Posts Tagged ‘Focus ST’

2013 Los Angeles Auto Show Day One #LAAutoShow

Posted: November 20, 2013 in Acura, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Automobile Manufacturers, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Car Shows, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Jeep, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Los Angeles Specific Issues, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Ram, Range Rover, Volkswagen, Volvo
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The Campagna T-Rex. These three-wheeled wonders are from Canada and are very expensive - $60 - 70,000. I have it direct from an owner that they are fun beyond belief. Nice toy if you can afford one!

The Campagna T-Rex. These three-wheeled wonders are from Canada and are very expensive – $60 – 70,000. I have it direct from an owner that they are fun beyond belief. Nice toy if you can afford one!

LAAutoShow Day 1 005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Rear

All new, if you can afford it, is the Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S. Available in both coupe and cabriolet form. When you choose options, it’s usually in $10,000 increments.

LAAutoShow Day 1 006 Porsche 911 Turbo S int

The interior of the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. Red leather is my favorite interior for just about any sports car.

LAAutoShow Day 1 007 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

This is the “lesser” 911 Turbo Cabriolet. It’s missing the S, but I’d still love it and give it shelter.

LAAutoShow Day 1 013 Porsche 918 Spyder rear

This is the production Porsche 918 Spyder. There is NO BAD ANGLE on this fantastic super hybrid.

LAAutoShow Day 1 014 Porsche 918 Spyder Int

The interior of Porsche’s 918 Spyder Hybrid is just as futuristic as the exterior. I’m sure Jay Leno already has one.

LAAutoShow Day 1 016 Lincoln MKC front

This is the all-new Lincoln MKC (C for crossover, compact). It’s based on the Ford Edge, but with lots of upgrades and changes. It’s not just a badge-engineering job. I think it’s handsome and will find some traction in the very big compact SUV/CUV market.

LAAutoShow Day 1 017 Lincoln MKC rear

The rear doesn’t work as well for me. The MKC kind of has a fat ass and the “signature” taillights that sweep across the whole rear just make it look larger.

LAAutoShow Day 1 022 Lincoln MKC int

The interior of the Lincoln MKC is more successful. With a combination of MyLincoln Touch and physical buttons and knobs, this is the direction Ford and Lincoln are taking to try and appease pissed-off consumers who hate the touch controls.

LAAutoShow Day 1 024 Ford Transit Connect Titanium Wagon Cross Country by LGE CTS Motorsports (2014)

I think the new 2014 Ford Transit Connect family of wagons and utility vans will find many new customers as it comes in different sizes with much more car-like interiors.

LAAutoShow Day 1 029 Ford Edge Concept front

This Ford Edge Concept is very close to the upcoming production 2015 Edge Crossover. I like the bold look.

LAAutoShow Day 1 030 Ford Edge Concept

That’s quite the in-your-face grille, isn’t it? The 2015 Ford Edge Concept

LAAutoShow Day 1 031 2014 Ford Focus ST

The lighting just doesn’t do justice to this neon yellow 2014 Ford Focus ST. It’s really quite arresting – and you might get arrested driving far too fast in it.

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Ken Block

I’ve posted a few of Ken Block’s Gymkhana (a Hindi-Urdu word meaning “a place where skill-based contests were held”) videos before.  He’s outdone himself again with his latest video: Ken Block’s Gymkhana Five: Ultimate Urban Playground; San Francisco.

We all remember the classic car chase scenes in San Francisco like Steve McQueen’s Bullitt chase scene in 1968 or Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal’s screwball delivery bicycle chase scene from 1972’s What’s Up Doc? While this isn’t a “chase” video, it sure brings San Francisco’s stunning scenery and unique typography to life. You’ll recognize many of the streets from other films. The one street conspicuously missing is Lombard St. I’m betting that neither the City nor the residents of Lombard St wanted their picturesque street marred by tire marks and it was probably too dangerous considering how close the homes are to the street.

Lombard Street, San Francisco, California

Mr. Block’s amazing, death-defying driving skills include speed, drifting, sailing (trust me, you’ll know what I mean when you watch the video) and jumping.  This time, Mr. Block is driving a heavily-modified Ford Fiesta HFHV (no you can’t buy it in any Ford showroom).  How the producers got so many streets in San Francisco shut down with few, if any residents looking on is beyond me.  This wasn’t a big Hollywood big-budget movie, this was a video produced for YouTube with a very specific audience – and no one is paying to see it. Sure he had big sponsors like Ford Motor Company and DC Shoes; but it had to cost big bucks to make it happen.  There must be a corresponding big payback for his sponsors!

There are other unanswered questions. For instance, how many practice runs and takes were involved to make this 9 minute, 51 second video? You can tell from the skid marks on the streets in the same places that there were many practice runs.  I’d like to know how many sets of tires were shredded during the shoot. It seems like just one short run would heat up and burn away even the best professional drifting tires.  Then there is the issue of how many cars and how many engines/transmissions died to make this video? I don’t think it’s the same vehicle in all the shots.  And of course, I’d like to know how much it cost to produce.

But all this really is just mental masturbation when you watch this awesome finished video.  What next – a real chase scene? I can’t wait!