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The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.

02/11/2010 | By: Colum Wood

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Ford crammed literally dozens of cars and trucks into its booth at the SEMA Show this year, but of the group there was one definitive showstopper. During the press conference, only one car remained under wraps and that was the Team Need for Speed 1969 Ford Mustang RTR-X, built with input by Ford driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. and set to appear virtually in an upcoming Need for Speed game.

Based on the 1969 Dynacorn body Mustang (a recreation of the original fastback model using Ford tooling), the chassis is custom built, as is the suspension setup, to allow for an extra low ride height as well as some serious (50 to 60 degree) steering angle. After all, this is no trailer Queen. No, Gittin intends to drift the car like he would any other.

Under the hood is a new 5.0-liter V8 engine from the 2011 Mustang GT, pumped up to 440-hp at close to 8000 rpm. And who can miss the Kinsler individual throttle bodies?

Outside there’s plenty of custom bodywork including the massive fender flares. According to Gittin, he and his team took inspiration not just from race cars and classic American muscle, but also from old Japanese sports cars (we spy a little Datsun in the design). And speaking of old school Japanese cars, the RTR-X gets a set of Work Meister rims (designed after Gittin’s own drift car) wrapped in Falken RT615-K tires.

Other modern highlights for the RTR-X include an updated interior with digital gauges, as well as plenty of carbon fiber and Alcantara.

We can’t wait to see what this beauty is capable of.

GALLERY: Team Need for Speed 1969 Ford Mustang RTR-X

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See after the jump for video of the car:

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01/11/2010 | By: Colum Wood

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With so many crimes against automotive design and general good taste set to be revealed at the SEMA Show this week, he no holds barred approach to car customization could use a little policing. And what better way to keep the peace than in Ford‘s Police Interceptor Stealth concept.

Set to debut tomorrow alongside a long list of Fiestas, Mustangs and F-Series trucks, this SEMA Show car takes inspiration from the SR-71 Stealth bomber and applies it to Ford’s Taurus SHO. Compared to Ford’s official Police Interceptor, this concept car is lowered by 1-inch and includes some massive 22-inch black wheels. It also gets the complete blacked-out treatment, with dark tint, smoke taillights and exterior brightwork that’s all been painted black.

We just have one question, is it OK to say that a police cruiser has been “murdered out?”

With the 2010 SEMA Show starting tomorrow, we’ll be sure to bring you more photos of the Ford Police Interceptor Stealth Concept soon. Until then, check out our SEMA Preview here.

GALLERY: Ford Police Interceptor Stealth Concept

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Official release after the jump:

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15/10/2010 | By: Colum Wood

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Ford has just announced the remainder of its SEMA lineup of custom cars, which will joint the eight Fiestas on display at Ford’s usually huge presence at the aftermarket expo. Along with a mishmash of other customized Fords, the Blue Oval will use the show to put the focus on its new 2011 Explorer crossover, showing off three modified versions of the “truck” in three different styles: Urban, Luxury and Adventure.

Not surprisingly the Urban Explorer was created by Funkmaster Flex, while Galpin Auto Sports built the Luxury model (above), complete with 24-inch wheels. Finally there’s the Lifestyle model built by CGS Motorsports with some up-scale touches while also highlighting the adventurous side of the crossover with items like carbon fiber bicycles.

In addition to the Explorer, Ford will also have on hand two Taurus SHOs, including one built by H&R Springs and another by Rick Bottom Designs with a 16,000 watt audio system. A pretty-tacking looking Ford Edge by K-Daddy Kustomz will also be a part of the display, as will a Ford Fusion Sport by Steeda Autosports with plenty of suspension upgrades. And finally, there’s the Lincoln MKX by the ID Agency. Normally a custom Lincoln isn’t worth much of a mention, but this one looks impressive and is described as a “Urban Assault Vehicle.”

Check out all the pictures of Ford’s 2010 SEMA Lineup in the gallery below, especially the Lincoln and check out AutoGuide’s complete 2010 SEMA Preview page, which will be updated with live coverage from the show starting November 2nd.

GALLERY: Ford’s 2010 SEMA Show Lineup

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Official release after the jump:

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15/09/2010 | By: Colum Wood

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In case the new 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 isn’t enough to satisfy your craving for speed, Carroll Shelby’s Shelby American tuning shop will now offer an aftermarket Super Snake tuning package that will deliver up to 800-hp. That’s right, because the 550-hp machine isn’t enough already.

