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Ford of Europe celebrates Mondeo's 20th anniversary

Ford's European operations are celebrating a milestone of sorts as the Mondeo, the Blue Oval's bread-and-butter D-segment sedan in the old country, celebrates its 20th anniversary. The mid-sizer, which was sold in the US for a short time as the Contour, has been a far more popular vehicle in Europe - even receiving regular praise from one Jeremy Clarkson.
Narrated by Cockney actor Ray Winstone, the video goes through the Mondeo's years and how it's evolved from 1993 to the as-yet-unreleased fifth-generation model, which is essentially the same as the Ford Fusion that's sold in America. Take a look below for the full video from Ford of Europe.

Ford dealer loses Super Bowl bet, pays $300K to lucky customers [w/video]

A Missouri Ford dealership's Super Bowl weekend sale cost it big when the improbable happened. Hutcheson Ford ran a promotion from January 29 to February 1, called the Super Weekend Sale. The gist was, if any customer purchased a vehicle between those dates and either the opening or second-half kickoff of the big game was returned for a touchdown, the dealership would refund the purchase price.
In the dealership's defense, it seemed like a safe bet. According to the mathematicians, there was just a 2.5-percent chance of either half opening with a touchdown return. But that didn't stop Seattle's Percy Harvin from doing his part to ruin Denver's evening, returning the second-half kick for an 87-yard touchdown run. Twelve Hutcheson customers were eligible for refunds thanks to the return, with prices ranging from $10,000 to $55,000, according to Automotive News. The total amount shelled out by the dealership? $300,000.
"At least we're not like that furniture guy that lost $7 million," dealership marketing manager Kathleen Frazier told AN. We think it was a big success." The dealership did take out insurance to cover its losses, meaning the $300K won't come entirely from its pockets.

Shelby GT350 stars in 2015 Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Scoping out classic racing machinery sitting at Monterey Car Week is a lovely experience. We're always stoked to see some of these priceless pieces of metal wherever we can, up close and personal. But we all know that where they really belong is on the racetrack. That's where the Monterey Motorsports Reunion comes in, and this year's event was a thrilling spectacle. Sponsored as always by Rolex and held at the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, this year's reunion brought together a wide array of tantalizing machinery from the annals of racing history. There were Can-Am racers – some of the fastest and most powerful competition equipment ever devised – of every color, and more racing Porsches than you could shake a titanium connecting rod at. But the biggest part of the spectacle was the Shelby GT350. That most venerable of classic Mustangs served as the featured marque this year as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. Auspicious timing, considering that Ford has now brought it back. But fans of the original will want to check out the dozens of snake-bitten pony cars doing their thing on one of America's finest racing circuits. Check out the GT350s, captured through the lens of our own master shutterbug, Drew Phillips, in the gallery above, and the full array of reunited vintage racers in the second gallery below the video.