2013 Ford Mustang Gt 350 Shelby on 2040-cars

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Ford Escort returns, just not for US

Ford is set to give the burgeoning Chinese market its very own C-segment model, while also reviving one of the brand's more notable nameplates. The new Escort, which will make its world debut at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show will be built in the People's Republic at the Changan Ford joint venture facility.
The Escort's exterior is best thought of as a mix of the finer points from the US market Focus and Fusion, with the Aston Martin-ish grille and narrow, wraparound taillights presenting a clean look at either end of the car. It's all fairly true to the concept car from last year's Shanghai Motor Show. That said, this exterior job is almost too clean. There doesn't seem to be a lot of character or substance beyond the typical Ford looks.
There's a similar issue in the cabin - it all looks pretty nice, but the design is rather plain, particularly when viewed alongside the display-filled cabin of a US-spec car. Still, there looks to be a fair amount of space in both the front and back seats, and the trunk isn't exactly tiny, either.

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.

Ford Fiesta becomes UK all-time best seller

We may regard Ford as an American automaker, but ask a Brit and they may tell you otherwise. The Blue Oval has, after all, been selling cars in the UK since 1903, and started manufacturing there as far back as 1911 when it began local production of the Model T in Manchester. Last year Ford ended 100 years of vehicle manufacturing in the UK when the last Transit van rolled off the assembly line in Southampton, but it's still the biggest-selling automotive marque in Britain.
Ford has led the British market for 34 out of the past 45 years, selling more Fiestas than any other company sells any other car in the UK since 2009... when it overtook the Focus. In fact the Fiesta has now become the best-selling car in British history, topping 4,115,000 units since its introduction in 1976. The previous record was held by - you guessed it - another Ford: the Escort sold 4,105,961 units over the course of its 32 years on the British market.
Although the Fiesta is no longer manufactured in the UK (previous versions having been built at Dagenham until 2002), engines are: the EcoBoost line was developed at the company's R&D center in Essex and are built at the factory in Dunton, while its diesel engines were developed at Dagenham in East London. Even the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine in the Fiesta ST is built in South Wales.