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Custom cars generally fit into neat little boxes in terms of how they are used. For example, you’re unlikely to see a modded Corvette going rock crawling; it’s just not what it’s made for (though we bet it’d look awesome, for a minute). In the same way, chopped, channeled and customized ’50s hot rods aren’t really meant to go racing. They look great and go fast, but they are generally more cruisers than sports cars.

However, if this video is any indication, the people of Finland don’t adhere in these stereotypes, because this rodder is happy to play in the dirt with his lead sled.

According to the video, the driver is a member of the Ford-Freak Club of Finland, and he clearly knows how to have some fun. Possibly inspired by his country’s great rally drivers, he gets the tail way out going around this gently curving gravel track. The stunt is somewhat reminiscent of the stock cars races on the sand at Daytona Beach, and this is probably close to what it sounded like too. Scroll down to watch a very cool Finn getting his hot rod a little dirty.

Watch this lead sled go rallying in Finland

Watch this lead sled go rallying in Finland originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee has finally returned for its fourth season of combining Jerry Seinfeld, a miscellaneous celebrity and a cup of java. But rather than fondly remembering some older piece of automotive machinery, this time around, Seinfeld is utterly unable to keep his hatred of Sarah Jessica Parker’s 1976 Ford LTD Country Squire from coming out to hilarious effect.

However, Parker has such a high level of infectious enthusiasm for her recently purchased Country Squire that she seems to win over Seinfeld by the end – at least a little bit. For most of their time together, the two of them drive around Manhattan and the suburbs waxing nostalgic about what things were like when these wagons were ubiquitous.

Since this is actually SJP’s car, she and Seinfeld trade off driving duties, and the image above should give you some indication of Seinfeld’s reaction to the Sex and the City star behind the wheel. It seems this ’70s land yacht might be a little too much for her to handle in New York traffic. Regardless, she is absolutely in love with her Ford.

Head over to Crackle to view the latest episode for yourself. Normally, we’d just embed the video for you, but Crackle’s code doesn’t seem to be working…

Jerry Seinfeld doesn’t love Sarah Jessica Parker’s new Country Squire in latest CiCGC

Jerry Seinfeld doesn’t love Sarah Jessica Parker’s new Country Squire in latest CiCGC originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may be true that you need superhero levels of talent (not to mention some serious financial backing) to make it into Formula One, but that doesn’t mean that F1 drivers are just born that way. They need to work their way up. And for many, that road starts with Formula Ford.

One of the lowest rungs on the formula racing ladder (between karting and Formula Renault), Formula Ford is among the most pure and simple forms of single-seater racing. There are literally dozens of championships taking place simultaneously around the world, but it’s in British Formula Ford where drivers like Ayrton Senna, Jenson Button, Mark Webber and Anthony Davidson cut their proverbial teeth.

It’s a point that’s not lost on the team at XCar, which trained for and took part in a Formula Ford race at Brands Hatch… just like their heroes did. See how they fared in the video below.

Racing in the Formula Ford footsteps of Senna, Webber

Racing in the Formula Ford footsteps of Senna, Webber originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With a number of 2015 Ford Mustang versions finally available to configure, the fun of speculating about next year’s high-performance ‘Stang can now begin. It looks like Ford has something seriously fun planned too. One of our spy photographers just snapped some fresh pics of the 2016 Mustang SVT, which is believed to be hiding the final body shape under all of that heavy camouflage.

Ford clearly doesn’t want prying eyes looking at its new pride and joy. It would be hard to put much more obfuscation on a car than this one wears – it even has mesh baffles around the exhausts to conceal how many there are and panels over the wheels to hide their design. However, the Blue Oval can’t keep everything a secret. The biggest clue that something special is hidden underneath is the massive hood bulge and vent in front of it. Clearly, whatever is under there is hungry for cool air. The shape of the camo indicates that there may be fender vents on each side, and there are also obscured outlets behind the front wheels likely to pull cool air through the brakes. At the rear, the concealment does its job, making it hard to observe any big changes. The fact that Ford wants it kept such a secret might indicate something, though.

