Archive for the ‘Ford’ Category

Ford Motor »(Ford Motor Company), an American car company, which manufactures cars brands Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, trucks, various agricultural machinery. Ford owned company Jaguar. Is headquartered in Diborne (Mich.), near which was once a farm parents of Henry Ford.

The company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903 and immediately thought of its creator intended for mass production of cheap cars. Originally, this was the model «A», in 1908 it changed its model «T», dubbed cartoonists “tin Lizzie.” The successes of the new models were so great that the ever-expanding enterprise of Ford could not cope with orders.

At Ford Motor in 1913, first in the world in the production method of standardization was introduced interchangeable parts production and vehicle assembly line technology, which allowed for only one year raising productivity by 40-60%. Read the rest of this entry »

Ford unveiled the new version of its Focus in the recent Detroit auto show. A true flagship for the brand, the car will not however be marketed before 2011.

The “kinetic design” is in vogue at Ford. The what? The “kinetic design”. It is the term that reflects the work of designers Ford, seeking to give it a more dynamic with each new car. In other words, the lines of the new Ford – was true with the C-Max and the new Fiesta, it will therefore also with the next Focus – must give the impression that the car is in motion even when … ‘they are stationary.

Try it adopt
And on this third-generation Focus, the result is quite successful. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the new Ford Focus therefore based on the Fiesta, while retaining the shape of its predecessors.  The dynamism sought by those in charge of Ford results, besides the famous “kinetic design” by a car quite low. And so a driving position worthy of a roadster, exaggerating a bit. The evidence, the manufacturer says bluntly that the new Ford Focus will offer an “addictive behavior”.

There are few of us who don’t have some fond memory of the original Thunderbird. Those of us with grey up top may have had a love affair from the day the showroom opened in 1955. Our next generation fell in love with the unattainable white T-bird that the elusive Susanne Sommers frustrated Richard Dreyfuss with in ‘American Graffiti¿. (I just saw a vision! I saw a goddess. Come on, you’ve got to catch up to her…This was the most perfect, dazzling creature I’ve ever seen…She spoke to me. She spoke to me right through the window. I think she said, ‘I love you ­ A lot of guys thought Dreyfuss was talking about the car.) Even our current generation has been captivated by the images from old movies, TV shows and vintage car meets. On lots of lips is the question, why did they quit making this car?This was Ford’s answer to the dull car; their expression that we had finally shaken off the Depression and deprivation of WWII. It answered Chevrolet’s Corvette and trumped the many sporty designs that were coming out of Europe. Movie stars swapped their Mercedes, Jaguars and Facel Vegas for the Thunderbird and even the colors seemed to reflect the fun and lifestyles of Hollywood and Florida. And it was priced to fit into most anyone’s pocketbook.

Appropriately at the launch Ford showed us a series of video interviews with early T-Bird owners. I was touched when a woman fondly remembered how her father told her that she could have any car for a graduation present if she maintained it and paid the insurance. Then he seemed a bit miffed at her choice of a T-Bird, but soon he would always find that it needed some little attention or a tank fill and drove it as much as she did. Then she reminisced how at a beach a guy fed its parking meter, telling her as she ran up that such a neat car didn’t deserve a ticket. She married that guy, but realities of a family let the car go away. Then at the end of the video she reappeared to relate how her husband had surprised her recently by secretly tracking down and finding that exact car and having it restored. It was kind of humid, as a bunch of jaded journalists got seriously misty eyed.

Then Richard McNamara, the same guy who tried to run the Viet Nam war with a balance sheet, took away the enchantment in search of a few more sales units by changing it to a four seater. Since then the Thunderbird has had memorable cars and even a great record in NASCAR racing, but none had the visceral excitement of the original ’55-57 models . . . until now.

According to designer Douglas Gaffka, ¿We started with the classic proportions ­ used a reverse wedge to provide motion and still keep the original look. The hood scoop was important, and wanted to be integrated in the design. The porthole was needed to convey T-bird’s heritage and insure its identity. The colors are what you remember; not what they were.¿ They succeeded.

The car is offered in five colors: Inspiration Yellow, Torch Red, Thunderbird Blue, Evening Black and Whisper White. All are badged with the American Indian inspired emblem on the cowl, highlighted with nostalgic turquoise. These colors and details pay homage to the past while 21st century materials, technology and design language brings the car into the present.

¿This car, its style, the statement it makes, the feelings it evokes – all will make it an icon in its own right,  says Jim O’Connor, President of Ford Division. ¿For those who, like me, really loved the original Thunderbirds, this moment has been 45 years in the making.¿

The two-place interior reflects the exterior design and the car’s romantic heritage with bold style combined with modern comfort and convenience. It comes standard as a convertible and offers an optional removable top with classic portholes, although modern headrests keep them from being useful as windows. The fully loaded ¿premium¿ model – which includes the hardtop, chrome wheels, traction control and a unique interior trim color is priced at $39,795. The removable top will take some planning to use and store, but is an excellent feature in our weather and lifestyles.

