This is the first Lamborghini Mustang we’ve ever seen although plenty of Ferrari and Lamborghini replicas are built in the US. The technical base of the car is a Gallardo, but with the bodywork of a 2007 Mustang. The strange looking car is called a Tractorri and has an intriguing mix of the Italian and the American.

The wheels and brakes are true to Italian roots, as is the V10 central-rear engine and overall supercar specs, but externally this is all American muscle car. Lamborghini purists won’t be impressed, but this Gallardo-Mustang is not just a one-off, with the possibility available to anyone who might be interested of turning their Gallardo into a Mustang.

Continue reading: Tractorri: Lamborghini Gallardo with Ford Mustang body kit

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The legendary Ford Mustang could be coming to the old continent in 2015 in a move that is likely to send more than one classic car fan’s heart fluttering. The Mustang will celebrate 50 years in 2014 and the anniversary could see a new generation of coupe arrive in Europe, too. The next Mustang should also be slightly smaller, and include more Ecoboost engine options which could meet Europe’s strict anti-pollution norms.

If this turns out to be true, I’m going to start saving now. On the muscle car front, though, the Chevrolet Camaro which debuted at the 2008 Paris motor show was supposed to have appeared in showrooms in Europe, but it looks as though the infamous economic crisis may have slowed that project. I can see a niche market for the Mustang, though, particularly in a 50th anniversary guise. Fingers crossed…

Source | Autointernationaal.nl

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As you may well imagine, Volkswagen did very nicely in the European market for 2009, as did Opel and Ford (and there’s no prizes for guessing for which models). There are a couple of surprises though, with Fiat doing very well, but not with the Fiat 500, which makes a nice change, and Peugeot and Renault put in appearances as well. Check out Europe’s top ten cars for 2009 after the jump.

Continue reading: Europe's top ten cars for 2009

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Here are three videos of the Volkswagen Scirocco R vs the Ford Focus RS. The first two come from the Germans at D-Motor and the second, after the jump, is Autocar’s verdict on how the Scirocco R compares to the Focus RS. The Scirocco has a 2.0-litre TSI engine with 265 hp and front wheel drive. The Ford Focus RS has, however, 300 hp, a few more than the Scirocco. The German video is in two parts, and while you might not speak German, you get the picture. The Germans are also crazier and more exciting…

Continue reading: Volkswagen Scirocco R vs Ford Focus RS

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American investment group Crown, headed by former Ford president Michael Dingman, could put an offer on the table to buy Volvo, although a sale to Chinese company Geely seemed in the bag. Geely has been Ford’s preferred purchaser, although there have been industry concerns about selling Volvo to Asian interests, and losing possible brand image, intellectual property rights and technological know-how. The move could be a win for American patriotism if Ford were to prefer a home grown purchaser.

Reports say that Crown group could also enlist the support of Swedish investors and offer up to two billion dollars for the brand - a similar amount to what is on the table from Geely. In the meantime, the guys at Swedespeed have produced these renderings of what they think the V60 station wagon would look like, with a V60R sport wagon rendering, too.

Volvo V60 wagon renderings

Source | Es.autoblog.com and Swedespeed

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The Ford Focus RS takes on the Nurburgring in this video, going at a spectacular speed, driven by Horst von Saurma from Germany’s Sport Auto magazine. The Focus RS lapped the Nurburgring in 8 minutes, 26 seconds, a big difference from the Focus ST with 225hp back in 2005 which did 8:51 minutes.

The Focus RS in Europe is equipped with a 2.5 litre turbocharged engine with 300 hp and six-speed manual transmission. It has a top speed of 26 km/hr and reaches 100 km/hr in 5.9 seconds. Check out the hot hatch in the video.

Source | CarScoop

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According to data, fuelling air conditioners in cars every year consumes up to 28 million litres of petrol, equal to about six percent of the total consumption of petrol and diesel. American scientists from NREL (laboratory for renewable energies) have released these figures, and also calculated that coolant leaks cause emissions of 50 million tonnes of CO2 a year.

Experts are working to improve the function of air conditioners, so as improve efficiency by about 33 percent. Some ideas are already being tested, including overhauling air conditioning systems and replacing or changing traditional coolant systems. A special paint for cars that reflects solar rays could also be an option, reducing the need for air conditioning.

This summer, Ford will be the major partner in research projects of this kind, with the Department of Energy in the US dedicating a 4.2 million-dollar donation to the company. The money will go to improving car air conditioning systems and to the development of a thermal-electric system.

Source | Ecoblog

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I don’t recommend you watch this video if you get car sick, but otherwise, let the race begin! At the wheel of this Opel Astra is Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall driver in the BTCC championship. While he’s the only one likely to drive an Astra like this, he beats the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus, saying “get a move on” as he overtakes one. Over to the video.

Source | CarScoop

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The new 1.6 litre Ford EcoBoost will appear on the European market in three versions. The turbo compressed petrol engine with direct injection will debut in 2010 and will play a key role in the next C-Max and Focus range. The C-Max will have 180 hp, as already seen on the Iosis Max, and two less powerful variations will follow.

They will have 130 and 150 hp, and can be matched on request to a double-clutch Powershift transmission. Compared to the current aspirated options and equal power, fuel consumption is reduced by about 20 percent. That’s a big effort from Ford, and we’ll be interested to see a road test to verify.

Source | AutoWeek.nl

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It looks as though the Ford Taurus SHO has success guaranteed, with the car already being named Esquire magazine’s 2010 car of the year. The categories for the award are a good drive and handling with speed, attractive bodywork (for the stare factor) and a reasonable price point.

The magazine apparently had a test drive, but in its article didn’t include the other contenders for the prize, so we don’t know who the Taurus was up against. Driving impressions were not part of the article, but from the press release we read:

We had three main criteria in selecting the Esquire Car of the Year,” explained David Granger, editor-in-chief. “The vehicle needed to be a pleasure to drive and be capable of shortening your breath when you slam down the pedal. It needed to be gorgeous and aggressive, capable of eliciting stares and gawks. And it needed to be attainable – a vehicle that most men actually can buy and drive. The new Taurus SHO nailed all of these parameters.”

Continue reading: Ford Taurus SHO gets Esquire 2010 car of the year award

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