Fabulous Ford Cars Around The World: 2013

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Take off in a 2014 Fiesta!

The Ford Fiesta 2014 is so fly that bloggers from across Canada gathered in Ottawa to grab some seat time and participate in a day-long adventure.

A dynamic test run in the Fiesta and a foodie rally to collect groceries for the charity Moisson Gatineau in a bucolic area – you’ll see that and meet some energetic bloggers in our video recap!

One of my #FiestaMoments of the day is at the end of the video. Go see, you’ll understand why!

Share with us YOUR #FiestaMoments of the summer?

Read more : http://blog.ford.ca/2013/09/03/take-off-in-a-2014-fiesta/

Monday, September 2, 2013

Celebrating Henry Ford on the Race Track

Wood Bros. unveil new NASCAR race car for the Henry Ford Museum's collection in Dearborn, Mich. Wednesday, July 24, 2013.

Edsel B. Ford II, Wood Brothers Racing, President of The Henry Ford Patricia Mooradian, and driver Trevor Bayne pose with a new design scheme in honor of Henry Ford at the Henry Ford Museum July 24, 2013.

Visitors to Henry Ford Museum can often be found gathering under the Douglas Auto Theatre “Driving America” sign for photo opportunities and to marvel at the larger-than-life artifact. But recently visitors and racing fans gathered by the sign to honor Henry Ford as a racing innovator.

In honor of what would have been Henry’s 150th birthday on July 30, 2013, Ford brands Motorcraft/Quick Laneand Ford Racing honored his legacy with a special paint scheme in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 26-28, 2013 race, with Wood Brothers Racing and driver Trevor Bayne.

Henry Ford and Spider Huff with the Sweepstakes Racer on a Detroit, Michigan Street, 1901 (Object ID: P.188.10038).

The car’s paint scheme features an iconic Henry photo – posed on top of the Sweepstakes with Spider Huff riding on the sideboard, the car that would take him to victory in 1901 at a race track in Grosse Pointe, Mich.

1901 Ford “Sweepstakes” Race Car (Object ID: 00.136.123).

Why was that race so important? To be honest, it was important because Henry already had one business flop on his hands, the Detroit Automobile Company. His win with the Sweepstakes against opponent Alexander Winton not only netted him the $1,000 prize but the investors needed to start Ford Motor Company.

As Henry’s great-grandson, and special guest that morning, Edsel B. Ford II pointed out, if Henry hadn’t won that race, Ford Motor Company might not be here today to celebrate the innovator.

Wood Bros. unveil new NASCAR race car for the Henry Ford Museum's collection in Dearborn, Mich. Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Gary Malerba for The Henry Ford

The Wood Brothers and Trevor Bayne.

In addition to Edsel, the Wood Brothers and driver Trevor Bayne were on hand to unveil the special car in Henry Ford Museum that morning, sharing some of their appreciation for Henry and his body of work.

2011 Ford Fusion Stock Car, Driven by Trevor Bayne, on Loan from Wood Brothers Racing (Object ID: IL.241.1).

While all of the morning’s guests were more than familiar with the collections of The Henry Ford, Trevor and the Wood Brothers are especially familiar and proud as their No. 21 2011 Ford Fusion Stock Car is in our Car Court, currently on loan to us. As Trevor pointed out his former car to the audience, while showing off his tuxedo-themed racing suit for the Brickyard race, he commented, “It’s pretty cool that they’re still celebrating his (Henry) birthday 150 years later!”

We like to think it’s pretty cool, too. Here’s to 150 years of celebrating our founder, Henry Ford, both on AND off the race track.

source : http://blog.thehenryford.org/2013/07/celebrating-henry-ford-on-the-race-track/

Zero to 60 MPH – fast

Driving America - My First Car - 1967 Pontiac Lemans Sport Coupe

In 1976 my parents gave me their 1967 Pontiac Lemans Sport Coupe. It was light green with a black Vinyl interior – hot in its day Especially in the summer). Zero to 60 mph in feet, driving south on the Garden State Parkway on my way to school in the morning I could hit the toll basket with my quarter at 55 mph.
The car had only one problem. The starter wouldn’t go off after you turned the ignition. So I would have to get out of the car, get my hatchet from the trunk open the hood and tap on the starter to get it to turn off – not very cool in the school parking lot when everyone is trying to impress each other with his or her car. My friends at vo-tech felt sorry for me and took the car into class and fixed it.

