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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Ferrari F430 Scuderia Replica Out of a Ford Cougar ebay, Ferrari, Ferrari F430, Ford, Mercury, Replica, UK

7:18 PM Tech Master No comments

Who would have thought that the Ford Cougar, known as the last generation Mercury Cougar in North America, would prove so popular with the replica crowd? After a couple of Bugatti Veyron 16.4s and an Audi R8, we have now unearthed a Ferrari F430 Scuderia clone based on a low-mileage Cougar coupe V6.
The car's British owner says that the F430 Scuderia replica was professionally built in Spain with no expense spared, as even the interior of the Cougar was re-done from the ground up.
The...Forrari Cougeria was recently listed for sale on eBay, but was not sold with the owner rejecting bids as high as £20,000 (about US$31,200 or €25,000).
More photos of the car follow right past the jump.

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Japan's Subaru BRZ Declares War on the 2013 Ford Mustang V6

11:44 AM Tech Master No comments

After we learned how much Subaru's all-new BRZ costs in the States, someone was bound to put the Japanese sports coupe up against the quintessential American pony car, the 2013 Ford Mustang in V6 trim. And that someone was Angus MacKenzie from MotorTrend magazine. The similarities between the two sports coupes begin with their price and end with their front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.
The 2013 Ford Mustang is a modernized version of an old formula that combines a solid rear axle with a contemporary 3.7-liter V6 that churns out 305hp at 6,500rpm and 280 lb-ft (380Nm). Ford's pony car tips the scales at 3,511 pounds (1,593kg).
In the U.S., the Mustang V6 starts at $22,995 (€17,400), with the model tested by MT in this comparo priced at $30,830 (€29,400).
The BRZ was designed by Toyota and Subaru from a clean sheet of paper with the goal of creating a modern and reasonably priced, nimble sports car for the masses. It sports a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter flat-four with direct-injection that generates 200hp at 7,000 rpm and a peak torque of 151 lb.-ft. (205Nm) at 6,400 rpm. It has a curb weight of 2,747 lbs (1,246kg).
Pricing for the BRZ begins at $25,495 (€19,300), with MT's tester listed at $28,245 (€21,400).
If you believe that the Ford's 105-horsepower advantage over the BRZ (despite the weight handicap) matters when it comes to straight-line acceleration and track times, you are right, but does that make it a better sports car?
You probably already know the answer to that question, but if you want to hear it for yourself in detail, hop over the break to watch MT's video test.

VIDEO

SPECIFICATIONS

Ford Blocks China's JAC Efforts to Produce F-150 Pickup Truck Clone

11:21 AM Tech Master 1 comment

Do you remember China's JAC 4R3 pickup truck clone of the Ford F-150 that made headlines earlier this year? For those who can't recall what happened last week, let alone in February, here's a bit of a refresher. In January, JAC Motors presented a doppelganger of the Ford F-150 called the 4R3 to its domestic dealers, with plans to begin series production towards the end of the year. Naturally, photos were taken at the event and it didn't take long for the news to reach the other side of the Pacific.

At the time, JAC was planning to debut the 4R3 at last week's Auto China 2012 in Beijing, but as you may recall, that didn't happen. Why, you ask? Well, evidently, Ford did what it had to do to protect itself from JAC's unapologetic move to clone the F-150.
Speaking to Autoline's host John McElroy, Bill Coughlin, President and CEO of Ford Global Technologies and Intellectual Property Chief, said that the Blue Oval took all the necessary steps to prevent this from happening.
When the conversation came to China and patents, Coughlin said: "You need patents and they are country specific, so that you need to get patents filed in China as well, and frankly, we built up quite a portfolio in trying to protect us. You don't see Ford being ripped off in China."
Asked about JAC and the 4R3, the Ford exec commented: "There were a couple of press reports that 'oh', at the Beijing Auto Show there's going to be an F-150 clone. It didn't happen. Not going to happen."
Coughlin said that Ford is very protective of its work and it immediately addressed the problem.
"We did our job. There was good global teamwork," he said. "So, yes, we can protect ourselves in China, it’s not easy, but you can do it. Is it expensive? Not really, I mean, it would be less than filing here [U.S.]."

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