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From an early age, we’re taught to never judge a book by its cover. But let’s be honest here: looks matter. This is especially true when it comes to cars. Sure, driving dynamics, having the best interior quality and the longest lasting reliability are important attributes. But I guarantee that somewhere inside of you there’s a desire to be behind the wheel of something so gorgeous that it makes people go “Wow!” when you drive past.

Cars today can be absolutely beautiful objects, many of them the product of years of artistry, design and engineering. We recently asked our team of colleagues at AOL Autos and our editors here at Autoblog to help pick the vehicles they see as the best looking new cars on the road (so no concept cars allowed). It wasn’t an easy task, and the subjective nature of the topic resulted in much internal and external debate, but we were able to eventually each settle this list of the top 12 best looking cars of 2014.

Click here to see the dozen rides that we think are among the most attractive on the road today. While many exist solely for the pleasure of the one per cent, there are still a few out there that the average car enthusiast and consumer can afford to drive.

Editors’ Picks: 2014 Best looking new cars originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Wed, 28 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Being superstitious is one thing, but fainting and crashing your car because of a popular superstition about not breathing in tunnels isn’t something you should ever do… Especially while driving a car.

Yet, that’s exactly what happened according to Oregon State Police, as 19-year-old Daniel J. Calhon caused a dangerous three-car crash when his 1990 Toyota Camry suddenly drifted out of its lane and into a head-on crash with a Ford Explorer and a pickup truck inside the busy highway tunnel, closing it for over two hours… READ MORE

Crash caused by fainting superstitious man holding his breath while driving through tunnel

Crash caused by fainting superstitious man holding his breath while driving through tunnel originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Tue, 27 May 2014 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re planning on buying a new car in the next month or so, you might want to pick from what’s on the lot, because there could be a long wait for new vehicles from the factory. Locomotives continue to be in short supply in North America, and that’s causing major delays for automakers trying to move assembled cars.

According to The Detroit News, there are about 180,000 new vehicles waiting to be transported by rail in North America at the moment. In a normal year, it would be about 69,000. The complications have been industry-wide. Toyota, General Motors, Honda and Ford all reported experiencing some delays, and Chrysler recently had hundreds of minivans sitting on the Detroit waterfront waiting to be shipped out.

The problem is twofold for automakers. First, the fracking boom in the Bakken oil field in the Plains and Canada is monopolizing many locomotives. Second, the long, harsh winter is still causing major delays in freight train travel. The bad weather forced trains to slow down and carry less weight, which caused a backup of goods to transport. The auto companies resorted to moving some vehicles by truck, which was a less efficient but necessary option.

Now, things are finally starting to improve. The weather is warming, and the freight industry is putting more trains on the rails. According to The Detroit News, shipments will finally get back on track to normal in early July. That will give automakers a few months reprieve before the snow will begin falling again.

180,000 new vehicles are sitting, derailed by lack of transport trains

180,000 new vehicles are sitting, derailed by lack of transport trains originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Fri, 23 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Regardless of what you think of his skill as a racer, Ken Block is an expert showman. At this point, he has a career of showing up around the world to do vehicular stunts, and he’s still able to go racing as well. It’s a pretty sweet niche to carve out. Recently, Block was in Barbados to participate in Top Gear Live and the first event of the Global Rallycross Championship season, and Ford Racing produced a short video to show off his exploits.

It looked like a great show. Block got to race Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes-Benz Formula One car and had a very weird crash during a Rallycross race that put his Ford Fiesta on its roof. Top Gear also released an extended look at Block and Hamilton’s spectacle with the two of them expertly sliding around. Scroll down to watch the videos and get a taste of Block’s tropical racing adventure.

Watch how Ken Block spent his weekend in Barbados

Watch how Ken Block spent his weekend in Barbados originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Thu, 22 May 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While 2015 Ford Mustang pricing in Canada has not yet leaked out, last year’s CAD to USD pricing was close enough that the recently leaked MSRP in America is still a good indicator. The big news from our friends south of the border this morning was that the 2015 Ford Mustang would start at just $24,425 in the US (including its destination pricing). The big news this afternoon is, well, bigger.

