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Junkyard Gem: 1991 Mercury Capri

Ford has gotten a lot of use out of the Capri name in the United States. First, there was the Lincoln Capri in the 1950s, followed by the Ford Capri Mk1 (which was sold by Mercury dealers in the USA but never actually badged as a Mercury). Then came the 1979-1986 Mercury Capri, built on the very successful Fox Platform and essentially a clone of the Mustang. Finally, in 1991, the Australian Ford Capri came to the United States. Here is an example of this rare car that I spotted in a Northern California self-service yard not long ago. Mechanically speaking, the 1991-1994 Capri was a Mazda 323 under the skin, complete with a member of the same B-series engine family that went into such cars as the Miata and Ford Escort. So, for a few years in the early 1990s, car shoppers who wanted a sporty Mazda convertible could choose between a Miata and a Capri. The Capri had front-wheel-drive, but could be had with factory turbocharging. These cars were reliable and fun, but had a tough time competing with the Miata in the showroom battles. You'll see the occasional example now and then, but most of the 1991-1994 Capris have met the same fate that awaits this one. Related Video:

2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Supercrew

I'm not normally a pickup kind of guy, but the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor won me over nearly instantly. The street-legal trophy truck - there is really no other way to accurately describe it - is big, brawny and incredibly capable. Let's just say it's every bit the monster it visually portrays. I spent a week pretending I was one of Ford's Baja 1000 drivers, but lacking desert sand, I headed into the local mountains where a mild winter storm had dropped a couple inches of fresh snow on my favorite off-road park. The Ford was, for the most part, practically unstoppable.
Ford offers its SVT Raptor package on Supercab and Supercrew platforms with the five-foot, five-inch bed. The Supercrew I tested rides on a 144-inch wheelbase (about a foot longer than the Supercab). In addition to its cosmetic differences when compared to the standard F-150 - there isn't a young boy on the planet who doesn't think the matte black Ford grille is cool - the Raptor has a 73.6-inch track - nearly seven inches wider than the track on the standard F-150.
After upgrading the F-150 SVT Raptor significantly for the 2012 model year, there are only a few changes for 2013. The list includes standard high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, Hill Descent Control, forged beadlock-capable wheels, and the new matte Terrain color (aka "Desert Storm") option seen on my test model.

Fiat Panda by M-Sport a one-of-a-kind rally car

English racing and engineering firm M-Sport is probably best known for the Bentley Continental GT3 endurance racer and the Ford Fiesta R5 customer rally car. Since building the first of 294 Fiesta R5 Mk. I cars in 2013, the fleet of pint-sized competitors has won a total of more than 950 races. So when a longstanding M-Sport customer asked the company to do something special with a clapped-out, 1990s-era Fiat Panda that would retain the car's Panda-ness but also make it a stonking rally car, M-Sport decided to combine the Italian with the Anglo-American. The result is the Panda by M-Sport, a widened Panda bodyshell lowered atop a Fiesta R5 chassis and engine. Otherwise known as Panda'monium. Or Pandiesta, if you're tipsy. Just fitting the skinny Fiat over the tube-frame chassis meant widening the Panda's body shell by 14.2 inches; that slick grille is actually made of two Panda grilles to gain the required width. That surgery helps maintain the original Panda's silhouette, but more was needed to slide the Fiesta's wider track underneath. More latitudinal stretch was provided by the box-section wheel arches that, up front, flow into a front bumper that is half snowplow. In the longitudinal direction, the Pandiesta's wheelbase is 12.6 inches longer than that of the stock Panda. The Ford's 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder lives under the hood. It sends nearly 300 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque to four Pirelli P Zeros through a five-speed sequential transmission and two custom differentials. The new rear diffuser and single, central exhaust convey the seriousness of the endeavor. Hand-embossed lettering spells "PANDA 4x4" on the rear hatch in case anyone has questions about this having as much capability as the standard Panda 4x4. The interior is all Fiesta R5 save for the Panda-mimicking instrument panel and the co-driver's footrest. The latter is also inscribed with the word "PANDA." Despite the license plate, there's no question of street legality here, or rather illegality. M-Sport says the Panda'monium is ready to do any special stage on tarmac or gravel. Seems this is also the car that launches a new division for customer creations called MS-SV, which is M-Sport Special Vehicles. You can watch M-Sport owner Malcom Wilson take you on tour of the Panda by M-Sport in the video at top, and check out what the finished product can do on a track here.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.