1999 Ford Taurus Se Sedan 4-door 3.0l Stock Motor And Performance Motor On Crate on 2040-cars

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Ford updates Power Stroke diesel V8, strengthens F-450, tweaks King Ranch

Ford is giving its F-Series Super Duty trucks some upgrades for 2015, and we're happy to say that one of them is an improved Power Stroke diesel V8. Also, Ford is strengthening the top-of-the-line F-450 to handle more abuse. And if wild west-style luxury is your thing, the automaker has performed minor cosmetic updates to its King Ranch Edition trucks, as well.
The turbocharged 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 is currently rated at 400 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque, and Ford only tells us the new and improved Power Stroke can "produce power beyond today's" engine. What, then, did Ford actually improve upon? First, the Blue Oval swapped in a new, larger turbocharger. The new Garrett GT37 turbine unit is 72.5 millimeters in diameter, eclipsing the old GT32's 64-mm diameter piece. Ford states output increases with the new turbo setup, but since the new turbocharger operates at a lower peak pressure than the old one, the automaker was able to eliminate the wastegate system and reduce the engine's complexity. Ford even redesigned the turbo's oil and cooling lines to make the powerplant simpler. A byproduct of the larger turbo is better engine exhaust braking, which is controlled manually by a button on the dashboard.
Ford claims the upgraded diesel engine is more powerful, more robust, more efficient and more refined than before.

2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost

Earlier this week, Ford invited us to Charlotte, NC, to ride in an all-new 2015 Mustang fitted with its turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder. It's the first forced-induction, four-cylinder ponycar for the Blue Oval since the sun set on the 1986 Mustang SVO. We jumped at the opportunity, as only a handful of people have ever been in the passenger seat of this new car, and most automotive media won't get as close as we did until this fall.
As we revealed in our Deep Dive, Ford will slot this new turbocharged four as premium powerplant between its naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V6 and the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8. At last mention, the automaker said the direct-injected, all-aluminum engine will develop 305 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, returning the best fuel economy of the three powerplants in the process. History buffs will note that those figures are appreciably stouter than the 200 horses and 240 lb-ft that the '86 SVO realized out of the same displacement, and the latter's figures were hugely impressive at the time. On paper, the new EcoBoost four looks to be a good fit for most owners who want to balance performance with efficiency - we were eager to see how it felt from the passenger seat.
Riding Notes

Ford builds one-off 50th anniversary Mustang Convertible for charity

At the New York Auto Show this year, Ford revealed a special-edition Mustang to honor the iconic pony car's 50th anniversary. Only 1,964 highly symbolic examples will be made, all of them fixed-roof coupes. But the Blue Oval automaker has just announced that it's also building a single 50 Years edition convertible that it will raffled off for charity.
The first production example of the new Mustang Convertible to roll off the line this fall, this one-off will pack many of the features on the 50 Years coupe, including its white paintjob, chrome trim, aluminum dashboard, two-tone upholstery, contrast stitching, special 19-inch wheels and special-edition badging throughout.
This unique cabrio will also be fitted with a special performance pack including Pirelli PZero rubber, Brembo brakes and a limited-slip differential to help get the 420 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque from the 5.0-liter V8 through the six-speed manual transmission and down to the road. It'll also feature a serial plaque with the number 0001 of 0001 and chairman Bill Ford's signature.