Mustang6G.com has come up with what it claims is pricing info for the entire Mustang line, rather than just the V6. That means we know all about the EcoBoost and GT prices now, which, when combined with the dealer order sheets the US reported on last week, gives us our clearest look yet at how the Mustang can be outfitted. We’re still a bit short on pricing info for some standalone options, like paint premiums and such, but click here for the full breakdown and 2015 Mustang pricing so far.

2015 Ford Mustang pricing information leaks

2015 Ford Mustang pricing information leaks originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Tue, 20 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Among automakers with a big North American presence, General Motors is the worst to work for, according to a new survey from Tier 1 automotive suppliers, conducted by Planning Perspectives, Inc.

The Detroit-based manufacturer, which has been under fire following the ignition switch recall and its accompanying scandal, finished behind six other automakers with big North American manufacturing operations. Suppliers had issues with trust and communication, as well as intellectual property protection. GM was also the least likely to allow suppliers to raise their prices in the face of unexpected increases in material cost, all of which contributed to 55 per cent of suppliers saying their relationship with GM was “poor to very poor.”

GM’s cross-town competitors didn’t fare much better. Chrysler finished in fifth place, ahead of GM and behind Dearborn-based Ford, which was passed for third place this year by Nissan. Toyota took the top marks, while Honda captured second place.

PPI also surveyed suppliers of Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, each of which has considerably smaller manufacturing presence relative to the North American and Japanese brands (there are only three US factories between the three of them). Mercedes and VW were ranked behind GM, while BMW would have been just behind Toyota.

According to Reuters, this survey serves to illustrate a big issue facing American manufacturers – Japanese brands aren’t just on good terms with suppliers, but their relations are actually improving. PPI boss John Henke said the popularity of Toyota and Nissan among suppliers increased considerably, indicating that we “could be entering an era in supplier relations that doesn’t bode well for the US Big Three.”

Auto suppliers call GM the worst car company to work with

Auto suppliers call GM the worst car company to work with originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Fri, 16 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re usually pretty enthused every time Turn 10 Studios unveils another of its monthly car packs for Forza Motorsport 5. It means we’ll have an entirely new batch of vehicles to play with when the work day finally ends, whether that means we race, tune, style or simply crash them. This latest car pack, though, the Meguiar’s Car Pack, is arguably one of the most interesting that we’ve seen.

On the surface, there are some pretty standard cars here. The BMW M3 DTM car is going to be an extremely cool addition to the game, as is the Aston Martin V12 Zagato. Where this car pack gets interesting, though, are in the number of classics on offer. Sure, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air might not be too special in a game like Forza. We could say the same of a 1967 Chevelle. What about an Aston Martin DBR1, though? Or the bootlegger’s dream – the 1940 Ford De Luxe Coupe? Yes, there are some seriously weird gems in this car pack.

Both the 1973 Mazda RX-3 and the underappreciated, Lotus-tuned Ford Cortina are featured here, while we can add one more Alfa Romeo to Forza’s stable with the gorgeous 1986 GTV-6 (this writer is still holding out hope for the appearance of a Montreal or SZ in a future car pack). Rounding out the group is the Dodge Dart Hemi Super Stock.

Turn 10 put together a short video composed of in-game footage of the cars. Scroll down and have a peak at the video, as well as the press release, which describes each car. The Meguiar’s Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 5 is currently available for download, and costs $9.99 (naturally, it’s free for Season Pass owners).

Classic metal may make new Forza 5 pack our favourite ever [w/video]

Classic metal may make new Forza 5 pack our favourite ever [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Wed, 14 May 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recreating the famous chase scene from Bullitt has become almost an art form in its own right. We’ve seen it done in a music video, with scale models and even in commercials. There are few films that are as defined by a single scene as the 1968 classic. Even if you don’t know a single beat of the plot, the Highland Green Ford Mustang racing a Dodge Charger through the hilly streets of San Francisco is famous. It’s so well known that the Silverstone Classic has created a homage to promote its celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Mustang at this year’s event in July.