The Super Snake kit will include a 6-speed manual transmission with 3.73:1 axle ratio, a Ford Racing handling pack, (or optional Shelby/Eibach package), Baer brakes, 20-inch wheels, a Borla exhaust and lots of unique badging etc. Under the hood, the standard package will include a 660-hp Shelby/Ford Racing supercharger. Customers can opt for a more powerful (750-hp) version of that blower or a Shelby/Kenne Bell supercharger kit, with the big dog 800-hp kit topping out the range.

Pricing starts at $30,245 (plus the price of your Mustang GT).

GALLERY: 2011 Shelby GT500 Super Snake

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Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Review by Clicking Here

Full details available after the jump:

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11/09/2010 | By: Jason Siu

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So you’ve gotten yourself a 2010 Ford Mustang and the 2011 Ford Mustang has been announced and you’re a little… disappointed. Your first thoughts are to trade in your 2010, but then you realize it’s not a wise investment. Your second thought is to hit the Internet to scour the web to make your 2010 Mustang cooler than ever before. Well, it’s a good thing Cervini’s has your back and at this year’s SEMA show they’ll be showing off their Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (aka Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds) styled body kit for the 2010 Ford Mustang.

It’s a shame the kit won’t come with an Angelina Jolie replica, but for the right price you’ll be getting yourself a urethane hood, front bumper, side skirts, side scoops, rear valence, spoiler, front billet grills, fog lights and a side-exit exhaust system. It may be a little over the top for some Mustang owners looking for something conservative, but we’ve gotta say, it’s pretty cool that Cervini not only manufactures the kit in high quality urethane, but found a way to blend the nostalgic Shelby styling to the new-age Ford Mustang.

No pricing has been released yet and only the hood and side scoops are available for purchase now. But Cervini has stated that the full kit will be available to the general public within two months.

AutoGuide.com will make sure to snap some live shots of the ‘Stang at SEMA 2010.

10/09/2010 | By: Jason Siu

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We’re probably missing something here, but clearly there’s a higher demand for armored vehicles than we ever thought. First was the Jaguar XJ Sentinel, that we just had to poke a little bit of fun at, and now Hennessey has gotten their hands dirty by armor-plating their modified Raptor and even adding the APV designation to the model name further reinforcing that this won’t be Hennessey’s only armor-plated vehicle.

The current render that we’re staring at (done by none other than Jon Sibal) is their Hennessey VelociRaptor APV which is based off of a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew. The rear has been modified to accommodate additional passengers in complete comfort and security.

This particular Raptor has been outfitted with Hennessey’s 6.2L supercharged V8 that puts out 575-hp. And while we have to question just who needs to have an armored SUV packing close to 600-hp, we’re glad Hennessey offers the non-armored version too.

We can’t wait to see the other variations of APV vehicles they’ll be working on. The future list looks to include vehicles from Nissan, Jeep, Land Rover and Land Cruiser.

GALLERY: Hennessey Armored Ford Raptor Supercharged SUV

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03/09/2010 | By: Jason Siu

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Carroll Shelby, meet Brett Favre. Brett Favre, meet Carroll Shelby. Something tells us that no matter how much Shelby wants to believe he’s going to retire and stop building complete cars, it’ll be a while until we see the last of him and his awesome creations.

The newest to hit the rumor mill is Shelby’s idea of a new generation GT500 sporting a twin-turbo setup and pushing out over 1000-hp. And it won’t come cheap, at a proposed price of $100,000. At the heart of it all will be Shelby’s in-house developed 5.4L V8 paired to a six-speed transmission.

Packing over 1,000-hp normally means this vehicle will be setup to be used on the track more so than the street. So beefy brakes from Shelby/Baer (sporting six-piston calipers) and a 10-point roll cage would just be the bare necessities. Ford Racing suspension and drag axles along with safety loops on the driveshaft setup the car to be a real track bruiser.

It’s also mentioned that the GT500 might sport a dual fuel system to accompany race fuel. And on the outside it’ll sport a custom widebody kit with 20-inch Alcoa wheels. There aren’t any plans of gutting the interior either, leather seats and a premium stereo system will still have a home.

