Filed under: Motorsports, Hatchback, Ford, Electric

Last week, Ford announced that it would be creating the world's first all-electric pace car in the form of the Focus Electric hatchback. Set to lap the oval at the Richmond 400 at the end of this month, the official Focus Electric NASCAR pace car was unveiled to the public at Richmond International Raceway today, showing off the battery-powered vehicle wrapped in its decidedly modest racing livery.

We recently had our first opportunity to drive Ford's all-electric Focus and find it to be a pleasant and engaging - if inconspicuous - EV. These large decals certainly help the BEV to stand out, and we're interested to see how the Focus Electric looks while its whirring along in front of some power-hungry NASCAR racers.

Scroll through our high-resolution image gallery above to see a few shots of the zero-emission Focus pace car, and scroll down for Ford's original press release.

Continue reading Ford releases photos of Focus Electric NASCAR pace car

Ford releases photos of Focus Electric NASCAR pace car originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Ford

In the high-stakes world of performance cars, horsepower is king. It's the first stat bragged about by owners trying to explain why their Camaro, Challenger or Mustang is better than their foes', and it's the headline figure promoted by the automakers themselves year after year.

When Ford announced that the 2013 Shelby GT500 would be punishing the pavement with 650 horses, the world stood up and took notice. Remember, though, these were just estimated figures, as the car had not yet been SAE certified. If reports from the Team Shelby message board prove accurate, the 2013 GT500 has finally gotten its official figures.

How's about 662 horsepower and 630 631 pound-feet of torque?

Yep, that'll do. It's notable that these figures represent increases of 12 horsepower and 30 21 lb-ft over the earlier estimates, and they also put even more distance between Ford's top-performing Mustang and Chevy's 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1. It also means the Shelby lays down considerably more ponies that the Corvette ZR1 and its 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft.

Now, will we see a corresponding horsepower-addled response from Chrysler or General Motors? Only time will tell.

*UPDATE: We've received an official press release from Ford quoting power figures of 662 horsepower and 631 pound-feet of torque, making the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500's engine the most powerful production V8 in the world. Ford is also keen to point out that the 2013 GT500 is one mpg more fuel efficient, both city and highway, than the 2012 model and five mpg better than the Camaro ZL1. Scroll down for the complete press release.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 certified at 662 hp and 631 pound-feet [UPDATE]

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 certified at 662 hp and 631 pound-feet [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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