A few photos of the interior show far less cover than the outside. You can easily make out the model’s 6,500 rpm redline with a possible 7,000 rpm over-rev function. The big Recaro sport seats also look quite supportive.

The name of the new high-performance Mustang is still somewhat of a mystery. While SVT is developing the model, it’s reportedly called simply the GT350. Until Ford decides that the camo is less necessary, at least these spy shots can help build more anticipation for its top pony car.

2016 Ford Mustang SVT hides big power under its domed hood

2016 Ford Mustang SVT hides big power under its domed hood originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay Ford, this is what we like to see. One of our intrepid spy photographers has captured a vehicle that we weren’t even sure would see the light of day – the next Focus RS. While this is pretty clearly a mule based on the current Focus ST, as our spy points out, there are a number of giveaways about this hot hatch’s true nature.

Indication number one that all is not right with this Focus is the heavily camo’d front fascia, which has been completely reconfigured for duty on the RS. It boasts significantly larger grilles that are meant to accommodate what is likely the 2.3-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder that’s destined for the 2015 Ford Mustang. Considering that, then, we can expect around 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque from the hottest of Foci, although it’s entirely possible that the production model could climb even higher, to around 330 hp.

The front fascia tweaks are complemented in the back by a modified rear bumper, which fails at hiding a pair of exhaust tips quite unlike the standard Focus ST’s centre-exit exhaust. Other obvious changes include the wheel/tire/brake package on this particular car. Larger 19-inch wheels are shod in super-sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires in 235/35/19 while the brakes feature what we think are four-piston calipers, possibly from Brembo, up front.

The big question that we can’t answer with these photos is, though, whether the next RS will use all-wheel drive. That remains an open question, although hopefully we’ll see evidence supporting that theory sooner rather than later. Until then, though, hop up top and take a look at the full gallery of spy photos of the next Ford Focus RS.

2016 Ford Focus RS mule spotted on North American soil

2016 Ford Focus RS mule spotted on North American soil originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think of mid-engined supercars and your mind is bound to gravitate towards Europe, but the United States has been known to make a handful from time to time – exceptional vehicles from the likes of Vector, SSC, Mosler, Hennessey, and Saleen. But long before any of those came around, Ford famously became obsessed with beating Ferrari at its own game, leading to the development of the iconic GT40.

The story is well known, sending Ford to the checkered flag at Le Mans four times in a row in the late 1960s. Ford and Shelby also built over 100 for public consumption, but just four of them were roadsters. Of those only one remains in original condition, and now that exceedingly rare example going up for auction.

Consigned to RM Auctions for its mid-August sale during Pebble Beach weekend in Monterey, California, this 1965 model is the first GT40 Roadster built. It was used as a development and demonstration vehicle for Ford and Shelby. Carroll Shelby himself drove Henry Ford II in this very car during one of many test and demo events, this time held for Ford’s board of directors in Los Angeles.

Serial number GT/108 has been shown at numerous prestigious events throughout the years, and has been part of the same owner’s collection for over two decades now. RM won’t say just how much it’s expected to fetch at auction, but considering the big-buck lots it usually handles, the unique nature of this highly coveted vehicle, and the US$7 million brought in for the last GT40 prototype we saw go up for auction, you can bet there’ll be a lot of zeros in the final figure.

Exceptionally rare ’65 Ford GT40 Roadster prototype up for auction

Exceptionally rare ’65 Ford GT40 Roadster prototype up for auction originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Wed, 18 Jun 2014 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think of mid-engined supercars and your mind is bound to gravitate towards Europe, but North America has been known to make a handful from time to time – exceptional vehicles from the likes of Vector, SSC, Mosler, Hennessey, and Saleen. But long before any of those came around, Ford famously became obsessed with beating Ferrari at its own game, leading to the development of the iconic GT40.

The story is well known, sending Ford to the checkered flag at Le Mans four times in a row in the late 1960s. Ford and Shelby also built over 100 for public consumption, but just four of them were roadsters. Of those only one remains in original condition, and now that exceedingly rare example going up for auction.

