1964 Ford Falcon Prostreet/strip on 2040-cars

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1994 McLaren F1 LM-Specification fetches $19.8M at Monterey

The botched sale of that World War II-era 1939 Porsche Type 64 may have somewhat overshadowed the RM Sotheby’s auction last weekend at Monterey, but the event wasnÂ’t without its highlights. Exhibit A: The one-of-two 1994 McLaren F1 LM-Specification supercar that we told you about a month ago netted a whopping $19.8 million at the RM SothebyÂ’s auction last weekend in Monterey, and an almost equally rare 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype also netted seven figures.  The F1 is one of 106 examples ever built and one of just two in LM-Specification (the LM stands for “Le Mans”). McLaren upgraded the standard F1 at the factory post-production, adding a 680-horsepower GTR engine, an extra-high downforce coachwork kit highlighted by the massive rear wing, race-spec dampers, two more radiators and so forth. It also gained a more comfortable interior and creature comforts, with an upgraded air conditioning, radio, new headlights and a different steering wheel. Finally, the exterior was given a coat of silver paint, replacing the factory blue. Four bidders spent four-and-a-half minutes trying to outbid one another for the car, which eventually went to an unidentified American private collector. Also successfully auctioned on Friday: the 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype for $7.65 million, which fell right in line with expectations of between $7 million and $9 million. It helped pave the way for the Mark IV race cars that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As a reminder, it was the first of five GT40 Roadster Prototypes ever built, with seven hardtop versions also built, and it underwent a full restoration in 1983 and a mechanical overhaul in 2003. And it sure is pretty to look at.

New autonomous testing ground in Michigan will help battle bad weather

If one of the big weaknesses of autonomous vehicles is their ability to navigate in the snow, consider this a trial by fire. The American Center for Mobility says it has opened its $110 million driverless car testing facility on the site of a former General Motors assembly plant in Michigan, with Toyota and auto supplier Visteon the first to begin testing this week. The ACM proving ground is a 500-acre site at historic Willow Run in Ypsilanti Township, near Ann Arbor. It's one of 10 sites designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as pilot proving ground sites to test AV technologies. It features a variety of simulated environments to test driverless cars, including a 2.5-mile highway loop, two double overpasses, intersections, roundabouts and a 700-foot curved tunnel. It also opens just as the region experiences a series of snowstorms and the first frigid temperatures of the season. That ability to test autonomous vehicles in a wide variety of weather conditions is important, as autonomous vehicle sensors have struggled to handle cold, wet and snowy conditions. Google parent Alphabet in October said its Waymo division was expanding its winter testing operations to Michigan, making it the sixth state where it's testing its driverless car systems. In a Medium blog post, Waymo CEO John Krafcik wrote that "This type of testing will give us the opportunity to assess the way our sensors perform in wet, cold conditions. And it will also build on the advanced driving skills we've developed over the last eight years by teaching our cars how to handle things like skidding on icy, unplowed roads." Waymo also opened a development center in suburban Detroit in 2016, working with Fiat Chrysler to integrate its autonomous technology into Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans. Visteon began testing and validating its DriveCore autonomous driving platform to evaluate algorithms, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology and other systems. Toyota used the facility Wednesday to begin orientation and driver training. ACM has so far secured $110 million to construct the first two phases from founders Ford, Hyundai America Technical Center, Toyota and Visteon, and says it expects to announce more investment soon.

2016 Ford Explorer embarks at the LA Auto Show

Twenty-five years since its debut in 1990, Ford will celebrate a quarter century of Explorer models next year with the debut of a refreshed 2016 model at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19. The Blue Oval is keeping mum on hard details about the updated SUV for now, but the brand promises, "a new look, added capability and additional driver-assist technology," in its announcement.
Company marketing boss Jim Farley elaborated a little more on what to expect. "The new Explorer is still the SUV America fell in love with - a vehicle built for the perfect family adventure," he said in the release that you're welcome to read down below.
An updated Explorer is a pretty big deal for Ford's bottom line. Worldwide, SUVs and crossovers account for about 23 percent of Ford's sales, and the segment is projected to grow to around 29 percent by 2020. Ford further says that SUVs and CUVs are the world's quickest growing segment with demand up 88 percent since 2008.