2011 Ford F-350 Lariat Crew 4x4 Lift Fx4 20" Wheels 25k Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang rated at 526 hp, 429 lb-ft

When Ford debuted the Shelby GT350 Mustang at the LA Auto Show last year, we were told it'd have more than 500 horsepower and over 400 pound-feet of torque. And indeed it does; Ford confirmed today that its hot 'Stang will make 526 hp at 7,500 rpm and 429 lb-ft at 4,750 rpm. Compared to the GT350's main rival, the Chevy Camaro Z/28, that's an increase of 21 hp, but a loss of 52 lb-ft. That said, this Mustang packs some serious prowess, especially in its most hardcore GT350R trim. It sounds pretty wicked, too. It's worth noting that both the standard GT350 and GT350R use the same engine, with the same output ratings. It's also worth noting that this is a flat-plane-crank engine. It's the most powerful naturally aspirated engine Ford has ever made, with 102 hp per liter. Redline is 8,250 rpm. It's a lightweight engine, too – the 5.2-liter mill weighs less than Ford's own 5.0-liter Coyote V8. Perhaps most impressive is the price point for the 2016 Shelby GT350. The standard car comes in at $47,870, while the GT350R will command $61,370 – a big drop over the Camaro Z/28 and it's $73,300 sticker price (including destination but not gas guzzler charges). Ford confirmed the power output news at a media briefing today near its headquarters in Dearborn, MI. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. Related Video:

Ford fights back against patent trolls

Some people are just awful. Some organizations are just as awful. And when those people join those organizations, we get stories like this one, where Ford has spent the past several years combatting so-called patent trolls. According to Automotive News, these malicious organizations have filed over a dozen lawsuits against the company since 2012. They work by purchasing patents, only to later accuse companies of misusing intellectual property, despite the fact that the so-called patent assertion companies never actually, you know, do anything with said intellectual property. AN reports that both Hyundai and Toyota have been victimized by these companies, with the former forced to pay $11.5 million to a company called Clear With Computers. Toyota, meanwhile, settled with Paice LLC, over its hybrid tech. The world's largest automaker agreed to pay $5 million, on top of $98 for every hybrid it sold (if the terms of the deal included each of the roughly 1.5 million hybrids Toyota sold since 2000, the company would have owed $147 million). Including the previous couple of examples, AN reports 107 suits were filed against automakers last year alone. But Ford is taking action to prevent further troubles... kind of. The company has signed on with a firm called RPX, in what sounds strangely like a protection racket. Automakers like Ford pay RPX around $1.5 million each year for access to its catalog of patents, which it spent nearly $1 billion building. "We take the protection and licensing of patented innovations very seriously," Ford told AN via email. "And as many smart businesses are doing, we are taking proactive steps to protect against those seeking patent infringement litigation." What are your thoughts on this? Should this patent business be better managed? Is it reasonable that companies purchase patents only to file suit against the companies that build actual products? Have your say in Comments.

Ken Block's Gymkhana 8 to feature Dubai Police cars?

Yesterday we showed you the shiny Ford Fiesta that Ken Block will slide, spin, and hoon through the next Gymkhana video. In case the image above isn't clear, that video will drop at midnight EST on February 30th on the Ford Performance YouTube channel. We don't know all the entire premise of the video yet, but this Tweet from the man himself reveals that the video will be set in Dubai. Block is standing on the Fiesta we saw yesterday, and arrayed behind him are a handful of those famous Dubai Police cars you're probably familiar with. The force has a fleet of sportscars and supercars, and the purpose is outreach and goodwill among its citizenry, not necessarily the pursuit of criminals. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. From left to right, we can see a Maserati GranTurismo, Porsche 911, what looks to be a Nissan GT-R obscured by Block's Fiesta, a McLaren (likely a 650S), Ford Mustang, and a Ferrari 599 of some ilk. Will they take part? Maybe Block will try and run from what might be the most horsepower-intensive police fleet in the world. We'll have answers (and a few minutes of pure Block hooniganism) in a few days. Related Video: