Ford auto news

Chicago: SVT celebrates 20 years with the Mustang that started it all

Ford debuted the 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible earlier today at the Chicago Auto Show, but it wasn't the only Mustang vying for our attention on the show floor. In fact, we had a hard time keeping our eyes off this Vibrant Red beauty.

The pony car in question? A 1993 SVT Cobra R, the pinnacle of the Fox Body Mustang. The standard SVT Cobra made its official debut at the Chicago Auto Show back in 1992, and its reappearance in the Windy City was a fitting reminder of the 20th anniversary of Ford's Special Vehicle Team.

So what makes the 1993 SVT Cobra R so special? For starters, just 107 were produced, making it one of the rarest Mustangs ever built by Ford. The 235-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 is the same powerplant as the one in the standard Cobra, but the R model had less weight to push around thanks to the removal of the rear seats, radio, air conditioning and all sound deadening material. Ford also fitted the Cobra R with adjustable Koni shocks, larger front and rear brakes, 17-inch wheels shod with Goodyear tires, an external engine oil cooler and power steering fluid cooler, aluminum radiator and more.

The particular Cobra R brought to the show by Ford is literally a time capsule from the early '90s and in incredible condition. Amazingly, the odometer reads just over 4,100 miles. You can check out the car in detail in the gallery above.

Report: GM marketing chief thinks there are only two truck companies: Chevy and Ford

The Super Bowl ad for the Chevrolet Silverado shows that the rivalry between Chevrolet and Ford still rages strong. But is there room for another brand or two to mix it up in the battle for pickup supremacy? Not according to General Motors marketing chief Joel Ewanick.

Fox News reports that Ewanick said during a web chat on Jalopnik that "the two big players are Ford and Chevy." Ewanick added that it's like a presidential debate, saying "We want to have it with the other strong candidate - and we want to engage them and want them to engage us."

The Ram, also an excellent pickup, finished a distant third with a reported 244,763 sales. Still, Ram brand spokesperson Dave Elshoff insists that Ram trucks remain part of the equation, adding "across much of the west - where trucks are worked hard - it's Ram that's either number one or two in market share."

We're not so sure that the truck battle is Chevy versus Ford and then everybody else, but it sure is nice to see GM and Ford getting a little chippy. It's a good bet that the chatter grows louder as the next generation Silverado and F-150 hit the auto show circuit in about a year.

Chicago: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible is your toupee's worst nightmare

Slather on an extra glob of Gorilla Glue adhesive, as the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible is going to seriously strain hairpieces. Like its GT500 Coupe sibling, introduced late last year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the drop-top is fitted with a supercharged 5.8-liter V8 making an astounding 650 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque, which makes it the most powerful eight-cylinder production engine in the universe.

Ford says the new model, equipped with the optional Performance Package that includes Bilstein electronic adjustable dampers, is capable of running Sebring International Raceway about 3.5 seconds quicker per lap compared to the 2011 and 2012 models (both down 100 horsepower against the 2013 model). Curb weight should be a couple hundred pounds heavier than its closed-roof cousin courtesy of additional bracing on the power-operated convertible soft top.

The Shelby GT500, built at AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, will blast into showrooms this summer. Our best guess for pricing says the 2013 model will start just under $65,000.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible is your toupee's worst nightmare

Official: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible kicks out 650 hp, limits top speed

Twenty years ago, Ford debuted the 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra at the Chicago Auto Show and introduced the world to its high-performance skunkworks department, known as SVT or Special Vehicle Team.

Today, Ford celebrates SVT's platinum anniversary the only way it knows how: with another Mustang variant. And as suspected, it comes in the form of a topless Shelby GT500.

Just as a refresher, at the 1992 show in Chicago the SVT Cobra put out 235 horsepower from its Vanilla Ice-approved 5.0-liter V8. Twenty years later, displacement has grown by less than a liter, but thanks to some 21st century tech and a massive supercharger, the 5.8-liter V8 in the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible makes the same 650 hp (and 600 pound-feet of torque) as its coupe counterpart, laying claim to the most powerful production V8 in the world.

In addition to the carbon fiber driveshaft, upgraded clutch, transmission, camshafts and cross-drilled block and heads, SVT fitted its own specially developed Bilstein electronic adjustable dampers, along with six-piston Brembo calipers squeezing massive discs up front.

Like the coupe, the Bilstein setup is part of the Performance Package (why it's not included as standard is beyond us) and Ford will also offer a Track Pack that includes an external oil cooler, differential cooler and transmission cooler to keep temps in check when flogging the drop top around the tarmac.

And before you ask: No, the GT500 coupe's 200 mph top speed doesn't carry over to the Convertible. In a rare moment of sanity, Ford's engineers saw fit to limit the GT500 'vert to 155 mph - like the rest of the roofless Mustangs. Hit the jump for the full details.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible kicks out 650 hp, limits top speed

Official: SVT celebrates 20 years of Blue Oval performance

Today marks 20 years since Ford first announced its Special Vehicle Team, most famously known as SVT. With performance mastermind John Colleti at the helm, SVT produced some legendary cars during its first 10 years, beginning with the 1993 SVT Cobra (and its even more hardcore sibling the SVT Cobra R), as well as the 2003 F-150 SVT Lightning. Since then we've had numerous updates to each, most notably the SVT Cobra of 2003-2004 lovingly referred to by Mustang fans as the "Terminator," plus new models like the SVT Contour and SVT Focus built from 2002-2004.