Source : http://blog.thehenryford.org/2013/02/zero-to-60-mph-fast/

Ford Lowers MPG Rating on C-Max, Reimburses Owners

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid (Ford Motor Company)

Ford announced in a press release Thursday that it is reducing the fuel economy estimates for the 2013 C-Max Hybrid and giving customers who bought the car a small reimbursement. According to the EPA, the C-Max Hybrid’s fuel economy will go from 47/47/47 city/highway/combined to 45/40/43 city/highway/combined. The disbursement, which Ford calls a “goodwill payment,” will be $550 for purchasers and $325 for lessees.
The New York Times reports that the payment amount represents Ford’s estimate of the difference in average fuel costs between a 47 and 43 combined mpg rating. So far, Ford has sold about 32,000 2013 C-Max Hybrids. Considering that sales number, the payments are expected to cost Ford between $10 and $17 million.
This isn’t the first time Ford has had a problem with its fuel economy estimates. The New York Times says that Ford faces lawsuits pertaining to its mileage estimates on hybrids. Last month, we reported that Ford was making voluntary upgrades to the software on its 2013 hybrids in an effort to improve fuel economy.
Several news outlets say that this mpg controversy has pointed out problems with the EPA’s testing guidelines. For one, Time magazine reports that mpg estimates come from automakers, not from the EPA. The EPA performs audits on about 15 percent of the vehicles. Time says it can take quite of bit of consumer complaining to trigger an audit by the EPA.
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reports that another EPA policy may also cause inconsistency in fuel economy estimates. The EPA allows car companies to substitute one car for another in mileage tests if the car has the same engine, transmission and is in the same weight class. Because of this policy, Ford was able to use the fuel economy estimates of the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid in place of actual estimates for the C-Max Hybrid, which has a significantly different aerodynamic profile.
Several commentators, such as Automotive News (subscription required), cite the aggressive hybrid market as a possible catalyst for using these questionable, but entirely legal, tactics. “Car companies are competing fiercely to fill showrooms with the most fuel-efficient vehicles possible, knowing that a mile or two per gallon could make or break a new model. And in some cases the most potent solution for them lies within the arcane rules of federal fuel economy standards.”
In response to questions about its rules, the EPA calls the hybrid fuel economy matter a “new and emerging issue caused by a combination of factors,” including high mileage numbers that are “particularly sensitive to small design changes,” and a greater incidence of shared hybrid powertrains across a large number of models. As for its plans for the future, the EPA says it “will be working with consumer advocates, environmental organizations, and auto manufacturers to propose revised fuel economy labeling regulations to ensure that consumers are consistently given the accurate fuel economy information on which they have come to rely.”

source : http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/best-cars-blog/2013/08/Ford_Lowers_MPG_Rating_on_C-Max_Reimburses_Owners/

Adventure Travel, Close to Home—117-mile day-trip in a 76-mile Focus EV.

My intrepid navigator Smith, puppy Snickers, and I set out Saturday morning in a Ford Focus EV with perhaps some smidgen of the uncertainty and foreboding that Amelia Earhart and her mum surely felt in 1924 when embarking on a 7000-mile trek from LA to Boston in their 1922 Kissel Speedster. Okay, that’s exaggerating, but we had two lakeside barbeques to attend, there were no 240-volt EV charging stations at either, and the first one mapped out at 58 miles away. The EPA rates the Focus EV’s range at 76 miles, and indeed after my first full re-charge on the new 240-v home charger, the range prediction was 75 miles. The second party was 50 miles from the first, meaning that the 120-volt charger would need to upload about 32 miles’ worth of electricity, but at the estimated recharge rate of 4 miles of range per hour, the second party would be over by the time we got there, and we’d still need to plug in there to ensure we had the 15 miles of range needed to return home. Michigan isn’t like California–the only public charging station along the route was 40 miles from the first party, which didn’t promise to trim our stay at the first party by much.