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This 1969 Ford F-100 has a Cadillac CTS-V engine lurking underhood

Something always feels just a little taboo when someone builds a custom and then slots in a powertrain from a rival automaker. That's exactly the case with this modded 1969 Ford F-100 boasting a highly tuned LSA supercharged V8 like from the second-gen Cadillac CTS-V. However, with a claimed 800 horsepower on tap thanks in part to running an estimated 20 pounds of boost, it's easy to get over any bad feelings. Built by Tommy Pike Customs in South Carolina, the truck tries to keep the exterior looking somewhat stock. Although, the jade green and satin gold paint, Quaker State logo, lowered suspension and black wheels immediately suggest something is up. Once the F-100 starts up with its menacing growl, absolutely any doubts of this beast being unaltered are immediately gone. Not so obvious are some tweaks to actually help put all that power down, including disc brakes and independent suspension setups at the front and rear. The video gives some glimpses at a few of Pike's other creations, but the real star here is definitely his mean, green Ford.

Ford profits soar as problems mount

Ford is doing well. It can't make enough examples of its new Fusion, it can barely make enough of the aging F-150, it's getting good brand rankings, people like its turnaround story, it's selling oodles of product and its quarterly profit numbers end in the word "billion." As other high-flying examples have demonstrated over the past few years, though, big numbers can come with problems that aren't exactly small.
Automotive News has published a good "nutshell" report of Ford's progress and problems. The Dearborn automaker's optimistic "general label rule" determination of gas mileage for the C-Max Hybrid has led to lawsuits, hybrid software updates, a downward revision of C-Max fuel economy and millions in rebates. AN notes the C-Max was the "worst-scoring model in this year's J.D. Power Initial Quality Study," but Ford will probably be happy that it managed not to be mentioned further in the study's results after last year's mediocre showing. Its MyTouch and SYNC systems, the bugbears sabotaging Ford's J.D. Power results, have also led to lawsuits, software updates, more software updates and a center console rethink. On top of that, the 1.6-liter EcoBoost in the 2013 Ford Escape that Ford called a "hero" was soon catching fire for three different reasons. And let's not even get into the troubled launch of the Lincoln MKZ.
The Automotive News piece notes that industry observers have been surprised at Ford's stumbles because everything has been looking so good. Nevertheless, there is still the issue of those billions in profits - the company is doing plenty of things, plural, right. Ford says it is tackling its problems, hiring engineers and instituting new quality control processes as part of its effort to find solutions. The test will be to see if in a year from now we begin the discussion of these issues with "Remember when Ford...", or "Problems continue at The Blue Oval."

2015 Hennessey Ford Mustang hits 207.9 mph

After hitting over 195 miles per hour a few months ago, John Hennessey was barely out of his personal HPE700 Mustang before he said that 200 mph was achievable. Don't doubt a man who knows a ton about taking cars to insane speeds. With the new HPE750 Mustang, he and his customers can finally surpass the 200-mph mark in their cars. "If at first you don't succeed, just add more horsepower and rpm and try again," Hennessey said in the company's announcement. Rather than the 717 horsepower and 632 pound-feet of torque from the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 in the HPE700, the HPE750 ratchets the same powertrain up to an even more potent 774 hp and 648 lb-ft. In a real show of confidence, the Hennessey team brought along Jay Leno when it returned to the Continental Tire Proving Grounds in Uvalde, TX, to set a new top speed with the HPE750. The upgrades to the Mustang definitely paid off because the pony car reached a GPS-verified 207.9 miles per hour down the straight. The run will eventually appear on a segment on the upcoming Jay Leno's Garage TV show that will air CNBC. Prices for the HPE750 start at $59,500 USD, including the base 2015 Mustang GT, but building an exact replica of this one would cost $69,374, according to Hennessey. In addition to the huge top speed, the company claims that the coupe can reach 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds. 774 HP Hennessey Mustang Tested to 207.9 mph Jay Leno visits Texas tuner for upcoming TV series on CNBC June 2, 2015 Uvalde, Texas—On Wednesday, May 27, 2015, professional driver, Brian Smith, drove the Hennessey HPE750 Supercharged Mustang to a top speed of 207.9 mph. In the process, Hennessey's potent pony car became the first 2015 Mustang to break the 200 mph mark. Jay Leno was on hand to witness the record speed while filming an upcoming episode of Jay Leno's Garage, which will air on CNBC later this year. The run was made on the 8.5 mile high speed oval at the Continental Tire Proving Grounds located in Uvalde, Texas – the same test track where John Hennessey test drove the company's HPE700 Mustang to a top speed of 195 mph back in February of this year. During both tests, speeds were validated with Racelogic's VBox 3i GPS data logging system. "If at first you don't succeed, just add more horsepower and rpm and try again," said company founder and president, John Hennessey.