Today SVT is alive and well with a lineup consisting of the Shelby GT500 and F-150 SVT Raptor, and we're guessing that back in 1993 no one could have imagined just how far the brand has come. A 650-horsepower Mustang capable of 200 miles per hour or a Ford F-150 capable of running the Baja 1000 in nearly stock form would have seemed insane at the time. And it still does today.

Have a look at some of the vehicles produced by SVT over the past 20 years in the gallery above, and let us know what you think might come from Ford's performance division in the next 20 years in the comments section below.

Official: Ford's SVT celebrates 20 years of Blue Oval performance

Today marks twenty years since Ford first announced its Special Vehicle Team, most famously known as SVT. With performance mastermind John Colleti at the helm, SVT produced some legendary cars during its first 10 years, beginning with the 1993 SVT Cobra (and its even more hardcore sibling the SVT Cobra R) as well as the 2003 F-150 SVT Lightning. Since then we've had numerous updates to each, most notably the the SVT Cobra of 2003-2004 lovingly referred to by Mustang fans as the "Terminator," plus new models like the SVT Contour and the SVT Focus built from 2002-2004.

Today SVT is alive and well with the lineup consisting of the Shelby GT500 and F-150 SVT Raptor, and we're guessing that back in 1993 no one could have imagined just how far the brand has come. A 650 horsepower Mustang capable of 200 mph or a Ford F-150 capable of running the Baja 1000 in nearly stock form would have seemed insane at the time. And it still does today.

Have a look at some of the vehicles produced by SVT over the past 20 years in the gallery above, and let us know what you think might come from Ford's performance division in the next 20 years in the comments section below.

Breaking: Ford asks Chevrolet, then NBC, to pull Silverado Super Bowl ad

Chevrolet is having some pointed fun with its apocalyptic Super Bowl ad featuring the Silverado called "2012," only the fun is pointed directly at Ford, which finds it a little too sharp to be all that much fun. So on the eve of the big game, Ford sent Chevy a cease-and-desist letter to pull the ad and "pressured" NBC not to run the commercial, according to a report on Yahoo!'s Motoramic blog. Chevy has released a statement in response, which you can read after the jump, indicating that the ad will run despite Ford's protest.

Ford found no reason to chuckle at some of the commercial's claims, "particularly around durability." One in particular comes from a character that says of their now-deceased, F-150-driving pal, "Dave didn't drive the longest-lasting most dependable truck on the road. Dave drove a Ford."

Ford spokesman Mike Levine says his company has more trucks with 250,000-plus miles on the road than any other brand, which would appear to contradict the small print that appears in the "2012" ad that reads, "Dependability based on longevity: 1981-2011 full-size pickup registrations." Ford says its lawyers will decide what to do (if anything) after the ad airs during tonight's game, but Chevy's legal minions must have vetted the spot closely well before time.

Or Ford could take Chevy marketing honcho Joel Ewanick up on his offer and bide its time. Said Ewanick, "We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize."

Continue reading Ford asks Chevrolet, then NBC, to pull Silverado Super Bowl ad

Watch an SVT Raptor be built on Ultimate Factories this weekend [w/video]

There's something inexplicably mesmerizing about watching a factory in action. Seeing the innumerable complex mechanisms mesh in perfect harmony to create the products we know and love is part of what makes shows like National Geographic's Ultimate Factories so interesting. Now the program is headed to Dearborn for a look at how the Ford F-150 Ecoboost and F-150 SVT Raptor come together on the line in crystal-clear HD video. The show will also spend time with both trucks out on the company's proving grounds, which means there's a good chance we'll see the Raptor bashing over various obstacles.

Consider us excited. Last year, the Ford plant in Dearborn produced 344,446 vehicles, making it the third most productive plant in North America behind the Nissan facility in Aguascalientes, Mexico and the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico.

The show will air on Saturday, February 4 at 8 p.m. Eastern on the National Geographic Channel, but you can get a glimpse of what to expect in the video after the jump.

Continue reading Watch an SVT Raptor be built on Ultimate Factories this weekend [w/video]

Report: Wagons West: Domestics picked up market share in California last year

Most days, California must seem like Kazakhstan for the Big Three. Domestic products aren't so popular out West, where Toyota and Honda have long stood atop the sales charts. But not in 2011.

According to a report in Automotive News, both General Motors and Ford managed to bump Honda from its silver medal position in 2011, though Toyota still holds a commanding market share lead. In a storyline we've heard before, the twin natural disasters in Asia curbed Japanese production, causing a 4.5 point loss of market share. Toyota's market share dropped from 22.8 to 19.2 percent, while GM and Ford tied at 12.6 percent - ahead of Honda at 12.1.

Booming sales in the Golden State helped the domestics to their 1.8 point gain. New vehicle registrations in California were up 9.9 percent, according to the report. The biggest sales gains last year were made by Kia and Jeep, which were up 53 and 49 percent, respectively.

Report: Foreign auto companies irked by Obama snub at DC Auto Show

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama visited the Washington Auto Show, and he even had time to get a closer look at a few vehicles. We're guessing that the carmakers were more than happy to set aside some time to talk to the Commander In Chief, but not every automaker got the chance.

Bloomberg says that the Association of Global Automakers is upset because the president only spent time with the Detroit Three, even though other automakers reportedly flew in executives from around the world for the occasion. The executives were reportedly on hand and waiting in a "bullpen" in the event President Obama had any questions about specific vehicles, but The Pres stuck to American cars like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chevrolet Silverado.

AGA CEO Michael Stanton voiced his disappointment about the perceived slight, adding that many members "bent over backwards to meet the request from the White House." Stanton also points out that AGA members have invested $43 billion in the U.S. and employ over 80,000 workers here.