2012 Formula Ford brings EcoBoost to open-wheel racing

We’re officially grabbing our helmets and ready to go racing. Ford has pulled what must have been an unusually creased sheet off of its 2012 Formula Ford racecar, and while the shape is similar to Formula F racers from years past, it somehow appears altogether modern thanks to angular items like angular air inlets and funky lightweight wheels.

The 2012-spec Formula Ford will power its way into Great Britain’s 2012 Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship with 1.6-liter EcoBoost motivation and a sequential six-speed gearbox at the driver’s command. While 158 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque from the production-based engine might not sound like much, the lightweight steel-tube single-seater should have no problem providing thrills for both racer and spectator alike in the many feeder series it will eventually race in. Check it out in our gallery below and learn more about the car in the official press release reprised after the jump.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/14/2012-formula-ford-frankfurt/

Ford Fiesta ST Concept is tiny-tough hotness

Meet the Fiesta ST concept – it’s all the goodness of the newly introduced Focus ST, just in a smaller package. It looks just about ready to hit the streets, and that’s a good thing, since
Ford says that it is “seriously looking” at bringing this hot little number to production.

The beating heart under the Fiesta ST’s bonnet is a 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder, producing somewhere between 175 and 180 horsepower. The concept car uses a six-speed manual transmission and sends power exclusively to the front wheels, and Ford claims that the Fiesta ST is capable of running to 62 miles per hour in under seven seconds.

The big reason why we’re hoping the Fiesta ST gets the go-ahead? Ford says that the car will be a global model, meaning we’ll have two new Ford performance products to sink our teeth into in the United States. We’ve seen plenty of spy shots of the hotted-up Fiesta, so we’re fairly confident that this little darling will see the light of day sometime after the Focus ST goes on sale. The question is, will we get the three-door configuration, or will it spawn a set of rear doors?

We’ll have a slew of live images direct from the Frankfurt Messe in short order. For now, hit the jump to read over Ford’s official press release.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/13/ford-fiesta-st-concept-is-tiny-tough-hotness/

Ford 1.0L EcoBoost three-cylinder finds a home in the Euro-spec Focus

Ford’s EcoBoost offerings may have started off big and powerful, but the Blue Oval is quickly moving towards small and thrifty. Ford will soon offer its smallest turbocharged offering yet, as a new 1.0-liter, three-cylinder has been announced in advance of the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The new EcoBoost engine will be available in the Ford Focus, C-Max and B-Max, and it will be available in 99 horsepower and 118 hp variants. A respectable 125 pound-feet of torque is available from a scant 1,300 rpm thanks to a turbocharger that can spool up to 250,000 revolutions per minute. Ford was able to extract so much power out of such a small, boosted engine thanks to improved twin variable camshaft design and an exhaust manifold cast that is cast into the cylinder head. And get this: While other EcoBoost offerings start with an aluminum block, the 1.0-liter includes an iron engine block, which isn’t only cheaper, it reduces engine warmup time by 50 percent.

The key benefits sought from engine downsizing, of course, are improved fuel economy and lowered emissions. In this scenario, Ford promises 120 g/km C02, which works out to right around 45.5 miles per gallon (U.S.) on the European cycle. That 120 g/km figure, in case you’re wondering, is identical to the much smaller Scion iQ, which gets a 36 city / 37 highway EPA rating. The diminutive engine will be fitted with five-speed and six-speed manual transmissions.

The three-liter EcoBoost will start off as a Europe-only affair, arriving early in 2012. Ford hasn’t announced any availability of this engine in the U.S., though presumably consistently high fuel prices could change that over time. Hit the jump to read over the Ford press release.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/12/ford-1-0l-ecoboost-three-cylinder-finds-a-home-in-the-euro-spec/

Slick 2012 Formula Ford racer to debut in Frankfurt

Ford loves racing, and it’s looking to cultivate new talent with this new 2012 Formula Ford race car. Powered by a 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, the steel-tube chassis’d Formula Ford racer is a FIA-certified racecar built to run on tracks all over the world. The engine is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox, which meters out the 158 horses and 162 pound-feet of torque.

This all-new Formula Ford racer represents the latest leap forward for the series, which has entered its 44th year of competition. Formula Ford sees many of its drivers progress to successful careers in the World Rally Championship and Formula One racing. Slated to make its racing debut at the 2012 Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain (*whew!*), the racer will be introduced in a number of series around the globe.

While you’re waiting for our live photos and impressions from the floor of the Frankfurt Motor Show, check it out in our gallery above and full details in the press release after the jump.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/12/slick-2012-formula-ford-racer-debuts-in-frankfurt/

Ford’s EcoBoost engine torture test gets TV broadcast, Web chat

Towing logs in Oregon and race cars in Florida, then running the Baja 1000 race. Ford did all that with one EcoBoost V6 built for truck duty. How did the engine fare? You can find out Saturday afternoon on NBC.

