1971 Ranchero Gt, 351c-4v, Hide-a-ways, Gt Hood on 2040-cars

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Hot Wheels Ford Transit Connect is worth more if we keep it in the box

If the 2014 Transit Connect is anything like it's utile current-generation predecessor, and we suspect it is, it will undoubtedly be one of the most functional vehicles in North America. Ford has used the occasion of SEMA to turn the TC in to things that both make use of that functionality, and occasionally sort of wreck it in the name of good old-fashioned fun. The Ford Hot Wheels Transit Connect most certainly falls into that second category.
Most TC owners might cite the vehicle's massive cargo capacity as its top positive trait, though in the case of this wide-bodied Transit said space has been sapped in the name of a 55-inch television screen, a massive Hot Wheels drag strip (continuing a popular theme at SEMA this year) and custom storage for dozens of models from one's personal hot wheels collection. Designers have also plucked the grippy Recaro seats from the Focus ST, and thrown in a pair of 18-inch tablet screens for connectivity on the go.
Naturally, the Transit Connect wouldn't be an appropriate SEMA vehicle, or Hot Wheels name-bearer, if it weren't wearing an eye-popping appearance package. Additional homage to the Focus RS can be found in the blazing blue and orange front fascia and bumpers, while 20-inch wheels make sure the wider (four-inches in front and six-inches in the back) Transit Connect sits just right. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder-engine that powers the Hot Wheels TC ensures that the concept is more show than go, but you probably had that pegged from your first look, anyway.

Ford cuts production at 5 plants, has big backload of cars including Mustang

DETROIT — Ford said on Tuesday it plans to idle five North American vehicle assembly plants for a total of 10 weeks to reduce inventories of slow-selling models. The plants affected include three assembly plants in the United States and two in Mexico, the company said in a statement. The vehicle models include the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ midsize sedans, the Ford Focus compact car, the Lincoln Continental and Ford Mustang, Ford Fiesta and the Ford Transit van. Ford said the Cuautitlan assembly plant that builds the Fiesta would be idled for three weeks. The Hermosillo, Mexico plant that builds the Fusion and MKZ and the Flat Rock, Michigan, factory that assembles Continentals and Mustangs will be idled for two weeks each. The Michigan Assembly plant that builds the Focus will be idled for one week, and the Kansas City assembly line that builds Transit vans will be down for two weeks. Ford did not give dates for the temporary shutdowns. The factories involved employ more than 15,000 people, according to Ford's website. The company did not say how many of those workers would face temporary layoffs. As of Sept. 1, Ford had 111 days' worth of unsold Mustangs, 87 days' supply of Fusions, and a 103 days' supply of Transit vans, according to Automotive News. Dealers had enough unsold Lincoln Continentals to last 162 days. Automakers aim for 65 to 70 days of inventory of most models. Ford and rival General Motors have wrestled most of this year to rein in high inventories of passenger cars as consumers have shifted to buying pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Production cuts slice into revenue, but also could help the automakers avoid deeper price cuts on vehicles they can sell. Reporting by Joe WhiteRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Plants/Manufacturing Ford Lincoln Convertible Coupe Minivan/Van Sedan ford transit inventory flat rock kansas city assembly plant hermosillo

Watch divers pull 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1, Mazda RX-7 from a river

It’s like the ultimate barn find, only swap out the relatively ideal dry confines of a barn for a watery grave. Adventures with Purpose, a YouTube channel devoted to the exploits of a group of divers in Oregon that specializes in pulling submerged cars from the water, recently found six vehicles in the Tualatin River, near Portland. The most notable finds? A 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 fastback and a Mazda RX-7 sports car, plus a Chevrolet LUV pickup, which is not shown being pulled from the water. As you might expect, neither are exactly in top condition, with the badly rusted Mustang basically disintegrating into scrap pieces as itÂ’s pulled onto a flatbed truck parked on a boat ramp. The RX-7, meanwhile, is caked with mud, its windshield and roof crumpled, but itÂ’s basically intact. A hat tip goes to CarBuzz for spotting the videos. The divers use inflatable salvage bags to help raise the vehicles. They removed the MustangÂ’s rusted and encrusted V8 first — the '73 model came with either 302 or 351 engines — and had to pause to remove some of the thick mud that had built up inside the car. Other things they found from both pulls include an old sledgehammer, a stop sign and a rusted Washington state license plate. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The crew say they received a call from someone who told them theyÂ’d find plenty of vehicles in the river. The whole Mach 1 salvage operation took two days. “A lot of you are going to be a bit upset at how destroyed the Mustang Mach 1 became after we tried removing it from the river,” the team wrote in its description. “In our defense, there was an extra 8,000 pounds of mud inside the car, along with the Mustang being underwater in the river for over 40 years.” The Adventures with Purpose team says it has recovered 326 cars, six guns, two bodies and a tractor, among things. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.     Ford Mazda Coupe Performance Classics