Filmed around the famous UK circuit, the short film generally gets the key points of the scene right. It even has a green Volkswagen Beetle that keeps reappearing, as in the movie. Unfortunately, its Steve McQueen stand-in looks a little too old for the role. While the video shortens the chase considerably, it’s still great to see these ’60s behemoths leaning and sliding around the track. Scroll down for a touch of nostalgia thanks to one of the greatest scenes ever in cinema – we’ve got both the recreation and the original chase seen from the movie waiting for you.

Brits recreate iconic Bullitt chase scene

Brits recreate iconic Bullitt chase scene originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Tue, 13 May 2014 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Category: bullitt, bullitt chase, chase scene, dodge, dodge charger, ford, ford mustang, silverstone, silverstone classic, steve mcqueen, video

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If you’re a pony-car enthusiast, this is your year. Not only has Ford introduced an all-new Mustang, but it’s also the 50th anniversary of the original. Celebrations and commemorations have been scheduled throughout the year, and not the least of them is the latest exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Called “Mustangs Forever: 50 Years of a Legend”, the exhibit includes Mustangs from every generation of the iconic pony car, including the 1965 convertible Ronald Reagan drove during his California gubernatorial campaign, a 1971 Mach 1 Cobra Jet, a 1974 Mustang II, 1993 SVT Cobra, 2000 Cobra R and a 2006 Shelby GT-H. Special sections focus on motorsports, aftermarket modifiers and limited-edition models.

The display opened on last Sunday with the Mustang Madness spectacular and will run for the next six months, but if you’re not heading to Southern California within the coming half-year then you can scope out all the action in our live gallery of photos above.

Petersen Museum celebrates 50 years of Ford Mustang with special exhibit

Petersen Museum celebrates 50 years of Ford Mustang with special exhibit originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Tue, 13 May 2014 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Category: anniversary, exhibit, ford mustang, museum, petersen, petersen automotive museum

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Well, look at what we have here. Judging from these spy shots, Ford is indeed working on the next generation of its off-road-ready F-150 Raptor pickup truck. We’ve made no attempt to hide our appreciation for the Baja-style truck, which combines most of the usability of a fullsize truck with heavy-duty suspension components to make a kind of performance vehicle that is unique in the market.

What we haven’t known, until now, is whether Ford would push forward with its Raptor program now that it has a completely new F-150 to serve as its base. And that’s especially true since Ford made the bold move of switching the bodywork of its best-seller from tried-and-true steel to aluminum. As you can see above, the front and rear of this silver truck are clad in current-gen Raptor bodywork, while the center section that houses the occupants appears to come from the upcoming 2015 F-150.

Dissecting the views above, we note a few interesting tidbits. First, there looks to be a bulge in the truck’s hood. Second, we see a new grille between the current Raptor’s headlights, sporting a mesh finish and two horizontal bars. Lastly, our eyes can’t help but lock in on those burly A-arm suspension pieces down below, not to mention all that ground clearance the specialty suspenders bring to the table.

These spy shots don’t answer a few lingering questions: how much of the next-gen Ford Raptor will be made from aluminum, how far would a several-hundred-pound reduction in weight stretch the truck’s already class-leading off-road performance, and will Ford continue using naturally aspirated V8 engines or would it consider switching to a six-cylinder EcoBoost? While we continue to mull over these thoughts, feel free to join us in hoping and wishing that this new Raptor hits the market sooner rather than later.

Next Ford Raptor spotted wearing aluminum skin

Next Ford Raptor spotted wearing aluminum skin originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Sun, 11 May 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Category: 2015 ford f-150, 2015 ford f-150 svt raptor, ford, ford f-150 svt raptor, spy shots