Ford has taken a series of Web videos, along with video of the engine being torn down during the Detroit auto show in January, to create a 30-minute show that NBC will broadcast at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. The show is narrated by Ford commercial spokesman Mike Rowe.

At the same time, Ford will host an hour-long Web chat with Jim Mazuchowsi, manager of V6 engines for the automaker, at www.thefordstory.com from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Eastern.

Source:  Autoweek

Ford Vertrek Concept @ 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Edmund’s Insideline does a little video on Ford’s Vertrek Concept.

[Source Insideline, Youtube]

What the Inside of a Tortured Ford EcoBoost V-6 Looks Like

Photos and Words by Jim McCraw; above photo courtesy of Ford

Ford Motor Co. made some history over the weekend when it did a complete engine tear-down and inspection of a “torture tested” 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 used in the latest F-150 at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Auto shows, like NAIAS, typically showcase the latest metal in fancy displays bathed in brilliant lights and staffed with beautiful spokesmodels. They’re about as far as you can get from the garages that all cars and trucks will eventually require a visit to for service and maintenance. But for an hour Saturday, Ford turned part of its spotless blue and white display space inside Detroit’s Cobo Hall into a service bay for the last chapter of the F-150 EcoBoost torture test.

Detroit 2011: Ford Vertrek Concept previews future global small crossover

It may look like the strange lovechild of the 2012 Ford Focus and the European-spec Kuga crossover, but the Blue Oval’s new Vertrek crossover concept is indeed a visual upgrade compared to current small CUV offerings. The Vertrek, which makes its world debut here at the Detroit Auto Show, previews what’s in store for Ford’s new global small crossover, set to replace both the Escape here in North America as well as the Kuga abroad.

Powering the Vertrek is Ford’s new 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline four-cylinder engine, and the addition of Auto Start-Stop technology means it will be even more efficient. Ford has said that Auto Start-Stop will quickly spread across the brand’s product portfolio, and since 90 percent of Blue Oval-badged vehicles will have an EcoBoost option by 2013, fuel efficiency is expected to rise quite dramatically across the automaker’s entire lineup. What’s more, Ford will be incorporating regenerative braking into its gasoline-powered vehicles, and this system works with the Vertrek’s turbocharged engine and start-stop system to boost fuel economy even higher.

The Vertrek also builds upon Ford’s Kinetic design language, first seen on the Fiesta hatchback and then carried over to the new Focus sedan and five-door. Sure, the large wheels, small headlamps and futuristic mirrors are purely conceptual design, but Photoshop on some bits from the Focus (with which the Vertrek shares its platform) and a possible production car is indeed in sight. The interior, too, is wholly forward thinking, and while we’d love to see this sort of design on a road-ready crossover, we fully expect a much more toned-down approach.

Live Photos copyright ©2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source Autoblog]

Detroit 2011: 2012 Ford C-Max struts its mini-minivan stuff

Small MPVs are all the rage in Europe, but here in North America – the land of “bigger is better” – these moderately-sized people-haulers have never quite sold in droves. Ford firmly believes that it’s time to bring the small MPV segment back to North America, and the 2012 C-Max is its first foray into offering this sort of pint-sized family-hauling package here in America.

We’ve already driven (and enjoyed) the European-spec Grand C-Max, and the good news is that not much will change mechanically before the car arrives here in the States. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine will be the base powertrain with an all-new 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline-four being the up-level mill. The C-Max offers seating for seven (or “five plus two,” as Ford says), and the latest crop of Blue Oval tech will be found inside.

The C-Max will go on sale later this year shortly after production begins at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant. Visit the forum for the link to more photos.

[Source Autoblog]

Live photos copyright ©2011 Steven J. Ewing / AOL

Video: Ford yanks F-150 EcoBoost ‘hero’ engine out of Baja racer ahead of NAIAS teardown

Ford has finally pulled the Ecoboost V6 engine from its Baja racer in preparation for the mill’s tear down at the Detroit Auto Show. This particular lump has seen several lifetimes worth of abuse, from skidding logs to endurance towing around a NASCAR track and even competing in the legendary Baja 1000.

Even more surprising, all of that came after severe endurance tests at the factory. The engineers say that this V6 has racked up enough hours to drive the equivalent of six laps around the planet. How did it hold up? According to Ford, the Ecoboost engine still managed to turn out the same power figures on the dyno that it left the factory with.

Ford plans to strip the workhorse Ecoboost V6 down to its bare bones in front of a live audience at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The action gets going on January 15 at 11 a.m., so if you’re in the greater Detroit area, swing on by for a glimpse at the engine’s innards.

[Source: AutoBlog, YouTube]

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