1967 Ford Mustang Shelby Trim on 2040-cars

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Listen to the 2016 Shelby GT350R roar

With only 137 examples to be built this year, it may be a while before you get the chance to hear the new Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang clear its throat. Fortunately the boys at the Blue Oval have got that part covered, at least in part, with the release of this video. The short clip is only 25 seconds long, but shows the new track-tuned pony car revving its 5.2-liter V8 heart away on the track. And with output in excess of 500 horses and 400 pound-feet of torque, boy can she sing. This isn't actually the first time we're hearing the new GT350 kick over altogether, but the previous video was taken down shortly after it went up – and that was for the non-R version anyway. This, then, represents the first time to hear the new top-of-the-line pony car doing its thang, and we hope it'll stick around long enough at least for you to get an ear-full. So turn up the speakers, sit back, and hit play to hear the soundtrack that no artificially amplified turbo four will ever manage to replace.

Auto critic calls out Corvette, Mustang and Cherokee faithful

Most automotive purists fear change, but not without reason. Change, after all, did kill big-block V8s, along with most station wagons and manual transmissions. But change has also brought with it far more performance, safety and fuel economy - not to mention ridding the world of shag carpet interiors, bias-ply tires and those horrible motorized seatbelts of the early '90s.
By this time next year, the Chevy Corvette, Jeep Cherokee and next-generation Ford Mustang will all be on sale and will all, in some way, have angered or offended purists. To those critics, Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press is preemptively telling them to stop complaining - at least until they've all been driven. From the Corvette's square taillights and the Cherokee's radical nose to whatever pony car purists will harp on the 2015 Mustang for, Phelan's column points out the positives of automotive evolution and the negatives of staying the course for too long. That's fair enough, but do you think Phelan is on point, or all wet? Head on over to the Detroit Free Press to read his words, then have your say in Comments.

2015 Ford F-150 shaves 700 pounds, adds 2.7-liter EcoBoost [w/video]

The Ford F-150 is one of the best selling vehicles on the planet. Considering that, one can imagine that when it comes time for a redesign, there are hardly any half measures. For its lucky thirteenth generation, Ford has gone all-in on the single most important vehicle in its portfolio, redesigning it from the ground up.
The big news is the F-150's new, lightweight, Atlas-inspired body. Ninety-three percent of that new body is made from a sort of aluminum alloy not unlike what the US military uses in its M2 Bradley fighting vehicles and Humvees, and it accounts for up to 70 percent of the F-150's 700-pound weight reduction. As a side benefit, the aluminum body should prove more resistant to dents and dings. Built Ford tough, indeed.
If you're wondering where the other 30 percent of that 700-pound weight loss went, 8.5 percent (60 pounds) came from the increased use of high-strength steel (up from 23 percent to 77 percent) in its ladder-box frame. Ford claims this steel is comparable to some of the heavy duty pickups used by its competitors, with a PSI rating of 70,000.