1948 Ford F1 Rat Rod on 2040-cars

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Watch Ken Block play traffic cop in ’Top Gear’ teaser

BBC is teasing a new series of 'Top Gear' starring the rally racer and Hoonigans honcho Ken Block and promising that series 25 is "coming soon." Block plays a police officer (with a Los Angeles Police Department badge, no less) in an off-road 4x4 vehicle in the 30-second clip, jumping off obstacles and tearing through dirt in an industrial area near snow-capped mountains. He gives chase to show hosts Matt LeBlanc, in a yellow Ford Mustang, Rory Reid and Chris Harris, who steers a McLaren 570S. It looks like they're having more fun that the rest of us. LeBlanc has said the next season of episodes will aim to attract a younger, more diverse audience with more comedy. Series 25 is expected to launch in spring, perhaps after the wrap-up of the second season of 'The Grand Tour.'Related Video: Celebrities TV/Movies Ford McLaren Off-Road Vehicles Performance Top Gear Ken Block

Is this the 2017 Ford Fusion?

Thanks to the sharp eyes of an anonymous tipster, you're looking at what may very well be the 2017 Ford Fusion. We know Ford's midsize sedan is in line for a makeover, and judging by the spy shots we've already seen, the somewhat blurry photo above matches what we're expecting to see. Styling updates won't be major, which is probably wise considering how well-received the current car's overall look was when it debuted as a 2013 model. The most immediately obvious styling tweak is a more taut fascia, with a grille that's pulled wider and pointier than the current Fusion. A shapely pair of headlights flank that new grille, and at the lower corners, angular new blades that may or may not house driving lights are new decorations to the Fusion's face. We don't see any changes to the car's bodysides, and with just one angle to dissect, we'll just have to guess at what the next Fusion will look like from the rear. Take a good look at the image above and let us know what you think. Is this indeed the 2017 Ford Fusion, and if so, is it a step in the right direction? Related Video: News Source: Ford (PDF link) Design/Style Ford Sedan

Shelby GT350R offers first mass-produced carbon fiber wheels

In the world of race engineering, reducing total weight is good, but reducing unsprung weight is flippin' fantastic. That's the reason Ford is pushing the envelope in terms of technology for the Shelby GT350R's wheels. Joining the likes of Koenigsegg in the offering, Ford has teamed with Australian outfit Carbon Revolution to produce the CF rollers en masse for the first time. Destined for the hubs of the new Shelby GT350R, the new hoops weigh just 18 pounds each, versus the 33-lbs weight of a similar aluminum wheel. On top of slashing up to 60 pounds in unsprung weight, there's such a reduction in rotational inertia – 40 percent, versus aluminum wheels – that Ford actually has to recalibrate the magnetic ride control system and springs. Thanks to, we're guessing, scenes of crashed Formula One cars disintegrating and spewing shards of carbon fiber all over the track, Ford seems quite keen to do away with the idea that CF is strong, but brittle. The company conducted extensive shock testing, ramming a wheel into a curb at speed. According to the Blue Oval, the lightweight wheel allowed the suspension to respond so quickly that the impact was "greatly diminished," causing the tester to run the experiment again, thinking there'd been a mistake. After recording brake rotor temperatures of 900 degrees Celsius (over 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit, or well past the point that aluminum or magnesium would melt) during testing, Ford and Carbon Revolution actually redesigned the wheels to "a thermal standard more suitable for motorsports," by adding an "incredibly thin, nearly diamond-hard coating that reliably shields the resin from heat." The same process was used to protect engine turbine blades on the Space Shuttle. While the work by Ford and Carbon Revolution should make GT350R customers excited, the work being done here could have serious implications for performance cars in the future. That's the real takeaway here, and is something that should leave fans of all performance vehicles excited.