Ford Shelby GT500 Details Direct from the Chief Engineer

Jamal Hameedi, SVT Chief Engineer, provides more information about the 650-horsepower 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 shown at the LA Auto Show

FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND NEWMAN’S OWN®, INC. DONATE REFRIGERATED TRUCK AND FOOD TO DARE TO CARE FOOD BANK

Innovative Partnership Reaches Milestone of 6.7 Million Miles Traveled and Nearly 176 Million Meals Delivered Nationwide

 

LOUISVILLE, Nov. 22, 2011 – Dare to Care Food Bank is receiving a new refrigerated truck filled with food as part of a unique, 11-year ”Partnership for Hunger Relief” with Ford Motor Company, Newman’s Own, Inc. and Feeding America.

 

The partnership began when the late Paul Newman wrote Bill Ford, Jr., then the CEO of Ford Motor Company, to suggest a new initiative focused on providing fresh produce and other perishables to individuals facing hunger in rural America. They put this idea into action by donating refrigerated Ford trucks filled with an assortment of Newman’s Own products to Feeding America.

 

As the partnership celebrates its 11^th anniversary, another five Ford trucks are being donated, including one to Dare to Care Food Bank. The new refrigerated truck will be used to deliver food throughout Kentuckiana to people who are at risk of hunger.

 

“In tough economic times, it is more important than ever to help families in need and make sure no one is wanting or gets left behind,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Ford and Newman’s Own, two great national companies, are providing a huge boost of compassion to our community, and making Louisville a better place.”

 

A total of 103 vehicles in all 50 states have been donated since the partnership began in 2000. The donated trucks have traveled a combined total of more than 6.7 million miles and distributed over 169 million pounds of food, the equivalent of 176 million meals to hard to reach areas.

 

As part of the Feeding America network, Dare to Care Food Bank has responded to the growing need from families, by increasing its delivery of meals by about eight percent year-over year to 12 million meals – the most in its 42 year history. 

 

Brian Riendeau, Dare to Care Executive Director, said Ford’s most recent gift is timely for Kentuckiana families.  “We are in a period of unprecedented need for food assistance in our community.  This investment by Ford in our capacity to serve Kentuckiana continues the tradition of community generosity that created Dare to Care over 40 years ago.”

 

"Ford Motor Company has remained committed to playing a role in addressing hunger relief year after year,” said John Savona, plant manager, Ford Louisville Assembly Plant. “We are delighted that the truck donated to Dare To Care Food Bank was produced right here in Louisville at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant.”

 

The refrigerated trucks allow for delivery of fresh and nutritious food to hard to reach neighborhoods that are often underserved. Donated produce, meat and dairy products cannot be delivered to remote areas unless refrigerated trucks are available for long delivery routes.

 

"More than 12 years ago Paul Newman realized there was a great need to get nutritious food more broadly distributed. With 49 million people facing hunger, we are glad this program continues to help make a difference, especially in the current economic environment,” said Tom Indoe, president and chief operating officer of Newman’s Own, Inc.

 

Other food banks receiving trucks this year are: Atlanta Community Food Bank (Atlanta, GA), Harry Chapin Food Bank of South Florida (Fort Myers, FL), Josephine County Food Bank (Grants Pass, OR), and Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (Raleigh, NC).

 

Feeding America is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, with more than 200 member food banks providing food to more than 37 million people in rural, urban and suburban communities.

 

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Dare to Care Food Bank is a local nonprofit agency with a mission to lead the community to feed the hungry and conquer the cycle of need.  In the past twelve months, Dare to Care distributed over 12 million meals to nearly 200,000 different people in eight Kentucky and five Indiana counties.  Dare to Care also operates 13 Kids Cafes in neighborhood afterschool locations and Backpack Buddy weekend nutrition programs in 33 Kentuckiana elementary schools.  For more information, visit www.daretocare.org.

