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Jay Leno drives postcard-perfect '32 Ford Highboy Roadster

At the turn of the century, it was arguably the Honda Civic that best defined inexpensive performance tuning, and in the '50s it was the Tri-5 Chevys. One of the earliest platforms to gain a huge following among young people looking for a cheap way to go fast was the classic '32 Ford Highboy Roadster. This week, Jay Leno's Garage looks at one of the very first vehicles that defined the look of the hot rod heyday.
This '32 Ford was built in the '40s and graced the cover of the fourth issue of Hot Rod Magazine back in 1948. All of the hot rods that you see shining at car shows today owe a serious debt of gratitude to this roadster. It bears all of the cues that define the look, including a notched frame and hidden door hinges. Under the three-piece hood is a flathead V8 boasting all sorts of period modifications, including copper cylinder heads. It was seriously fast in its era too, and proved it by reaching 112.21 miles per hour on a dry lakebed in 1947.
These days, this hot rod is on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Although, if you can't make it to California to see it, the United States Postal Service is celebrating this Ford with one of its two hot rod Forever stamps. Like Jay says in the video, in terms of hot rodding, "it all comes back to this." Check out the video to learn more about this rolling piece of tuning history.

2015 Ford F-150 pricing announced, aluminum-bodied truck up just $395

The eagerly anticipated Ford F-150 has had its 2015 pricing announced, adding only a small amount to the pickup's total cost, despite its weight-saving aluminum body. The XL and XLT entry level models only see a $395 boost over the heavier, current-generation, 2014 truck.
The XL starts at $26,615 while the XLT rings up at $31,890. The increase for Lariat is up a similarly negligible $895, to $39,880. Going up the ladder, meanwhile, the leather-intensive King Ranch sees the biggest jump of the F-150 family, with prices increasing $3,515, to $49,460. Finally, picking up the top-end Platinum trim will cost an extra $3,055, with prices starting at $52,155.
The higher prices are being blamed not only on the aluminum bodies, which trim up to 700 pounds of body fat, but on increased levels of standard equipment. While we were expecting a price hike, the fact that the 2015 F-150's volume trims - Ford spokesman Mike Levine told Reuters that the XL and XLT alone cover 70 percent of F-150 sales - have had less than a $400 increase is hugely impressive.

Ford Fiesta RS with 250 horsepower mooted

We know Ford is unveiling a new Focus RS on February 3, and it's heavily rumored to arrive brandishing an all-wheel-drive powertrain and as much as 350 horsepower. The folks at Ford Performance have also promised they are working on at least 12 models through 2020, and that still leaves a lot of time to get additional exciting vehicles out the door. One of those could be an RS version of the Fiesta, according to Evo. An RS take on the latest Fiesta would obviously need substantial boosts in both power and handling ability to warrant the work over the current top Fiesta ST (pictured above), which is already one of our favorite cars. Evo speculates that the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder could be tuned further, possibly up to about 250 horsepower, and the high-performance hatch might even take some inspiration from the Fiesta WRC rally car with an all-wheel drive system. An unnamed Ford spokesperson remained cagey about the chances for the pint-sized hot hatch to Evo, though. "We can't say anything at this moment, but we have promised to produce 12 performance models in the coming years. We'll leave it for you to decide whether that includes a Fiesta at this moment," the source said to the magazine. Evo doesn't expect a launch across the pond until at least 2017, if it actually happens. Of course, there's the lingering question of whether such a niche project would work in the US. In Europe, the Fiesta RS would challenge similarly diminutive speedsters like the Volkswagen Polo R and Audi S1, but true competitors of an equivalent size here would be much more scarce. In fact with 250 hp, the hotter Fiesta could provide unwelcome competition within Blue Oval showrooms for the Focus ST. Featured Gallery 2014 Ford Fiesta ST View 47 Photos News Source: EvoImage Credit: Ford Ford Hatchback Performance ford performance ford fiesta rs