Road Test editor Scott Mortara headed down the quarter mile in the bright-yellow Boss 302 Mustang, steadying his speed for Motor Trend's standard brake test, just as he's done a thousand times before. Back in the day, before anti-lock brakes and stability control systems and decent tires, you never knew quite which direction the car might be facing when you finished a brake test. These days, though, it's fairly simple: At about 70 mph, you grenade the brake pedal and hang on. The electronic nannies keep the cars nice and straight, and our sophisticated on-board data-logging equipment automatically captures the distance it takes to decelerate from 60 mph to a standstill.

Ah yes, the good old days. When gas cost pennies per gallon, you could rent genuine Shelby Mustangs from Hertz, and the cops didn't have radar. When Toyota was still an obscure Japanese automaker, Hyundai was still in the construction business, and Motown still dazzled the world with brazen displays of power and performance and style. When sex was safe, and racing dangerous.

When it comes to designing eco-friendly urban transportation, automakers have tried just about everything. They've drawn up bubble cars, autonomic pods, even semi-robotic unicycles. Ford however, has decided against cribbing from the pages of a sci-fi novel and opted for something far more conventional: a three-door hatchback. Specifically, the Start concept the automaker unveiled at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show.

As Mustang's 50th anniversary rapidly approaches, its maker is under enormous pressure to deliver a worthy update that will satisfy legions of loyal fans and appeal to masses around the globe. Ford finally is taking its iconic Mustang overseas.

Ford's Kuga could be getting a little brother

Delayed due to Ford's financial constraints, the heavy-duty workhorse truck range is ultimately destined to receive major changes for 2007. This Crew Cab longbed 1-ton version sports a single rear wheel; word around the office says this vehicle is being tested with a new, smaller V-6 4.5-liter turbodiesel sourced from International, promising improved fuel economy.

With Ford's market share in the U.S. slip-sliding away, president of the Americas Mark Fields has said the company has to "change or die." But his long-awaited "Way Forward" plan, announced amid much hype on January 23, fell short of the radical turnaround plan many analysts expected.

With the Adrenalin pickup canceled, Ford's in-house hot-shop has no work. Is Ford's performance shop, Special Vehicle Team, about to die? It looks that way, with no new products scheduled after Ford's launch of the Mustang-based Shelby GT500. The Adrenalin, which was to be an SVT-built performance version of the new Explorer Sport Trac, has been canceled.

Ford hasn't spent too much time disguising its redesigned F-150 truck during recent testing, in sharp contrast to the heavy camouflage that has been used in the past. Good news for the spy shooters over at KGP who were able to snap off a clean photo before it was covered and loaded back onto its trailer, bound for Dearborn.

FPV GT gets 449 hp and a full sports package.

Lincoln dealers troubled by a lack of new products are promised a new lineup by 2015 that will more than double current sales levels

Could have 380 PS (279 kW / 375 hp)

Priced at $74,290 AUD

Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) has announced plans to offer a GT Black special edition.

Rated at 20 mpg city / 28 mph highway

Ford has released new information about the 2012 Explorer EcoBoost.

Alleged victim wants over $5 million

Carroll Shelby is in hot water as a former employee has filed lawsuit that alleges he sexually assaulted her and eventually fired her for reporting a rape, by another employee, at Shelby's home.

Do-it-yourself kit takes just minutes to install and adds a little extra power to the zippy hot hatch

British tuner Superchips has a quick and cheap do-it-yourself kit for the Ford Fiesta Zetec S 1.6 that adds a little extra juice to the little hot hatch.