 

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents.  With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

 

Newman’s Own ®, Inc., founded by Paul Newman in 1982, is a successful and growing premium food business. Based in Westport, CT, the charitable mission of Newman’s Own®, Inc. was expressed by Paul in the Company motto: “Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good.” Newman’s Own Foundation continues Paul Newman’s commitment to donate all profits to charity. More than $325 million has been given to thousands of charities since 1982. Visit www.newmansown.com for the nearest retailer/s that carry Newman’s Own products and for recipe suggestions using Newman’s Own®, Inc. products

Ford Police Interceptor Vehicles Best Competition in Annual L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Police Vehicle Tests

Ford Police Interceptor utility vehicle: The all-new Ford Police Interceptor utility (left) and Police Interceptor sedan (right) comprise Ford's first-ever police portfolio.
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• Ford’s next-generation Police Interceptor^® vehicles eclipsed the competition in acceleration, braking, high-speed pursuit and city pursuit testing by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
• The all-new Ford Police Interceptor vehicles benchmark the industry standard, Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, while delivering better performance, handling and fuel economy
• Now police departments and other law enforcement agencies can purchase an all-new, American-made vehicle with the proven durability and price range of the popular Crown Victoria. Police agencies can currently place orders through dealerships

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 23, 2011 – The all-new Ford Police Interceptor^® sedan and utility vehicle posted class-leading figures in the complete series of performance tests conducted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD).    

 

The entire portfolio of Police Interceptor vehicles passed the extreme testing conducted by the LASD and proved to the public and the law enforcement industry that Ford delivers purpose-built, pursuit-rated Police Interceptor vehicles.

 

The annual test to validate pursuit performance on police vehicles is a joint evaluation conducted by the LASD with the support of the L.A. Police Department. To match real-world patrol conditions, emphasis is placed on a semi-continuous run of 32 high-speed pursuit laps to test for brake and tire durability, powertrain robustness and high vehicle temperature driveability.

 

“Our experience with the Crown Victoria helped us develop the next generation of Police Interceptor vehicles that serve as tools for the law enforcement community to do their jobs safely, efficiently and effectively,” said Lisa Teed, Ford marketing manager for the Police Interceptor products. “The LASD testing proves the durability of Ford’s latest generation of police vehicles.”

 

Leading the competition

The 3.5-liter EcoBoost^® all-wheel-drive sedan posted the fastest acceleration times of the event.

 

“EcoBoost powertrain performance is optimized for closing speed and maximizing takedowns, thus preventing high-speed pursuits from even forming,” said Bill Gubing, chief engineer for the Police Interceptors.

 

The EcoBoost-equipped Police Interceptor sedan completed the 32-lap, high-speed pursuit test posting the fastest average lap time, which was roughly two seconds faster than the V8 competitors.

 

Not to be outdone, the 3.7-liter Police Interceptor utilities completed the grueling 32-lap tests, and the all-wheel-drive variants all posted faster times than their competitors by roughly two seconds per lap. The Police Interceptor utilities also performed well in the braking event by stopping eight feet better than direct competitors.

 

The 3.5-liter Ti-VCT sedans completed the 32-lap high-speed pursuit test, outperforming the outgoing Crown Victoria. The Ti-VCT sedans also shined in the city pursuit test, posting times better than the V8 competitors. The city pursuit testing is a series of short straights and quick turns to simulate a tight, city-style pursuit. The event tests the vehicle’s driving dynamics and ease of pursuit driving in urban environments.

 

Experience counts

Building on more than 15 years of leadership, Ford took the key product attributes that made Crown Victoria Police Interceptor the leading law enforcement vehicle and increased the next-generation product’s capabilities including the first and only pursuit-rated all-wheel-drive police vehicles. Now police departments and other law enforcement agencies can get an all-new, American-made vehicle with the same durability and price range as the popular Crown Victoria. The new Police Interceptor sedan and utility vehicle will be built at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant.

 

Working with Ford’s Police Advisory Board consisting of law enforcement professionals from the United States and Canada who provided feedback on attributes such as safety, performance, durability, driver comfort and functionality, the new Police Interceptor vehicles are purpose-built to meet the requirements of this demanding industry

In Their Own Words -- Roush NASCAR Championships

Jack Roush has won championships in every form of motorsports from drag racing to sports car racing to NASCAR. In this 110th Anniversary video, Roush and his championship-winning NASCAR drivers relive their big moments.