We find it hard to believe with all the new toys at Shelby’s disposal now that he’d find a way to retire. And much like good ‘ol Favre we’ll expect a lot of back and forth indecisiveness and at the end of the day, great creations will still come.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

30/08/2010 | By: Jason Siu

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The all new 2011 Ford Mustang is already receiving plenty of praise and acclaim out there on the market, bringing performance and style at an affordable price. And Ford has taken some notes at other successful manufacturers out there by looking to unleash several special edition Ford Mustangs to the public. One of these has recently been revealed as the DUB Edition Package.

Surprisingly, the DUB Edition Ford Mustang V6 package isn’t overinflated in terms of pricing with an MSRP of $3,599.00. Considering all that you’re getting with the package, we think it’s a pretty good deal – that is, if you’re a fan “urban” Mustangs. On the outside, Roush aero components are subtle, but clean while a Ford accessories hood scoop makes the Mustang more aggressive. The stripe package we could do without, but the lowered stance (thanks to springs) and 3.31 gears are welcomed changes in the performance department. Rounding off the exterior is a set of 20-inch TIS wheels wrapped with Pirelli tires. Not exactly our cup of tea, but we guess they could have done much worse. We’re more curious as to whether or not they’ll offer color choices of if they’ll only be available with a black lip for the DUB edition. And it’s worth mentioning that the interior receives DUB-embroidered headrests, just to reiterate what you spent your hard-earned money on.

Apparently 1,000 of these limited edition packages will be available through 2012 and DUB is already looking towards coming up with a package for the V8 Mustang. If you’re interested, they’ll be available at Ford dealers starting next week.

[Source: Autoblog]

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28/08/2010 | By: Jason Siu

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Ford and Roush go together like peanut butter and jelly. You can have one without another, but it’s just not the same. Ford’s new 2011 Mustang 5.0 has already been getting tons of acclaim and now Roush will be taking it to a whole new level in performance. For a retail price of $5,999.00, your 2011 Mustang can have upwards of 550-hp and 470 ft-lbs of torque!

The Roushcharger Tuner Kit (part # 421140) is based on the popular TVS2300 Roushcharger and comes with a 90mm pulley that puts out approximate seven pounds of boost. To ensure the forced inducted 5.0L stays healthy, 47 lb fuel injectors, high-flow fuel rails, high-flow Roush air land and a twin 60mm throttle body are also included in the kit.

And those wondering about reliability and warranty, Roush offers a 90-day parts warranty but notes that it will not maintain the factory Ford warranty. Those willing to wait until fall, Roush will be releasing a kit that will come with full tuning and warranty.

Official press release available after the break.

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21/08/2010 | By: Jason Siu

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The Ford Focus RS craze over in Europe is picking up a lot of steam, and British tuner BBR is offering four different upgrade kits for any Focus RS enthusiast. The kits bump up horsepower to anywhere from 342-hp to 404-hp depending on how much you’re willing to spend.

The stage one kit is simply an ECU remap and air intake hose offered at $945, which is a great price considering the bump in horsepower to 342-hp and 369 ft-lbs of torque from the factory 300-hp and 325 ft-lbs of torque.

Stage two isn’t as drastic of an increase, but certainly optimizes air flow and reliability out of the turbocharged motor. An upgraded intercooler along with hoses and air filter brings the horsepower figure to 355-hp and torque to 378 ft-lbs. It comes at a price tag of $2,285 but includes installation.

Stage three adds a 3-inch exhaust system from BBR and larger fuel injectors to support the higher boost from the ECU remap. This is when things get fun with the Focus RS reaching 382-hp and 388 ft-lbs of torque. Cost on the parts is roughly $3,960 with install running around $550.

And for those that just have to have it all, the fourth package includes new turbochargers to bring horsepower to 404-hp and 408 ft-lbs of torque. We’ll be comfortable to say that sets the Focus RS up for even more potential if the owner wanted to go even further with the upgraded turbos. That kit will set you back close to $6,185 while install is a respectable $945.

If you want to back up the performance with some handling, BBR also offers BBR/Koni adjustable shocks mated to performance springs.

GALLERY: BBR Ford Focus RS

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Official press release available after the break.

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