Back in the fifties one of the unique features was a speed sensitive volume control, which used a Rube Goldberg system of pulleys, cables and slipping clutches between the speedometer and loudness knob. It returns today, made much simpler and more reliable by modern electronics.

On the sensible side, front and side airbags are standard and there is a deactivation switch for the passenger when a latched child seat is installed. Smart lock prevents your keys from being locked inside with a key in the ignition. There is a passive antitheft system, and for comfort and sporty driving, there is a dead pedal left footrest. And to address the needs of modern lifestyles, there is a large enough trunk for two golf bags or all the get away weekend bags a couple needs.

To match the looks, the ride and handling are specially tuned and structural braces were installed under the car enhance the chassis rigidity, giving the roadster the expected driving dynamics and quietness. Chief vehicle engineer Nancy Giolla used extra large shocks to create a well-balanced, rear-wheel drive car that utilizes a fine-tuned, lightweight four-wheel independent suspension system to deliver the ride we thought the original car had. The variable-assist rack-and-pinion steering provides lower turning efforts at parking speeds and better road feel at highway speeds.

Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD) comes standard and the brake rotors are vented and calipers are dual piston-type for quick response and safety. An optional all-speed traction control system helps in adverse road conditions. For optimum visual and driving performance, Thunderbird comes standard with 17-inch cast aluminum wheels.

All 2002 Thunderbirds are equipped with the smooth, all-aluminum 3.9-liter DOHC V8 pioneered by Jaguar and Lincoln. The engine is matched to a specially engineered close-ratio, five-speed automatic transmission.

From the slipstream of dreams this car wafts its way into our lives.

Last September Neiman Marcus made 200 special edition Thunderbirds available in its annual Christmas Book. The black and silver cars were priced at a premium $41,995 and sold out in a record 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Passion is the key for past owners and with only 25,000 being made, it will be the driving element for today’s buyers. To quote one of the original owners from the video, ¿We should have things we wanted when we are young, because we treasure them more!¿

Thank you Doug, Nancy, Jim and all the people from Ford who keep our dreams alive.2002 Ford Thunderbird

Price Range – $35,495 – 44,000

Engine ­ 3.9 liter, 252 hp V8

Front Engine/Rear Drive

MPG (city/hwy) ­ 17/23

Airbags – DP + side ABS – std.

Among the most popular cars in America, the Ford Thunderbird is also one of the prized by automobile collectors. The Thunderbird, introduced as a 1955 model, ceased production in 1997 due to a steady decline in sales. Recently, Ford unveiled a concept Thunderbird that pulls many of its styling cues from the fifties and early sixties models that are considered to be icons of American culture.A Read the rest of this entry »

As I drove the new, hand-built Qvale Mangusta away from the Beverly Hills dealer that prepped it for my weekend loan, I sensed immediately that not only did this car look unique, but it also felt unique. It was more than an exotic-looking, high performance sports car with a strange name. It had character, and a past. Indeed, the story of the Qvale Mangusta (pronounced Kuh-VAL-ley Man-GOOSE-tah) is about as interesting and unusual as the car itself, and I could feel it teeming though the reddish-brown leather that surrounded me. Read the rest of this entry »

Only a few times in history has an automobile manufacturer created a car that caused a genuine sensation with American buying public. The recipe for creating such a stir seems to have multiple ingredients-a terrific price, attractive styling, the ability to customize either with aftermarket parts or from the factory and appeal to a broad spectrum of people. It’s a mixture that doesn’t come along often, but it’s the combination that every automobile product planner seeks with every vehicle that is developed. Read the rest of this entry »

The twentieth century may be long past us, but the vehicle that was chosen as the Car of the Century is sure to remain a favorite of auto enthusiasts for many years to come. The Ford Model T was recognized by the Car of the Century Committee, a group of car enthusiasts, journalists and automotive experts, for its impact not just in the United States, but throughout the world. Read the rest of this entry »

These days it seems that the best cars are getting worse. The doors don’t slam right, the plastics feel cheap, and corporate megamergers have squelched soul. But a recent test of the Ford Focus is enough to convince this pundit that hope is not lost. Here, in this small “econobox” is a vehicle of uncompromisingly high quality, forward-looking style, and above all, a fun factor which makes it more popular in the Special Car Journal press fleet than cars which cost twice as much. Read the rest of this entry »

The manufacturer Ford sells its new Focus ECOnetic. The key word displayed: sobriety!

The Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI 110 DPF Econetic ASS (Auto-Start-Stop) emits 99 g C02/km and consumes Average 3.8 l/100 km: it has the function Stop & Start. She is entitled to an environmental bonus of 1 000 to December 31, 2009.

Version 1.6 TDCI 110 DPF Econetic without Stop & Start rejects 104 g / km CO2 and consumes an average of 5 l/100 km. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve said recently that the manufacturer Ford would market the new North American version of the Fiesta in North America in summer 2010.

She is now on display at Los Angeles Auto Show 2009.

Know that in less than a week, the Ford Fiesta in North America has already registered more than 1 000 orders on its official website.

In the United States, its sale price ranges from 13,320 dollars to 17,120 dollars. Read the rest of this entry »