Browse by Tags
Posted
Jan 26 2012, 05:00 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 56 comment(s)
Also among the motorsport news this week was the unveiling of Ford's 2013 Fusion NASCAR machine. Beneath the skin the car doesn't share much with the production Fusion, but Ford made a strong effort to make the car look more like its street version. With bulging fenders and distinct front and rear fascias, it certainly looks more production-like than any of the current NASCAR vehicles. The new Fusion will undergo testing throughout 2012 before debuting at the 2013 Daytona 500.
It may not be as "stock" as the stock cars of the '60s and '70s, but it's surely a step in the right direction.
What do you think?
-Mike Garrett
(Photo from Charlotte Motor Speedway)...
More...
Posted
Jan 21 2012, 01:00 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 19 comment(s)
The Autosport show was a great way to remind ourselves just how good rallying was – and still is. Despite troubles behind the scenes, the WRC has kicked off with another classic Monte Carlo rally , and rallying as a sport is still a must-see event. Forget the politics: watch the stages. The main attraction at ASI for rally fans was the British Rally Heroes Display, which showed off half a dozen classics from the last 50 years of the sport from a UK perspective. Ford Escorts continue to be a...
More...
Posted
Jan 20 2012, 11:30 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 59 comment(s)
Since the start of Speedhunters in 2008, I've made a point of reading literally every single comment posted on our stories. I'm always interested to see what you think of our work, both the good and the bad. There are always changes going on in automotive trends and tastes, and reading your comments helps to provide snapshots of the Speedhunters audience's mood at any given moment. So when the results of the Great Speedhunters Audience survey came up last month, there weren't too...
More...
Posted
Jan 19 2012, 02:00 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 14 comment(s)
For the final car spotlight from my visit to Canepa Design, we have one of the most legendary automobiles ever produced - the Ford GT40. Like it's cousin the Shelby Cobra, the there are lots of replica GT40s out there. To find a genuine one is something very special....
More...
Posted
Jan 18 2012, 02:00 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 19 comment(s)
The other day we took a look at a record-breaking Dodge Daytona stock car from the Canepa collection, and today we have another historic stock car - albeit one built for an entirely different purpose. Back in the mid 1970s an effort was made by NASCAR to create a class for its cars in IMSA and FIA sports car racing. This '75 Ford Torino is a result of that short experiment....
More...
Posted
Jan 14 2012, 10:00 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 47 comment(s)
One of the most exciting new builds unveiled at the 2012 Autosport International Racing Car Show was this monster of an RS200. Put together by specialists Forge Motorsport for Liam Doran, this Ford is built to tackle a single event: the Unlimited class of the 2012 Pike's Peak International Hill Climb . In the same way as other legendary events such as Le Mans or Bonneville, there's a mystique about the event that pulls people in, that makes drivers and teams throw everything at it in their...
More...
Posted
Jan 13 2012, 12:00 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 23 comment(s)
This weekend The International Racing Car show at the sprawling NEC complex in Birmingham becomes the focus of the racing and performance car world. It's where the manufacturers often choose to launch their new models: this year Nissan and JRM officially launched the GT-R NISMO GT3 at the show. The GT3 variant lacks none of the aggression of its now-redundant GT1 big brother – and the official launch was backed up by a JRM GT-R GT3 taking third position on the grid for today's Dubai...
More...
Posted
Jan 02 2012, 12:30 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 66 comment(s)
What did you do on New Year's Eve? Party with friends? Family get together? A vacation maybe?
How about a walk around the junkyard? That's just what I found myself doing this past Saturday. ...
More...
Posted
Dec 31 2011, 08:00 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 12 comment(s)
Alongside the main National Motor Museum and Top Gear areas at Beaulieu in England is the James Bond exhibition: when I visited the museum earlier this year there was a small but quality range of cars on show from various Bond films, serving as a taster for 2012 when there will be even more 007-themed cars on display celebrating 50 years of celluloid Bond. Cars in James Bond films usually offer up the perfect blend of high performance crossed with technology, gadgets and lethal weaponry. How often...
More...
Posted
Dec 15 2011, 02:00 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 12 comment(s)
On Saturday as I was walking through the parking lot at Irwindale Speedway, I spotted this Ford LTD Wagon.
At a glance it looks like just an old wagon with some big wheels, but besides the set of Cobra Rs, I also noticed Wilwood brakes, Sparco seats, and a full roll cage.
I have no doubts about the potential of these Fox platform cars after seeing several at this year's Fabulous Fords Forever show, but this might be the most extreme example yet.
It's also an amazing sleeper to boot. Anyone have more info on this beast?
-Mike Garrett...
More...
Posted
Dec 14 2011, 06:00 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 20 comment(s)
Here on Speedhunters we're constantly striving to bring you new things, new cars, new events. But sometimes it's good to look back and appreciate just how we've got to where we are. It is easy to dismiss old cars as, well old . Odd-looking. Not exciting. But as soon as you get up close to something like this 1922 Aston Martin I think it's clear just how special and relevant they are. An invention that is now over 120 years old, the motor car quickly evolved to the stage where there...
