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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.

Mopar Hellephant is sold out, but here are 4 other awesome crate V8s to try

Despite a relatively enormous $30,000 price tag, Mopar's 1,000-horsepower supercharged Hellephant crate engine sold out in just 48 hours. Some enthusiasts may have missed out on the crazy engine due to lack of funds, or they just assumed there would still be some Hellephants down the line. But worry not, swap-happy gearheads. There are plenty of V8s in the world to pick from, and we highlighted four favorites. They're not as powerful, but they're all cheaper, and still have a lot to offer. Mopar 6.2L Hellcrate Odds are a lot of prospective Hellephant buyers were Mopar fans to begin with, so we'll start the list with the next-most-potent offering: the Hellcrate. This is the same supercharged 6.2-liter V8 found under the hood of the Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcats and the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. It makes 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque like those cars, too. It's also about $10,000 cheaper than the Hellephant engine at $20,020, and that leftover money can be used to finish the project or for aftermarket upgrades to get it closer to the Hellephant's output. GM LS9 6.2L The Hellcrate isn't the only factory supercharged crate engine on the market. From General Motors comes the supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V8. This is the engine that was used in the C6 Corvette ZR1. At 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque, it doesn't make as much power or torque as the Hellcrate. But it does boast a dry sump oil system. So instead of pumping oil out of a pan at the bottom, the engine uses an oil tank mounted remotely that pumps oil into the engine. This means the engine is shorter overall, and can be mounted lower for a better center of gravity. It also means that there's almost no risk of running the engine dry in hard cornering, as could happen with a normal oil sump where the oil can slosh to the side without the oil pump. Basically, it offers some major benefits if you want supercharged V8 power for a road course car. It's also a tad cheaper than the Hellcrate at $18,149. But get one while you can, because GM is only selling what's left from when it was building the C6 ZR1. Ford Aluminator 5.2XS Our pick from the Blue Oval lacks a supercharger, but it's still pretty sweet.

Ford creates F-150 Sandcat to promote Halo 5: Guardians

Halo 5: Guardians is about to hit Xbox One, and Ford is celebrating with the reveal of this one-off F-150. Built by the Blue Oval specialists at Galpin Auto Sports, the Ford F-150 Halo Sandcat is designed for deployment by the United Nations Space Command. It's based on a 2015 Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCrew 4x4 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and FX4 off-road package. It's then upgraded with a Baja XTR package from Addictive Desert Designs, complete with FOX Racing shocks, Deaver leaf springs, a Currie floating rear axle, 17-inch wheels, and upgraded fenders, side steps, and chase rack. It's all capped by a custom Halo-themed body wrap, and fitted with an Xbox One hooked up to displays in the back of the headrests. Fans will be able to check it out at the LA Convention Center during the E3 video game show, and dream of driving it on some far-off planet to combat whatever space monsters the Master Chief has been assigned to eradicate. Jun 12, 2015 | LOS ANGELES Ford F-150 Halo Sandcat Lands at E3 to Promote Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One Ford, Xbox, 343 Industries and Galpin Auto Sports are celebrating the release of Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One with a special version of the 2015 Ford F-150 that is so awesome, it could have been designed by the Master Chief himself. The Ford F-150 Halo Sandcat is a one-of-a-kind vehicle inspired by Halo's United Nations Space Command vehicle design. It will be on display at E3 2015. Based on the all-new Ford F-150, the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever, F-150 Halo Sandcat is special enough to have been officially designated the M552 codename by the United Nations Space Command – closely matching F-150's official Ford codename, P552. The F-150 Halo Sandcat started as a 2015 Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCrew 4x4 with 3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine and FX4 off-road package. To turn the truck into the Sandcat, Galpin Auto Sports added an arsenal of modifications to give it a United Nations Space Command militaristic style that Halo fans will instantly recognize. The F-150 Halo Sandcat starts with Addictive Desert Designs' Baja XTR off-road conversion kit, which includes custom FOX Racing shocks, Deaver leaf springs, a Currie full floater rear axle, ADD fenders, side steps, a chase rack and 17-inch wheels with off-road tires to go along with a full custom Halo body wrap. Inside, there's an Xbox One custom gaming system with displays mounted in the rear head restraints.