New reports say that Ford may be looking to reanimate the F-100 nameplate, last used by the company way back in 1983, for a medium-size pickup based on the future F-150’s body-on-frame platform. This new, smaller truck will reportedly be about nine-tenths the size of an F-150 and share platform components with its larger sibling, something the Ranger really didn’t do.
The F-100 would offer substantial weight savings over the F-150 by using thinner gauge, high strength steel in its frame rails, and aluminum in its hood and tailgate. Engines on offer are likely to include a couple of V-6 options, naturally aspirated and twin-turbo flavors, as well as one V-8. No word yet on whether Ford will let buyers spec the box-fresh light duty 4.4-liter diesel motor.
+ PickupTrucks.com: Rumors That Ford Is Thinking Smaller With New F-100 Pickup, Based on the F-150
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Opel has officially pulled the sheet off of its new Insignia, which is liable to come to the U.S. after its European launch as the newest version of the Saturn Aura. While we thought that we had seen all there was to offer on the sleek four-door sedan, our friends at CarPix have delivered up a few images of a brand new variant to the range, a five-door hatchback.
The totally undisguised hatch, possibly to be known as the CombiCoupe or Fliessheck, mimics the lines of the sedan everywhere but the rear section. The liftgate of the new Insignia looks to be of good size, and promises to add a measure of utility to the car that won’t be possible with a mere truck. Why doesn’t everyone offer a five-door?
No word of course about whether this configuration could make it to American Saturn dealers, though the GM brand’s recent willingness to stock its showrooms with straight Euro copies is encouraging. Tell us what you think of the car, after browsing our gallery below, in comments.
Auto Express has used what it calls “insider information” to develop these renderings of the new model, which is said to be targeted at such European droptops as the Alfa Romeo Spider and the Audi TT, as well as the dominating Mazda MX-5. The new TF will be slightly larger than the Mazda but is said to be shooting for a very similar price tag, along with the hearts and minds of the roadster-crazy British public.
The new car will be based on the Roewe 550 compact hatchback, though its driven wheels will be in the back, and will be powered by either a 1.8-liter turbo or a 2.5-liter V-6. The MG TF could be available through a new Roewe dealership network in the UK by 2010. Click through the link to see a few more images of the new convertible and then let us know what you think, in comments.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Web space FreshTarmac.com recently ran this photo, saying that the image was legit and taken in a hangar somewhere in Spain. The image-maker has done a fairly convincing job of incorporating many of the current M elements into the design, but little details, like the hood bulge on what’s supposed to be a mid-engine car, have us thinking the M1 is less than genuine.
Still, the car looks damn good, and we’d be more than happy if it helped turn BMW toward the direction of building the real thing. Give us your opinion of this “spy” shot, in comments.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
It seems as if the ball was called just a bit too early on a set of spy shots sent to us recently by Brenda Priddy & Company, as the MPV mule that had been spotted on its way out of the General Motors proving ground has since been discovered to not be a GM product at all.
Initial speculation had it that the mule seen here was the first look at GM new global MPV preparing for a future of battling with such worldly people movers as Mazda’s 5, Volkswagen’s Touran, and Opel’s Zafira. That seemingly good guess was given a healthy dose of probability by the car’s being spotted just leaving GM’s Milford, Michigan test facility.
(Click through the jump to read more including Priddy’s new take on the mysterious MPV.)
It looks as if Cadillac is preparing to bring drivers the CTS wagon they never knew that they always wanted, as evidenced by these new spy shots of a sport wagon variant from the lens of Brenda Priddy & Co.
Priddy tells us that General Motors will start production of the wagon at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in the spring of 2009. Sales targets for the car will be in the neighborhood of 10,000 to 12,000 units per year, with untold numbers of groceries, camping equipment, and dogs set to be hauled.
Even in this bulky cladding we can’t help but feel that the edgy lines of the CTS will make a handsome translation to wagon form. Have a look at the spy images in the gallery below or click through the jump to read Priddy’s thoughts. Make sure to leave us your thoughts on the CTS wagon, in comments.
It seems that someone was in the right place, in this case just outside of Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in Maranello, at the right time to catch a glimpse of the Italian automaker’s new “Dino” project.
Referred to internally as project F149, the future sports car is said to offer seating for four with a retractable hard top, and be powered by a 4.7-liter V-8. There’s some talk that Maserati may still be the ultimate destination for the car, but that doesn’t stop it from sounding every decibel a Ferrari in this short cut from the track. Turn up your speakers and enjoy.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
While we’re fans of the sporting practicality that Honda’s five-passenger Fit has been offering to Americans for the last few years, we’re not sure that we’d be quite so happy with the package if we had to share it with three additional friends.
That’s what Honda seems to be proposing, if French web site Le Blog Auto can be believed, with these scans of a new Fit variant called the Freed, stretched to accommodate as many as eight passengers. The Freed will apparently be powered by a 1.5-liter four making 118 horsepower and hooked up to a CVT transmission.
Have a look at the potential Freed in our gallery below.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
General Motors tipped its hand about an upcoming seven-passenger MPV in the labor agreement it drew up with the United Auto Workers in 2007. Now the spy shooters of Brenda Priddy & Company have come across the first fruit of that agreement with these images of a new MPV mule out and testing.
The vehicle appears to be built on GM’s global Delta chassis, which is an excellent indication that the MPV will be offered in many markets, and under the umbrella of several of GM’s brands worldwide. Priddy expects that the vehicle will be built domestically at the Hamtramck, Michigan plant, though much of the R&D work was likely done at the facility in South Korea.
The new hauler will most likely end up in the hands of Chevrolet, with Opel and Daewoo also being logical recipients. Have a look at Priddy’s handiwork in our gallery below or click through the jump to read the spy shooter’s impressions of the new MPV.
Opel seems to be following the new automaker trend of taking an ownership roll in its own “spy shots,” by releasing the images to the media themselves. The German company has just released a series of images that chronicle the process behind outfitting a car with camouflage for testing in the public eye.
This time the car in question is the Opel Insignia, which is destined to replace the Vectra in Europe, and is quite likely to come to the U.S. under the auspices of the Saturn brand. We have already caught a few real spy shots of the car, but still can enjoy the tongue-in-cheek goodness of the Opel send-up. Enjoy our gallery below.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
The coupe depicted in the sketch above is said to come from a source inside of Subaru’s design department, and is meant to depict the upcoming rear-wheel-drive offering from the company.
It’s no secret that Subaru has been working with Toyota, which owns a four percent stake in the smaller company, on a shared coupe project that will be underpinned by Impreza gear. The two versions will differ in appearance, but will both offer Subaru’s 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter boxer fours in standard and turbocharged trim.
The source of the image also suggests that despite the planned RWD layout of the shared coupe, an AWD version hasn’t been ruled out for the top of the range. Subaru’s iteration of the car should be fully realized by this summer, with production slated to begin in 2010.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Ford has spent the better part of this week trying to keep the image you see above from cropping up on automotive websites just like ours. The automaker was able to stem the tide for a few days, but with gold like this spy photo of a possible 2010 Taurus, and the no-holds-barred sprit of the internet, it was bound to come out.
Said to be snapped inside Ford’s own design studio this prototype would seem to represent a kind of quantum leap visually for the Taurus, with chiseled headlamps, jutting front air dam, and a more subtle application of the three-bar grille.
Give us your opinion of the potential new Taurus, in comments.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Ferrari California Revealed!
Lamborghini Picks L.A. for U.S. Headquarters
NASCAR Report: Dodge Challenger 500 
Formula One Report: Turkish Grand Prix