More...
Posted
Dec 08 2011, 05:00 PM
by
Patrick McGrath
with 7 comment(s)
I'm sure some of you will be familiar with this iconic image of the three Ford GT40s crossing the finish line at Le Man in 1966. This was Ford's third attempt to conquer La Sarthe having failed previously in '64 and '65. The story goes that Henry Ford was about to purchase Ferrari from Enzo himself when the deal fell through. Ford then sought revenge. Their aim was to beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race which Ferrari had won consecutively since 1960. It was looking promising for Ford in '66 with Ken Miles (car #1 above) having taken victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring already that year....
More...
Posted
Dec 07 2011, 12:30 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 27 comment(s)
In Australia, the Ford Falcon has a longstanding rivalry with the Holden Commodore. Both cars are locally-built, four door family cars with the V8 variants drawing fiercely loyal followings. A few years ago Ford Australia released the XR6T (a Falcon in a 6 cylinder turbo guise) that, while offending some of the diehard V8 fans, quickly became known for being potent in the power stakes. Just how potent? Put it this way, the unassuming black Falcon you see here has run the quarter in 8.48 @ 165mph...
More...
Posted
Dec 02 2011, 06:00 PM
by
Jeroen Willemsen
with 29 comment(s)
After our look at the Tuners and the Race & Drift cars at the Essen Motor Show, let's turn our attention to the street cars. The show always has a great mix of cars, from the good, to the bad. There really is something for everyone! OZ Razing had some cool wheels on display including this Leggenda Racing model. It comes in 17" and you can order it in this matte black finish with white lettering or with a matte white finish with red lettering. Besides the replica Renault 5 Turbo race...
More...
Posted
Nov 25 2011, 01:00 PM
by
Patrick McGrath
with 17 comment(s)
What do you do when you have a fully-built and specced engine ready to go, but the rest of the car isn’t finished? Find another rolling shell to put it into, of course! This is Mike ‘Boxxer’ Bradley’s road-legal, 1980 Ford Escort Mk2 four-door, built for drifting, track days and general messing about. It might look tatty on the outside, but inside and underneath it’s incredibly well-specced. The engine in question is a 2.1-litre Cosworth YB, converted to normally-aspirated...
More...
Posted
Nov 24 2011, 08:00 PM
by
Patrick McGrath
with 18 comment(s)
All of these recent Ford stories have me searching YouTube for videos that really show just how incredible and capable the MKII Escort is. Moll's Gap is one of the most famous Irish rallying stages and is part of the Killarney Rally of the Lakes each year. The MKII Escort is still the car that brings people out to the stages in my opinion. This is what happens when you combine one of the built MKII Escorts of all time, put it in the hands of Colin McRae and let him loose on The Gap. Pure Magic.
-
Paddy McGrath
Colin McRae Stories on Speedhunters
More Videos on Speedhunters
More...
Posted
Nov 24 2011, 12:00 PM
by
Patrick McGrath
with 21 comment(s)
It's almost hard to believe that the humble MKII Escort has been around for thirty six years already. I don't think anyone could have had quite imagined the impact the car would have on the motoring world when it launched. Its simplicity has lended itself to help the Escort become one of the greatest rally cars of all time. It was successful on track too but its fame and popularity had a lot to do with the success and style of Messrs Vatanen, Mikkola, Waldegard, Clark & Co. It comes as...
More...
Posted
Nov 23 2011, 03:00 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 16 comment(s)
I originally spotted Rafael Duarte's awesome looking '72 Ford Maverick out of Florida when it was posted on the Enkei Wheels Facebook page.
I have to say the RPF1 is much like the TE37 in that it looks good on just about anything, including this tough little Ford.
-Mike Garrett...
More...
Posted
Nov 23 2011, 07:00 PM
by
Patrick McGrath
with 18 comment(s)
Once a year, my local Ford main dealer empties its showroom and forecourt of all its wares. The reason? To allow the Irish RSOC branch to takeover the premises with a host of quality Ford metal, both new and old. The show is free and open to public. It's more of a big friendly meet than a show as such, with a laid back atmosphere and plenty of cars present for everyone to drool over. The only issue I have with attending something like this is the hours I'm sure to waste afterwards searching...
More...
Posted
Nov 23 2011, 02:00 PM
by
Patrick McGrath
with 23 comment(s)
One of the - many - great things about working for Speedhunters is we can justify hours and hours of random internet browsing and YouTube videos as 'research'. For a change, my 'research' actually turned something up in the shape of this Ford Escort MKI which is currently being rebuilt in the UK. Billy Sutton (user driftescort on the Driftworks forums) recently unveiled the progress being made on his dream build. Just want to say a big thanks to Billy for letting me use his photos...
More...