1963 Ford Custom Cab Stepside Short Bed on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2015 Ford F-150 specs revealed, EcoBoost 2.7L to make 325 hp and 375 lb-ft [w/video]

Our new man Greg Migliore is in attendance at a Ford media event at the Blue Oval's Dearborn, MI headquarters today, and he's reported in with a handful of the 2015 F-150 stats that we've been dying to know. Ford is slow-playing the news release here, but we can still offer up some interesting output and performance figures after half-year of waiting.
We have all be quite aware that Ford's shift to aluminum construction would save a lot of weight for F-150 models, and the results we're hearing now are duly impressive. For instance: in Super Crew trim, a 2015 F-150 is a whopping 732-pounds lighter than was its closest 2014-model-year equivalent. That's like hauling three middle-aged dudes to your bowling alley's league night for free. Polish your balls, guys.
Ford isn't willing to offer up any actual curb weights just yet, but if we take that 732-pound loss and extrapolate with the 5,128-pound curb weight of the 2014 F-150 Super Crew with the 3.7-liter V6, we can guesstimate that 2015 models will measure out in the 4,400-pound range. That's impressive.

Ford reveals concept trucks that ultimately became Atlas

The Ford Atlas Concept was one of the quiet success stories of the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, and now Ford has given us a quick glimpse as to how that creation came to be. Designers actually combined two early sketches to build the Atlas. One, called the Bullet Train, is a futuristic, aerodynamic creation, while the other, aptly named the Locomotive, features the squared off proportions we're familiar with.
Once designers settled on the truck's proportions, they began nailing down exactly which attributes they wanted the final design to have. The Concept's notched windshield originated as a forked glass roof that seamlessly transitioned into the windscreen.
Likewise, designers wanted to fit the truck's tailgate with a storage compartment for tools and a first aid kit, but settled on the dual-purpose step/cargo cradle. Interestingly enough, the concept's active aero shutter wheels actually originated in some of the earliest sketches. Check out the photos and slides here for a closer look.

Hennessey showcases F-250 VelociRaptor SUV

With automakers embracing smaller and smaller crossovers with each passing year, it'd be all too easy to forget about the Ford Excursion. Bigger than the Expedition (or just about anything else on or off the road), the Excursion was based on Ford's Super Duty truck chassis to put even the likes of the Chevy Suburban, Nissan Armada, and Toyota Sequoia to shame. It ceased production ten years ago now, but Hennessey is bringing it back – sort of. Feast your eyes on the Hennessey VelociRaptor SUV. The design calls for a very fullsize, truck-based sport-ute based on the Ford F-250. Only instead of a pickup bed, it's got four proper side doors and a covered cargo bay with a pair of barn doors at the back. Hennessey will fit it with three rows of seats to accommodate seven or eight passengers, and of course it'll offer a range of upgraded engines as well. What starts out with a 6.2-liter V8 producing 411 horsepower can be supercharged all the way up to 600 or even 650 horses. For those who don't want to spend their life's savings at the pump... well, this probably isn't the right choice of automobile, but Hennessey will offer an enhanced 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel with 440 hp and 880 pound-feet of stump-pullin' muscle. Naturally there'll be other visual and mechanical upgrades on offer as well, but none of this will come cheap – or fast for that matter. Hennessey will take six months to put one together, and demand nearly $160,000 for the conversion.