1987 Ford Mustang Lx Convertible 2-door 2.3l on 2040-cars

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Need for Speed movie casts Mustang in hero car role

Dreamworks Studios, Electronic Arts and Ford Motor Company announced today that the Ford Mustang will play the lead hero car role in the upcoming Need for Speed movie, slated to hit theaters next February. Of course, the Mustang didn't audition for the role like we imagine the film's star, Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame, might have. Rather, Ford and Dreamworks struck a partnership deal that meant the Mustang could skip the casting couch. The deal will also see the film's universe populated with other Ford products (gratuitously so, we're guessing), and the automaker will also help the studio promote the video-game-turned-movie next year.
The hero car in question is a special one-off Mustang created by Ford that is making its debut at the E3 video game trade show as we speak. Powered by a supercharged V8 and apparently based on the Shelby GT500, the car's been modified with a widebody kit, 22-inch wheels, larger air intakes and twin hood nostrils. Ford also provided the film's production with an F-450 truck that will be called "The Beast" in the film's story, and a second Mustang to be used during filming as a camera car.
The Mustang's movie career is really taking off, with news of its Need For Speed casting closely following last week's release of the trailer for Getaway, a movie coming out in August that stars Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez and another Shelby GT500. In addition to Aaron Paul and a modified Mustang, the Need For Speed movie also stars Michael Keaton (cop, we're guessing) and Dominic Cooper (villain, we're guessing), and is directed by Scott Waugh, who directed the Navy SEAL film Act of Valor in 2012.

Watch Piquet and Mansell bend some sheetmetal in Ford Fusion GP

As we told you about before, there were four episodes planned for the Ford Fusion GP campaign in Brazil, and the whole series has now run its course. The Ford ads pit Brazilian Formula One driver Nelson Piquet against English F1 pilot Nigel Mansell driving the new Fusion, the two coming together again after their partnership at the Williams F1 team ended in a miserable state more than 20 years ago.
They're lined up for you below, in reverse chronological order. You should watch number three first, though, as it adds a bit more spice to the NASCAR action in the fourth.

Ford reports $3B profit in Q4, $6.9B for the year

Good news out of Dearborn today, as Ford announced $3 billion in profit for the last quarter of 2013, a 90-percent increase over the same period of 2012. Net income for all of last year, meanwhile, jumped to $7.2 billion from $5.7 billion in 2012, while pre-tax profits sat at a decade-topping $6.9 billion for all of 2013.
The results of the substantial profit increases are bigger profit-sharing checks for UAW employees. How big? A record $8,800 on average for 47,000 UAW workers, making 2013 the biggest year for profit sharing in Ford history. In total, $414 million will be paid as part of the profit-sharing scheme.
Now, it should be pointed out that a fair portion of Ford's Q4 profits were due to tax benefits, totaling $2.1 billion, according to Automotive News. Total profits would have also been higher, had there not been a significant recall on the Escape, as well as plant issues in South America.