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Ford F-150 RaptorTrax is Ken Block's ultimate snowmobile

Even when Ken Block isn't starring in the latest Gymkhana video or tearing up Global RallyCross courses, he's finding new ways to redefine "awesome" as it applies to motorsports. For evidence of this, look no further than Block's latest Monster-badged creation, the Ford F-150 RaptorTrax.
Billed as the "world's fastest snowcat," the RaptorTrax started life as a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, and then a set of Mattracks were put in place where the truck's bead-locked wheels and meaty rubber once resided. The goal was to create a truck that made it easier - and presumably more fun - for Block and his buddies to hit the slopes on their snowboards. Aside from the obvious track upgrades, this truck also received a Whipple supercharger, full roll cage, Recaro seats, an in-bed snowboard rack, a roof basket and a rear-mounted winch - you know, just in case something or someone actually manages to get this truck stuck.
The RaptorTrax will be on display later this week at the Winter X Games in Apsen, CO, but we'll have to wait until next winter for a full Block-worthy video of the truck. A full press release from Hoonigan Racing Division is posted below, and a high-res image can be found by clicking above.

Jaguar design boss admits X-Type was a mistake

History has a way of repeating itself, especially in the auto industry. When Jaguar was owned by Ford, the British brand attempted to field a competitor for the BMW 3 Series, called the X-Type. Based on the bones of a Ford Mondeo, it aped the styling of Jaguar's flagship model, the XJ, while borrowing liberally from the Ford parts bin. That was 2001.
Now, in 2013, Jaguar is planning a new 3 Series challenger based on the platform previewed by the C-X17 Concept, while Ford is attempting to take the latest Mondeo upmarket. The moves have both brands recognizing where, why, and how the X-Type failed. "It didn't look mature or powerful or anything. It was just a car," Jaguar's current head of advanced design, Julian Thomson, told PistonHeads. Basing the X-Type on a front-drive car while giving it styling that was meant for a rear-driver lead to proportions that "were plainly wrong," Thomson told PH. Ford's European head of quality, Gunnar Herrmann, added that the X-Type was "a fake Jaguar, because every piece I touch is Ford."
For what it's worth, the X-Type's successor in the segment will sport rear-drive, with plenty of input from Ian Callum. Thomson described the new model, which would challenge the 3 Series as having, "Big wheels right to the ends of the car, low bonnet, short overhangs, very low cabins." Sounds good to us.

Ford Fiesta ST in startling track battle against Toyota GT86

On the surface, there's very little that the Ford Fiesta ST and Toyota GT86 (or the Scion FR-S that is sold in the US, or the largely similar Subaru BRZ) share in common. One is a hatchback with power coming from a turbocharged engine routed to the front wheels. The other is a coupe with power coming from a naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine routed to the rear wheels.
Thing is, both of them are reasonably priced performance cars aimed at a similar segment of the automotive marketplace, so a comparison isn't out of the question. It is with all of this in mind that we direct you to the video below, in which the blokes from Evo pit the two manic little machines against one another on a race track. The result? Well, it can be summed up this way: Fast versus fun.
See how the track battle goes down in the video below.