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Ford set the bar for 2015 with new Ford GT

13 January, 2015

The year that was 2014 showed us that America is stepping up its game with some amazing performance offerings from Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Ford. No sooner has 2015 rolled around and Ford are back, making waves at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show by unveiling their new Ford GT.

While the design cues are undoubtedly of the same gene pool as the original Ford GT40 and old Ford GT, the 2015 Ford GT is a total evolution in both style and engineering.

The supercharged 5.4-litre V8 that powered the previous Ford GT is nowhere to be seen — power now comes from a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6, producing over 600hp. Ford claims that it is the most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever.

Lightweight materials, including carbon fibre and aluminium, feature extensively on the new Ford GT. The passenger cell is carbon fibre, the front and rear subframes are aluminium, and structural body panels are moulded from carbon fibre. The light weight afforded by these materials will no doubt enable phenomenal acceleration and handling, thankfully kept in check by carbon-ceramic brake discs, 20-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot tyres, and state-of-the-art active racing-style torsion bar and pushrod suspension set-up.

Production is said to be scheduled for late next year, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT race cars taking all three podium places in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Travelling companion

16 November, 2023

It’s easy to see why the Morris Minor Traveller was one of the best-loved variants of the Morris Minor. Introduced in 1953, it was equipped with the same independent torsion bar front suspension, drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering as its saloon sibling but, with their foldable rear seat increasing versatility, many Travellers were used as trade vehicles, says Derek Goddard. Derek and Gail Goddard, the owners of this superbly restored example, have run Morris Minors since before they were married in 1974.
“Our honeymoon vehicle was a blue Morris Minor van — it was a rust bucket,” says Derek.

Super Leicht Gullwing

9 November, 2023

It’s fair to say that nothing much in the classic Mercedes world gets past Mercedes-Benz Club stalwart Garry Boyce so it wasn’t surprising to learn that around 15 years ago he had sniffed out an extremely rare 300SL lightweight Gullwing as well as a 1958 300SL Roadster hiding away in the Waikato. The cars were not for sale but Garry eventually managed to persuade the owner to allow him and his restoration team to take a look at the Roadster. They discovered a very distressed but largely unmolested car. The car was so original that the body had never been off the chassis, meaning most of the parts and fittings were still present and correct, as they had been fitted by the factory.