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Texas plumber shocked his old Ford F-250 is now in terrorists' hands [w/video]

Do you ever wonder what the a owner is doing with your vehicle after you trade it in? Mark Oberholtzer of Mark-1 Plumbing in Texas City, TX, has no need to imagine, but it's probably his worst nightmare. That's because an image of his old Ford F-250 is now on Twitter as a gun platform in the Syrian Civil War. While the image only appeared recently, Oberholtzer traded the truck in last November. Somehow since then the F-250 made its way from Texas to Syria. According to a report from television station WHOU, the dealer that took the trade said the pickup immediately went to auction. Unfortunately, along the whole route no one ever took Mark-1 Plumbing's name and phone number off the door. So when the image went up on Twitter, everyone knew whom the Ford previously belonged to. The plumbing company makes it abundantly clear that this whole bizarre situation is simply a coincidence, and it has absolutely no ties to the conflict in Syria. However, that isn't preventing people from phoning the business with angry calls and threats. Things are so bad that Oberholtzer keeps the phones unplugged for relief. Scroll down to watch a video of the guy's flabbergasted reaction to finding out what his F-250 is doing now. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Junkyard Gem: 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis LS

Ford's now-defunct Mercury Division first began using the Marquis name in 1967, on a sporty full-size hardtop based on the Ford LTD, then began offering the Grand Marquis beginning in the 1979 model year. These big, boxy luxury sedans were replaced by big, curvy luxury sedans (on the same platform) starting with the 1992 model year, so today's Junkyard Gem is one of the very last squared-off Grand Marquises ever built. The 1991 Grand Marquis (or "Grandma Keith," as many refer to it today) looks nearly identical to its 1979 predecessor at a glance, just as the 2011 model doesn't differ much from the 1992 model. Ford saw no reason to follow short-lived fashion trends with its simple, sturdy rear-wheel-drive sedan. Only two Grand Marquis trim levels were available for 1991: the base GS and the (somewhat) upscale LS. The former listed at $18,741 and the latter at $19,241, which comes to about $41,494 and $42,601, respectively, in inflated 2022 dollars). This interior would have seemed comfortingly familiar to a 1968 (or even 1958) Mercury owner time-traveling to 1991.  This is the optional "full grain leather seating surface," which cost an extra $489 (about $1,083 today). Dig those opera lights! Air conditioning was standard equipment in the 1991 Grand Marquis and its wagon counterpart, the Colony Park. The engine is the good old pushrod 5.0-liter Windsor V8, which would be replaced by a far more modern 4.6-liter SOHC mill in the '92 Grand Marquis. This engine was rated at 180 horsepower. A four-speed automatic was the only transmission available. The early 1990s ended up being the last gasp for padded vinyl roofs being considered mainstream equipment on new Detroit cars; this one was called the "Formal Coach" roof and cost an additional 725 bucks ($1,605 now). Such roofs were still available on a few cars later in the decade, but their time had passed. Why would such a clean Grandma Keith end up in a place like this? That's easy: it got T-boned directly into the right front wheel, mangling the body and bending up the suspension. This damage might have been worth fixing when the car was five years old, but it's a write-off when it happens to a 31-year-old Ford Panther. 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis Commercial - Savings Ad The granddaddy of them all, and on sale in South Texas! Related video: 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid test drive Autoblog

Matt Damon is Carroll Shelby, with Christian Bale in Ford vs. Ferrari film

Right after we reported that one of the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40s is coming up for auction, word got round that its story will now be turned into a Hollywood movie. There will be an as-yet-untitled major motion picture that tells the story of Ford battling Ferrari in the 1960s, culminating in the Ford GT40's dramatic 1-2-3 finish in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The movie has lined up an all-star cast, with "Batman" and "American Psycho" actor Christian Bale tapped to play key GT40 developer, test driver and racer Ken Miles, and "Punisher" actor Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca. The plum role of Carroll Shelby is going to Matt Damon, last seen driving across the Red Planet in "The Martian" or down a flight of stairs in the "Bourne" film series. The film's director will be James Mangold, known from directing last year's "Logan." View 37 Photos Autoweek reports that the original screenplay was based on A.J. Baime's book " Go Like Hell," but there will be a different screenplay written from scratch. Originally, "Go Like Hell" was to be a different project starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Meanwhile, the book will reportedly be turned into a TV series produced by Peter Dinklage of "Game of Thrones." And meanwhile some more, there are also competing Enzo Ferrari biopics in the works starring Robert De Niro and another starring Hugh Jackman that will also surely touch on the rivalry with Ford. While there's no guarantee yet that the GT40 biopic will match Steve McQueen's "Le Mans," we're got high hopes. It's a great story worthy of all the attention it's getting. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Celebrities Motorsports Rumormill TV/Movies Ferrari Ford Automotive History Racing Vehicles ford gt40