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Ford Fiesta Zetec S: petrol or diesel!

Ford Fiesta Zetec S

For the moment the top of the line new Ford Fiesta hatch in Europe will be the Ford Fiesta Zetec S while we wait for Ford to whip up the new Fiesta ST. Under the hood is a choice of either a 1.6 liter Duractec Ti-VCT petrol engine producing 120 PS, or a 1.6 liter Duratorq TDCi engine producing 90 PS.

The Zetec S badge also adds a lowered sports suspension as well as a bodykit consisting of a deeper front bumper, side skirts and rear spoiler. 16 inch alloys and projector headlamps complete the exterior equipment list.

One more rear shot after the jump.

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Ford sues US govt for interest on overpaid tax

Ford logoStruggling American automaker Ford Motor Company is suing the US government for a sum of US$445.3 million in what looks like a desperate move for cash. Ford posted a loss of US$2.7 billion in 2007 and has abandoned its previous goal of returning to black by 2009. Ford is suing the US government for interest on overpaid tax money for the years 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1994.

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New Ford Focus RS unveiled with 300 PS inline-5

Ford Focus RS

Ford has revived the RS badge last seen in 2002 on the first generation Focus with the Ford Focus RS, a high performance version of the latest facelifted Ford Focus. It will be displayed at the 2008 British International Motor Show in London from the 22nd of July. The RS badge was first used on the Escort RS1600 featured yesterday.

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1970 Ford Escort RS1600: the first RS!

Ford RS1600
Click to enlarge

Every car manufacturer has a special suffix to indicate sporty intentions and for Ford it is the RS (Rallye Sport) badge, and most recently ST as well. The first ever Ford to carry the RS badge was the Mk1 1970 Ford Escort RS1600. The body used was a 2-door body and was reinforced to make the chassis stronger. Wider wheel arches showed the car’s sporty intentions. Ford’s ad campaign for the car used the tagline “The Potent Mix”.

It was the first ever Ford road-going car to be fitted with a 16 valve DOHC engine. The RS1600’s engine was based on a Ford Kent engine block. The 16 valve DOHC cylinder head came from Cosworth. It produced about 115 PS and was mated to a 4-speed manual, a pretty impressive power to displacement ratio back in the 1970s. It could reach a top speed of 180km/h and got up to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds.

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Ford Fiesta ST tuned by Roush produces 185PS!

Ford Fiesta ST

Roush Technologies’ Mountune Performance division has unveiled a range of dealer-fit upgrade packages for the Ford Fiesta ST. The stock Fiesta ST’s normally aspirated 2.0 liter DOHC engine produces 150 PS at 6,000rpm and 190Nm of torque at 4,500rpm.

A Stage 1 Mountune Performance upgrade kit using intake and exhaust upgrades as well as ECU reprogramming takes this up to 165 PS and a much nicer torque curve with 200Nm of torque produced between 3,500rpm to 5,000rpm.

The Stage 2 kit adds stronger valve springs and more aggressive camshafts to result in 185 PS and a torque increase to 200Nm between 4,500rpm and 6,000rpm. There is also an optional sportier suspension kit, and an interior kit using Recaro sports seats.

Roush will announce upgrade kits for the Focus ST later.

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Ford introduces Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport

Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport

Ford has added the Titanium X Sport variant to its Ford Mondeo range in the UK, which is the highest spec Mondeo so far. Standard equipment includes an in-dash Sony six CD player, voice control, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlights, front and rear park assist, dual-zone climate control, Ford Power Start button, Bluetooth connectivity, bi-xenon lights, alloy pedals and a sports suspension.

Two engines are available for this equipment level – a 225 PS turbocharged inline-5 engine, or a 175 PS 2.2 liter TDCi engine which is expected to account for a majority of the sales. The 2.2 liter TDCi takes the Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport from 0 to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds, and both engine variants are mated to a 6-speed manual. The car is available in either 5-door or estate bodystyles.

More images after the jump.

Related Posts:
New Ford Mondeo unveiled – details and photos

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Facelifted Ford Focus ST

Facelifted Ford Focus ST

The new facelifted Ford Focus ST goes on sale in the UK beginning from today, and gets Ford’s new kinetic design styling that was applied to the base Ford Focus.

