1972 Ford F100 Shortbed Ranger,ratrod,shoptruck,hotrod on 2040-cars

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What's in a trademark? Sometimes, the next iconic car name

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is a treasure trove for auto enthusiasts, especially those who double as conspiracy theorists.
Why has Toyota applied to trademark "Supra," the name of one of its legendary sports cars, even though it hasn't sold one in the United States in 16 years? Why would General Motors continue to register "Chevelle" long after one of the most famous American muscle cars hit the end of the road? And what could Chrysler possibly do with the rights to "313," the area code for Detroit?

We drive the 2016 Ford F-750 Tonka dump truck

The Ford F-750 dump truck stands nearly 10 feet tall and is painted bright yellow. It idles patiently yards away from Ford's test track in Dearborn, MI. "Tonka" is emblazoned on the sides. We pose the obvious question to Ford marketing manager Mark Lowrey: Why do this? "We built this truck to get attention," he replies. And indeed it does. Ford revealed the 2016 F-750 Tonka dump truck in March at an industry show, underscoring that the Blue Oval is back in the business of big trucks after years of teaming with Navistar in a joint venture. The new F-650s and F-750s start rolling off the line at a factory near Cleveland this summer, and the order bank is open now. The trucks come in regular, super, and crew cabs and offer three states of tune for the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel, plus a gasoline-fed 6.8-liter V10. Naturally, the Tonka has most powerful diesel mill, with 330 horsepower and 725 pound-feet of torque. The Tonka edition is a paint-and-sticker one-off that Ford is using as a promotional tool. You can't buy one, and it will be touring shows and events throughout the year. Lowrey notes that it calls attention to work trucks in a positive way. The general public usually only sees them when the trucks are blocking the road or making too much noise at a construction site. Tonka trucks, on the other hand, conjure up happy childhood memories. "We're going to do something where someone's going to see this truck and smile," he says. It's hard not to grin as we climb into the cabin of this monster truck. It has a 33,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating and can carry five yards worth of dirt. We're not doing anything like that today – just puttering around Ford's handling circuit inside its product enclave. The course is closed, so even though this track is better suited to calibrating Mustangs, F-150s, and well, almost anything but a dump truck, we're totally relaxed. We depress the button to release the parking brake and are off. The truck is surprisingly easy to drive. The vision ahead is excellent – makes sense, we're nearly one story off the ground, after all. The cabin is simple and cleanly laid out. It looks like a Ford truck, regardless of the size. The diesel engine has a lot of grunt. We can feel the torque. The steering is light, and we have to stomp on the air brakes to slow this thing down. We go 'hot' into a tight corner just for fun. It's not really that fast, but it raises the eyebrows of our film crew, which is set up nearby.

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.