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Tanner Foust gets eponymous hotted-up Ford Focus ST from Cobb Tuning

Racer and Top Gear USA host Tanner Foust has partnered up with Cobb Tuning to create a special-edition Ford Focus ST. The limited-edition hatches will come packing a reflashed ECU, special intercooler, tweaked intake and freer-flowing exhaust for up to 20 percent more power than the stock creation. Cobb says that the changes should push the final dyno figure to above 300 horsepower. Buyers can also expect to find special carbon fiber aerodynamic bits on board along with a new grille, graphics and wheels. Cobb hasn't released pricing on this Tanner Foust Edition Ford Focus ST as of yet, but you can bet the whole kit won't be cheap.
Fortunately, the company will sell you bits and pieces from the overall package for your Ford, and word has it engineers are also whipping up a Foust Fiesta ST. Look for Cobb's Focus ST website to go live next month, complete with accurate specs and pricing. Until then, enjoy clicking through the gallery here. You can also check out the full press release below.

How Ford switched gears for the all-new F-150

Editor's Note: This story is authored by Julia Halewicz, a senior editor with AOL's Custom Solutions Group. She holds a Masters in Journalism from NYU and has spent her career as an editor of various newspapers, magazines and digital outlets. Last year on the Friday before Labor Day, the 2014 Ford F-150 pickup truck came off the Dearborn assembly line for the last time. After the last seam was welded, the F-150 that had been so beloved by American consumers would begin the transition from traditional steel manufacturing to an aluminum body, and the second phase of Ford's 2007 blueprint for sustainability would begin. Jobs would be created, and Ford would deliver a stronger product to its consumers. It was a moment Ford would call the biggest in the company's 111-year history. Breaking The Mold For some, the change was almost unfathomable. How could a truck be made with aluminum, and why change what clearly was working very well for the company? "We have a saying at Ford that leaders lead," said Doug Scott, the company's truck group marketing manager. "This was an ideal product to make with aluminum-alloy, because lightweighting made so much sense for a truck, because the extent to which you could take weight out of a truck, you could add more value to the customer in terms of more towing, more payload, more durability, more efficiency – so again all this required us to be out in front further out in front that we normally would be to make sure that we would deliver on all those expectations." Ford began the planning process about five years before the first aluminum F-150 would come to market. The company had a lot of questions. What was customer acceptance of aluminum, could they build the truck, and could the truck be repaired out in the field? Finally, Ford needed to determine if there were enough materials available to support the demand for the F-Series. Aluminum vehicles aren't unusual, but had never been built on the scale of the F-150 – approximately one every minute. Ford created two prototypes to determine if the product would meet and exceed consumer expectations. Any change to the vehicle had to be justified in performance, safety and economy. An aluminum truck needed to be safer, lighter, have increased payload, haul more, and have improved fuel efficiency. After driving the prototypes, Ford knew it was ready to move forward. Once the aluminum truck was ready to build, the next challenge was quickly transforming the plant.

Ford Detroit stand map clearest evidence yet of new GT, Mustang GT350R, SVT Raptor

An anonymous tipster has leaked a map of Ford's display stand plans for next week's Detroit Auto Show, and the schematic contains some interesting details that supports the idea of a Ford GT revival, as well as the presence of the rumored Shelby Mustang GT350R and F-150 SVT Raptor. The map, used by workers to help erect the Blue Oval's Cobo Hall display, maps out a show with a performance-heavy influence, with a codenamed vehicle, "Phoenix" sitting front and center, flanked by "Hummingbird 2" and "F-150 SVT Raptor Teaser." Our sources within Ford have confirmed that Phoenix is the long-rumored GT successor (a notion furthered by the presence of a pair of historic GT40s shown near the display entrance), and Hummingbird 2 refers to the GT350R (note also that there's a "Mustang Historic" GT350R on its own dais nearby). We've also learned that while the Raptor is labeled "Teaser," our Ford source assures us this is effectively the production truck. Rumors of a neo Ford GT have been picking up speed for months now, and we've been led to believe that this new car will have motorsports applications firmly on its mind, but it won't follow in the same retro-steeped design footsteps of its 2005-2006 forbearer. While the map does show Focus models on display, including the performance-oriented ST, we note that there isn't a spot seemingly earmarked for the rumored next-generation Focus RS, which has been the subject of the Motown rumormill for some time. Instead, we expect to see Ford's hottest hatch bow at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Even without a Focus RS revival, the Ford stand is shaping up to be a high-performance, high-horsepower showing, and we're excited to see if the Blue Oval can steal the show come Monday. Featured Gallery Ford Detroit Auto Show Stand 2015 Tip: mlewis Auto News Detroit Auto Show Ford Truck Coupe Concept Cars Future Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles Racing Vehicles Performance Supercars ford f-150 svt raptor 2015 Detroit Auto Show ford shelby mustang gt350r