICE generator used for on-the-fly charging — a powertrain layout known as an extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV. This isn't new technology — BMW would point to its original i3, and locomotives have been using similar tech for nearly a century — but it is finding new life these days. Stellantis will likely beat Ford to the punch, as the incoming Ram 1500 Ramcharger employs the technology, and Scout is set to be the second as the Terra SUV and Traveler pickup launches in 2027. In the meantime, Ford will continue to temper its EV infrastructure investments and focus on commercial offerings, like the popular E-Transit van. Bottom line, it's still early for electric vehicles — and automakers are still working to figure out the best strategy for shareholders and customers alike. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
