Ford: Fairlane 500 on 2040-cars

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Ford and 'Dirty Jobs' pitchman Mike Rowe part ways [w/videos]

Former Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe has one less job as of today - the pitchman is no longer a pitchman for Ford, with yesterday's announcement from Rowe ending a seven-year partnership between the TV host and the Blue Oval.
Rowe made the announcement to political pundit Glenn Beck, saying the two are "going in different directions" and wishing Ford "every possibly success that any car company could ever have," according to The Detroit News. Rowe and Ford got together in 2005, right around the time the 51-year-old came to prominence as the host of Dirty Jobs and the narrator for Deadliest Catch, two of the Discovery Channel's most popular shows.
Take a look below for a few video snippets of Rowe's tenure at Ford.

More evidence GT500-replacement will be named GT350

During the recent unveiling of the 2015 Ford Mustang, we saw the car in both V6 and GT form, but we'll have to wait a little bit longer to see the successor to the Shelby GT500. In the meantime, though, it looks like SVTPerformance.com has confirmed reports that this high-performance model will bring the Shelby GT350 name back to Ford.
According to the forum post, a user found the Shelby GT350 name on a Ford promo website listing its 2015 lineup. The Shelby GT350 name was first used on a Mustang back in 1965, and most recently it has been a model created for customers as a post-title purchase by Shelby American. As for that car, Shelby confirmed earlier in the year that its GT350 would be phased out at the end of this month.
The million-dollar question for Mustang and Shelby enthusiasts is when we'll see next factory Shelby GT350. Last we heard it was planned for a debut at the New York Auto Show. We've included our previous spy shots of this hi-po, sixth-gen Mustang, and we've also captured it on spy video showing off its exhaust note.

‘American Auto’ fires on most cylinders

If you like cars or you enjoyed “Superstore” then “American Auto” is worth your time. NBC previewed the punchy sitcom last night ahead of the series premiere Jan. 4, and it offers a humorous take on the U.S. auto industry as seen through the team at fictional Payne Motors. Overseen by Justin Spitzer, the creator of “Superstore” and a producer on “The Office,” the two episodes that dropped Monday show Payne executives trying to navigate the challenges of the modern auto business.  “Saturday Night Live” alum Ana Gasteyer stars as a pharmaceutical exec turned Payne CEO. The cast also includes Harriet Dyer as stressed-out PR boss, Sadie; Tye White as Jack, a factory worker who gets promoted to the C-suite; and former “Superstore” cast member Jon Barinholtz as the company scion, Wesley, who has no job responsibilities and is employed because of his name. The cast also includes X Mayo, Michael Benjamin Washington and Humphrey Ker as executives. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Autoblog -- thatÂ’s us -- gets name-checked early in the second episode (2:37 into the show) for "our" critical take on GasteyerÂ’s introduction of the Payne Ponderosa, a car the company scrambled to build in time for its auto show reveal.  GasteyerÂ’s CEO character walks in on a meeting between Sadie and Jack -- their budding romance appears to be part of the story arc -- and blurts out “Autoblog says hasty HastingsÂ’ premature launch,” apparently a reference to a headline that pans the Ponderosa. Looking at the cartoonish wagon-like thing, itÂ’s well-earned criticism. Perhaps the writers know of us -- weÂ’ve been around for nearly 18 years and are read by millions each month -- or thought ‘AutoblogÂ’ sounded like a good name for a car website. Either way. The pilot is centered on the Ponderosa and its troubled development (the first version of the car ran over people). Episode 2 features a Ponderosa Magellan van being used by a serial killer in a police chase. Titled “White Van,” the episode is obviously reminiscent of O.J. SimpsonÂ’s 1994 chase in a white Ford Bronco. ThereÂ’s also some Michigan references, which help to set the scene. One character has a Wayne State degree on the wall and the Magellan flees on Interstate 94, which runs through the state.