Review Wales Rally GB - Ford WRC

Ford Abu Dhabi's Jari-Matti Latvala led a Ford Fiesta RS domination of the final round of the World Rally season, Wales Rally GB, in a way not seen for years

Ford Seat Engineering

With longer commutes and more back pain, American drivers spend more time in their vehicles so comfortable seating is more important than ever. Ford seat engineers work to create more comfortable seats that are also lighter to help with better fuel efficiency on Ford vehicles.

Reinventing the Wheels of the World

This is an All-American story of which all Americans should be proud. It is a story born in the century old words of its founder, Henry Ford, who after overcoming all the odds, after many failures and false starts, prophetically stated that: "When everything seems to be going against you, remember always that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford

Today, the new pioneers at the Ford Motor Company are again defying the odds and, going it alone in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis, are continuing an historic turnaround. With the passion, perseverance, imagination, and entrepreneurial spirit of the company s remarkable founder, they are, today, reestablishing American automotive leadership and reinventing the wheels of the world .

New Ford Police Interceptor Vehicles Get Nod to Pace NASCAR’s Ford Championship Weekend

The 2013 Ford Police Interceptor Utility and Sedan will serve as the pace cars for this year’s Ford Championship Weekend NASCAR races at Homestead Miami Speedway Nov. 18-20.

• The 2013 Ford Police Interceptor Utility and Sedan will serve as the pace cars for this year’s Ford Championship Weekend NASCAR races at Homestead Miami Speedway Nov. 18-20.
• The all-new Ford Police Interceptors deliver more performance, handling and fuel economy, and are the only all-wheel-drive vehicles specifically built for law enforcement.
• The Ford Police Interceptors join vehicles such as Fusion Hybrid, the 2012 Focus, 2011 Mustang GT 5.0L V-8 and 2011 Explorer SUV as showcase vehicles used by Ford Racing in its NASCAR pace car program to highlight Ford Motor Company’s extensive line of new cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles over the last few years.

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 8, 2011 – Bringing new meaning to the term “high speed chase,” Ford announced today it will continue its tradition of using high-profile racing events to show off its new products, only this year with a new twist.

Bringing the field of cars to the green flag at Homestead Miami Speedway for all three Ford Championship Weekend races are Ford’s new Police Interceptors, which will make their debut in the marketplace starting in 2012, and are appearing on the NASCAR circuit for the first time ever.

Ford, the police vehicle market leader for 15 years, specifically designed and engineered all-new Police Interceptors to handle the rigors of police work, including industry-leading powertrain, safety and technology innovations. That said, these vehicles can more than handle the duties needed to pace the Ford 200, Ford 300 and Ford 400 NASCAR finale events.

Fans will see versions of both new Ford police vehicles – the Police Interceptor Sedan, and the Police Interceptor Utility – on track pacing the races.

The Ford Police Interceptor Utility, the first ever pursuit rated utility by Ford, will be pursued by the field for all three races on Ford Championship Weekend, serving as the lead pace car. The Sedan, which will serve as the split pace car for the weekend, boasts a 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine delivering 365 horsepower and a top speed of 148 mph.

“Police nationwide asked for a new kind of weapon in the battle for public safety, and Ford is answering the call with purpose-built vehicles – engineered and built in America – that are as dynamic as they are durable,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.

“Having the opportunity to bring our new Police Interceptors to pace what is shaping up to be one of the most exciting final weekends in NASCAR history is a great honor,” said Lisa Teed, brand manager for Ford Police Interceptors. “Both of the Police Interceptor vehicles provide the highest level of safety, performance, durability, driver convenience and comfort, and we’re excited to be able to show off these new vehicles to the millions of fans on site and watching on national television.”

Ford has been at the forefront of using its NASCAR pace car program to highlight its extensive line of new cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles.  This includes being the first company to have a Hybrid pace the start of a NASCAR race when the Fusion Hybrid led the field to green for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2009.  In addition, the all-new 2012 Focus, the Mustang GT 5.0L V-8 and all-new 2011 Explorer SUV have served as pace vehicles within the last two years.

