1970 Ford Torino Gt Convertible 351c on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lewis Hamilton owns 15 cars, uses tow trucks to keep the mileage low

No matter how you feel about Lewis Hamilton off the track, it's impossible not to respect his talent behind the wheel. Currently, Hamilton is the second most successful Formula One driver of all time. His 67 wins and four championships place him only behind Michael Schumacher's 91 wins and seven championships. With all those winnings, Hamilton has racked up a decent personal fortune, much of which he uses to buy cars. Except he doesn't drive them quite as much as you might think. According to The Sunday Times, Hamilton's net worth of just over $207 million makes him one of the richest sports figures in the UK, just behind David Beckham. In a recent interview with the British newspaper, Hamilton gave some details on his personal car collection. His first car was a used Mini Cooper, soon followed by a Mercedes-Benz C200. Both have long since been replaced by a pair of original Shelby Cobras, a 1967 Shelby GT500, a Ferrari 599 SA Aperta, two LaFerraris (a red coupe and a white Aperta), a McLaren P1 and a Pagani Zonda 760 equipped with a manual transmission. All in, Hamilton has about 15 cars split between homes in Monaco and Los Angeles. Unsurprisingly, he has a Mercedes-AMG Project One ( a car that shares more than a little with his F1 W09 EQ Power+ race car) on the way. Hamilton has some hot takes on his personal collection. "The Zonda is terrible to drive," he said. "It's the best-sounding car I own, but handling-wise it's the worst. I got it in manual because I didn't like the tiptronic version. The tiptronic Pagani offered was worse than the Smart Roadster I had." He also says his Shelby Mustang is a "beautiful car, but a heap of junk." In order to keep the miles down (and valuations up), Hamilton apparently has a tow truck on retainer in Los Angeles. When he's finished driving one of his Ferraris, he'll have the car towed back to his place. Classic cars are becoming a solid and serious investment, and Hamilton doesn't want to squander his wealth like some other athletes. That said, there are a couple more cars Hamilton would love to own, including a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (the one with the gullwing doors) and a Ferrari 250GT California Spyder (the one from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"). Related Video:

Ford earnings take a dive on investment, slowing sales; workers get $6,900 in profit sharing

Ford Motor Company's pre-tax profits for 2014 took a beating, falling to $6.3 billion, a $2.3-billion drop from 2013, while overall revenues fell from $139.4 billion to $135.8 billion. Net income for 2014, meanwhile, plunged 56 percent, from $7.18 billion to $3.19 billion. Yeah, those aren't great numbers. While Ford's figures are largely down across the board, some of the weaker numbers aren't too difficult to explain away. The company launched 24 vehicles across the globe in 2014, including some of its biggest and most important volume models, like the 2015 F-150, as well as iconic offerings like the new Mustang. The result of this is both increased investment as well as a drop in total sales – US market numbers were down 164,000 units compared to 2013. Recall claims and high warranty costs also did a number on the Blue Oval. "2014 was a solid yet challenging year for Ford - with our investments and a record number of new products launched around the world positioning us for strong growth this year and beyond," Ford CEO Mark Fields said in a statement. Ford's 50,180 UAW workers in the United States will receive profit-sharing checks of $6,900. In some markets, Ford's fortunes were impacted by outside factors. Europe, for example, recorded more sales (up 70,000 units) and higher revenues (up $2.2 billion), but still reported a $443-million pre-tax loss. Blame was placed on the crumbling Russian economy, which has suffered from sanctions and slumping oil prices. Despite its troubles last year, the company still seems bullish on 2015. Ford's pre-tax outlook remains unchanged, as the company expects to make anywhere from $8.5 to $9.5 billion on the back of higher revenue from the company's automotive operations. We expect strong growth and improved financial performance in 2015 driven by our investments in new products and capacity," Ford CFO Bob Shanks said of the company's future.

MMD by Foose 2015 Mustang GT gets 810 hp and one lucky winner

Modern Muscle Design worked with the one and only Chip Foose to create this, the MMD by Foose 810-horsepower 2015 Ford Mustang GT. Several things will come of the collaboration, the best one for you being that you have a chance to win the coupe this Summer at the AmericanMuscle Mustang show in Pennsylvania. As of right now you can enter at the AmericanMuscle site, and if your name is pulled from the hat then MMD will fly you to the show in August and Foose will personally hand the car over to you. For everyone else, there is still plenty to pay attention to. The 5.0-liter Coyote V8 gets 375 more horsepower courtesy of a modified 2.9-liter, twin-screw Whipple supercharger from Bama Performance. By the time those horses stampede down a carbon fiber driveshaft, MMD says there are 650 of them left to turn the 20-inch Foose wheels. If you want to take your own Mustang in this direction, there will be a selection of parts created for this car coming later this summer under the MMD by Foose banner, including the hood and side scoops, rocker panels, and chin spoiler. The show car also gets a Vogtland Sport Suspension and a Magnaflow Competition cat-back exhaust. Check out the press release below for more information. MODERN MUSCLE DESIGN AND CHIP FOOSE DEBUT 800+ HORSEPOWER MUSTANG IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MMD by Foose 2015 Mustang to be Personally Given Away by Chip Foose at AmericanMuscle's 2015 Mustang Show this Summer MALVERN, Pa. (May 20, 2015) – Modern Muscle Design (MMD), the leader in aftermarket Mustang styling, along with the renowned vehicle designer, Chip Foose, today unveiled a one-off 810-horsepower supercharged MMD by Foose 2015 Mustang GT at Foose Design Inc. headquarters in Huntington Beach, California. Today's reveal comes ahead of the annual AmericanMuscle Mustang Show in Pennsylvania where the custom-built Mustang will be given away. The 2015 AmericanMuscle Mustang Show is the 7th annual charity all-Mustang car show in which 10,000+ spectators and nearly 3,000 Mustangs gather to benefit this year's charity, Make-A-Wish®. At the heart of MMD by Foose is a 5.0 liter V8 engine producing more than 810 horsepower at the crank courtesy of a specially tuned version of Bama Performance's 2.9-liter twin scroll Whipple supercharger. After being routed through the transmission, a custom carbon fiber driveshaft and upgraded axles from The Driveshaft Shop, 650 horsepower reaches the custom 20" Foose Design wheels wrapped in Pirelli tires.