2014 Ford Focus Se on 2040-cars

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2013 Shelby GT350

Shelby is a name as synonymous with the Ford Mustang as marshmallows are with campfires. But unlike the short-lived sugary confection that is prepared on a stick, the late Carroll Shelby's name on the placard means added performance and exclusivity. Launched in 1965, the automaker's celebrated early cars were in production for a limited run - today, a mint concours-quality 1965 Shelby GT350 can sell for upwards of $350,000.
To coincide with the 45th anniversary of the original Shelby GT350, Shelby American reintroduced the GT350 in 2011. Like the original, it was only offered in white with blue stripes. Customers were offered a choice between naturally aspirated (440 horsepower) and two levels of supercharging (525 horsepower with a warranty or 624 horsepower without). The manufacturer calls the GT350 a "post-title" package, a term that means it starts out life as a stock Mustang and is modified outside Ford's factory (this is in contrast to the Shelby GT500, which is a standard Ford production car).
As the GT350 enters its third year, Shelby has made several changes. Mechanically, Wilwood brakes replace Baer units and Recaro seats and a tinted glass roof are on the options list. Cosmetically, the vehicle is now offered in most of the Blue Oval's factory colors, new multispoke wheels are available in Satin Black or Bright Silver Metallic finish, and customers can choose between Satin Black, Silver or Gloss White stripes (or Azure Blue Metallic on Performance White or Ingot Silver). Aesthetically, the look of the car has also changed somewhat - keen eyes will note that it actually appears more 'stock' than it did last year.

2015 Ford Focus Sedan is fresh-faced and ready to defend its Most Popular crown

Ford has made an art of deeper-than-normal midlife updates since the 2010 Fusion, a strategy that has allowed it to keep models looking fresher in showrooms for longer without needing full redesigns. Instead of slight touchups to light fixtures, new paint colors and perhaps new wheel patterns, Ford has been digging deeper, with significant sheetmetal changes and very different front-end looks, along with an increased emphasis on new in-car technologies to keep models vibrant. Other automakers are following this trend, and Ford itself is continuing on the path with this new 2015 Focus Sedan.
There's a handsome new SE Sport Package that includes a firmer touring suspension, modest body kit and 17-inch wheels.
We first saw this sleek Aston Martin-like nose fitted to a Focus at the Geneva Motor Show last month, but Ford only showed the new look on the five-door hatchback - this is the first appearance of the sedan, which will bow at next week's New York Auto Show. The front end treatment is the same, with a new hood, new headlamps incorporating LED accents, a different grille shape and a completely revised lower fascia that does away with the 2014 model's controversial triangle-shaped corners and gaping intakes. The rear gets a new two-piece, laser-brazed trunk lid with new taillamps, but the overall look is quite similar to last year's car. In any case, the refreshed look brings the Focus sedan more in line with the design of Ford's other recently reworked cars, including the Fusion and Fiesta.

How Ford secretly used customers to test its aluminum F-150 [w/video]

Automakers getting clever about disguising development vehicles isn't anything new. Between mules wearing the sheetmetal of other cars and prototypes decked out in as much camouflage as is practical, automakers know how to make it very difficult for the general public to get an exact idea of what kind of vehicle is in development. Ford, though, is rapidly becoming the master.
We knew that the Blue Oval originally tested the durability of the aluminum construction being used for the 2015 F-150 by building an all-aluminum 2014 truck and entering it in the Baja 1000 off-road race. That's no longer a secret. What we didn't know, though, is that the aluminum development dates back to before even that, and that some of the people in question had no idea what it was they were working with.
Ford says this is the first time prototypes have ever been handed over to the public.