Making a return under the hood is the 2.5 liter inline-5 turbocharged engine putting out the same 225 PS as before, taking the Focus ST up to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds. Ford also says the ST can do the Nordschleife in 8 minutes and 35 seconds, apparently the fastest in its class.

The Focus ST gets a bodykit on the exterior to differentiate it from the standard issue Focus, and also comes with 18 inch wheels, Recaro sports seats. The highest ST-2 spec gets a Sony audio system, bi-xenon lights, LED rear lights and Quickclear heated windscreen while the highest ST-3 equipment level ncludes an in-dash six CD player plus full leather trim.

More photos of the Focus ST after the jump.

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RS model for 7th generation Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta

A more hardcore and lightweight version of the Mk7 Ford Fiesta (shown above) is in the works, and like its higher performance Focus sibling, it will be called the Ford Fiesta RS. According to Auto Express, the new 7th generation Ford Fiesta will have two high performance versions instead of just the ST, similiar to the line-up planned for its bigger brother, the Ford Focus. The Fiesta will have a “warm” Fiesta ST, as well as an all-out hot hatch Ford Fiesta RS.

The Mk6 Fiesta ST came with a 150 PS 2.0 liter Duratec, so the new Mk7 RS has to top the 150 PS figure. While there are no official details yet, the Mk7 ST is rumoured to come with a new 1.6 liter EcoBoost turbocharged inline-4 engine instead of a large normally aspirated Duratec engine, so it will be very easy to tune up this engine for the RS version. Expect the ST to feature 150 horses or so, and the RS to top out at nearly 200 horsepower.

Related Posts:
Ford Fiesta based on Verve Concept for Geneva 2008
Ford releases 2009 Ford Fiesta video

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Ford Focus RS Concept to debut at London 2008

Here are some teaser shots of the upcoming 2009 Ford Focus RS, and a concept version of the car will be shown at the 2008 London Motor Show in July this year.

The 5-cylinder turbocharged engine under the hood will be putting out between 280 to 300 horsepower, but the word is that all of the power will be going through the front wheels through some clever differential.

More photos after the jump.

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New FG 2009 Ford Falcon XT, G and XR

Ford Falcon

The new FG Ford Falcon has been unveiled in Australia, and it comes in three rim levels: the baseline XT, the G and the top of the range sporty XR. Other than the different exterior kit that each trim level comes with, the biggest difference between the cars is under the hood.

The baseline Ford Falcon XT comes equipped with a 4.0 liter normally aspirated inline-6 producing 261 horsepower and 391Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox with sequential manual shifting, or an optional ZF 6-speed automatic. The other engine option is an LPG engine that produces 209 horsepower mated to a 4-speed auto, likely to be the choice of Australian taxis.

The Ford Falcon G is pretty much the same as the XT with the 5-speed, except it has the G series front bumper, fog lamps, 17 inch wheels and a more luxurious interior. The suspension is also tuned for a sportier drive compared the more comfort oriented suspension of the XT. The Falcon G6E adds the ZF 6-speed gearbox and more interior luxuries like Bluetooth mobile phone integration, a premium audio and DVD system, leather seats, power driver seat and dual-zone climate control.

The top of the range G is the Falcon G6E Turbo which features a turbocharged inline-6 engine producing 363 horsepower at 5,250rpm and 533Nm of torque between 2,000rpm and 4,750rpm, mated to a 6-speed ZF automatic. The G6E Turbo also has iPod integration with its audio system.

The Ford Falcon XR series comes in either XR6, XR6 Turbo or XR8 trims. The XR6 features the normally aspirated inline-6 with similiar gearbox options as the XT, but you also get a Tremec 6-speed manual option. The XR6 Turbo shares the G6E Turbo’s turbocharged engine, but adds a limited slip differential. The top of the range XR8 has a normally aspirated 5.4 liter Ford Boss V8 that produces 389 horepower at 5,750rpm and 520Nm of torque at 4,750rpm.

So the performance Falcon enthusiast will be quite spoilt for choice really, on one hand you get a delicious sounding normally aspirated V8, but on the other hand a mega large and wide torque curve inline-6, and they both make about the same power and twisting action, just delivered differently. Being a Falcon and for the Australian market, the car is naturally large and rear wheel driven.

More photos after the jump.

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