Consigned to RM Auctions for its mid-August sale during Pebble Beach weekend in Monterey, California, this 1965 model is the first GT40 Roadster built. It was used as a development and demonstration vehicle for Ford and Shelby. Carroll Shelby himself drove Henry Ford II in this very car during one of many test and demo events, this time held for Ford’s board of directors in Los Angeles.

Serial number GT/108 has been shown at numerous prestigious events throughout the years, and has been part of the same owner’s collection for over two decades now. RM won’t say just how much it’s expected to fetch at auction, but considering the big-buck lots it usually handles, the unique nature of this highly coveted vehicle, and the US$7 million brought in for the last GT40 prototype we saw go up for auction, you can bet there’ll be a lot of zeros in the final figure.

Exceptionally rare ’65 Ford GT40 Roadster prototype up for auction

Exceptionally rare ’65 Ford GT40 Roadster prototype up for auction originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the next decade, the auto industry will see an explosion in its use of aluminum to cut weight and increase fuel economy, according to a study from market analysts Ducker Worldwide cited by The Detroit News. We are already seeing the lightweight metal show up extensively in luxury models from Europe, but with the impending launch of aluminum-intensive 2015 Ford F-150 (pictured above), North America is using it even more, as well. The report predicts 70 per cent of US pickups to have aluminum bodies by 2025.

It won’t just be pickups that see the benefit, though. The average amount of aluminum in US vehicles is forecasted by the study to grow from an average of 159 kilograms (350 pounds) in 2013 to about 249 kilos (550 pounds) by 2025. The most common parts to use it will be hoods, doors and – to some extent – roofs, as well.

The massive increase in pickups’ aluminum content hardly seems surprising. The F-150 is predicted to use so much that it might cause a short-term shortage, according to one earlier report. At the same time General Motors is heavily rumoured to be negotiating with suppliers for the next generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Ram is the last holdout of the Big Three, but the study predicts that not to last.

With that much additional aluminum use spread across the entire industry, demand for the material appears to only be increasing. Ford CEO Alan Mulally forecasted as much at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show when he said it would “proliferate across our lineup,” and GM has seen more opportunities for its use as well.

70% of pickups could use aluminum by 2025

70% of pickups could use aluminum by 2025 originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kelley Blue Book has announced the winners of its 2014 Brand Image Awards, which look at brands with “attributes that capture the attention and enthusiasm” of customers in the market for a new car. The award is divided up into luxury brands and everyone else non-luxury brands, with a number of sub-awards in each group. There’s also a single award for truck brands.

Click here for the list of winner and watch the video of KBB’s recap of the award winning attributes of each automotive brand.

2014 Brand Image Award winners chosen by Kelly Blue Book [w/video]

2014 Brand Image Award winners chosen by Kelly Blue Book [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While American fans of Ford performance cars in the ’80s and early ’90s were loving the 5.0 Mustang, Taurus SHO and, for those who wanted to be a little different, the Merkur XR4Ti, British fans of the Blue Oval were getting their own unique take on speed. The Sierra RS Cosworth (which was similar but not identical to the aforementioned Merkur) and later Escort RS Cosworth were the stuff of dreams with huge wings, hood vents and big power for their time and class. XCar Films aims to find out whether it is little more than nostalgia that makes these classics famous or it really is their legitimate performance.

Thanks to its Formula One and racing success, Cosworth was already a well-established performance name in the UK by the time it began selling tuned engines to Ford for the Sierra and Escort. The Sierra RS Cosworth hit the scene in 1986 with a turbocharged, 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 204 horsepower and rear-wheel drive. Its huge wing at the back signaled it immediately as something special, and it proved to be a performance powerhouse on and off the track. When it was retired, Ford replaced it with the Escort RS Cosworth that used an upgraded version of the same engine with 217 hp, all-wheel drive and an even bigger rear wing to net yet more racing victories.

XCar really gets into the spirit of the time, opening the video with the lo-fi grain of ’80s and ’90s TV, but to find out whether the Cossies stand up to modern scrutiny, you have to watch the video below. Stay tuned until the end to enjoy them at their best with some vintage motorsports footage.

Cosworth double-feature is XCar’s a drool-worthy look back

Cosworth double-feature is XCar’s a drool-worthy look back originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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