“Using our new range of Ford products to pace signature events like Ford Championship Weekend is an important part of our marketing strategy,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “We’re thrilled that we’re able to help launch the new Police Interceptors at Ford Championship Weekend, and know that the fans will be excited to see these unique vehicles performing out on track.”

About the 2013 Police Interceptor

The new Ford Police Interceptors, both sedan and utility vehicle, can be ordered with a choice of three powerful V6 engines that deliver more horsepower and better fuel economy than the 250-horsepower, 4.6-liter V8 in today’s Crown Victoria police car.

The base 3.5-liter TiVCT V6 engine in the new Police Interceptor sedan is AWD and delivers at least 280 horsepower. Also available in the sedan is Ford’s award-winning EcoBoost™ twin-turbo V6 that will have at least 365 horsepower. The EcoBoost-equipped Police Interceptor comes standard with all-wheel drive that enhances handling and safety during high-speed pursuits. The new Police Interceptor utility model will be powered by a 3.7-liter V6 and features all-wheel drive delivering at least 300 horsepower.

In early testing by police agencies, both new Ford Police Interceptors delivered outstanding performance and won praise for acceleration, handling and braking. The brakes, tires and wheels have been specially designed for police duty for the next level of performance. The police unique powertrain calibration and tuning was done in conjunction with EVOC professionals and AWD delivers a confident driving experience for law enforcement.

Ultimately, Ford's mission was to produce the next generation of Police Vehicles by leveraging the legacy of CVPI safety and reliability and incorporating the latest engineering design and technology to aide law enforcement.

Both Ford Police Interceptors will be manufactured at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant

Tommy Gate Releases 3,000 lb Capacity Medium Duty Railgate

Tommy Gate Releases All-New Medium-Duty Railgate

Tommy Gate has announced the release of an all-new 3,000lb capacity, high-cycle railgate for stake and van bodies.

An extension of Tommy Gate’s pre-existing product line of railgates, this new lift is the first Tommy Gate has produced at the 3,000lb capacity level.

Tommy Gate’s engineers specifically designed the 3,000lb railgate for applications performing high numbers of lifting cycles during daily use. These "high-cycle" requirements have called for the inclusion of a number of quality components such as machined steel rollers, dual-sealed ball bearings, hardenedsteel pulleys, and composite bushings. Incorporating these materials has created a steadier lifting action and reduced maintenance.

The new "high-cycle" rail is being offered with numerous standard features:

• Class-exclusive safety trip bar provides additional operator protection
• Self-close and auto-open cam arm creates hands-free platform open and closure
• Steel rollers ensure consistency of motion
• 12" platform taper eases transition from ground to platform
• Three-light, incandescent light kit included

More than three years of design, development, and testing has been completed on the project, including fourteen months of intensive field testing. The extensive development period and focus on user feedback leads Tommy Gate to believe it has created an elite railgate for its class.

Tommy Gate is a 45-year-old, U.S.-based, hydraulic liftgate manufacturer, located in Woodbine, Iowa.

Ford Racing at SEMA 2011 - Music Video

The excitement of SEMA 2011 has come and gone, but take one last adrenaline filled glimpse of Ford Racing at SEMA including a firsthand ride along at the Octane Academy display (aka: Ford out Front) which featured the exploits of Ken Block, Tanner Foust, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Brian Deegan and Justin Pawlak.

Ford news from SEMA

Join Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Mickey Matus of Ford Raicng as they walk through the Ford display at SEMA and talk about the latest performance offerings from the Blue Oval as well as the great 110 year tradition of Ford Racing.

John Force Chat

John Force answers questions from the fans on Ford Racing TV

Ford Motor Company Driver Assist Features

Ford Motor Company demonstrates upcoming driver assist features.

Reintroducing The 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible

Ford Restoration Parts Manager Denny Mondrach reveals the "brand new" 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible body that is on its way to the 2011 SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada