Ford is set to mount a challenge to Ferrari in the race for peak performance. But don't expect to pay Fiesta prices for the stupendous new GT — it's predicted to sell for a cool quarter of a million pounds. That'll buy you up to a dozen Mondeo saloons or nearly 30 Ka superminis. The two-seater, designed by Scot Moray Callum, younger brother of Jaguar design director Ian, was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show ahead of going into production. The new Ford GT (pictured) was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January . The rear-engined supercar features upwardly swinging scissor doors, 20in alloy wheels and raised twin exhausts. It's tipped to compete at Le Mans next year, which is apt as it's the 50th anniversary of Ford's original GT beating Ferrari's six year winning streak at the race. At its heart is a 600bhp 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost engine linked to a sporty seven-speed dual clutch transmission. A teardrop-shaped cabin reduces wind resistance and the driver and passenger are cocooned in a super-strong carbon-fibre cell. The rear spoiler can deploy automatically to help keep the car rooted to the ground. Fierce stopping power is provided by carbon-ceramic brakes. Mr Callum told Auto Express magazine: 'We wanted people to recognise it as a Ford GT, but didn't want to do the heritage car we've done in the past. 'I'm still pinching myself that we got to do it. That we knew it was going to be a production car helped. I think the danger was going off in flights of fancy. But it really kept us grounded.' Raj Nair, Ford's vice-president for global product development, said: 'The GT is the ultimate execution of an enthusiast supercar. It includes innovations and technologies that can be applied across our future portfolio.' Away from the Motown hype, Britain's biggest-selling marque for the 38th consecutive year celebrated a double win. The Ford Mondeo was crowned estate car of the year in the What Car? awards after only its first full month on sale. And the Fiesta ST was best hot hatch for the second year running. What Car? singled out the Mondeo 1.6 TDCi Zetec estate, capable of more than 74mpg. It's priced at £23,045, comes with SYNC2 connectivity and 8in touchscreen as standard, plus cruise control, DAB radio and a rear seat ski hatch. Editor Jim Holder said: 'It's hard to find an estate car that excels in every single area, yet Ford has got it spot on with the new Mondeo. Just like the old car, it's fantastic to drive, with a refined engine and a smooth ride. 'It's cracking value and will be cheaper to run than most of its rivals, thanks to CO2 emissions of just 99g/km.' The Fiesta ST, from £17,395, was praised for its 'dynamic yet practical' style, high performance and value. An all-new Galaxy seven-seater will go on sale in the summer along with a new S-MAX, C MAX, Grand C-MAX and Mustang. The new Edge SUV will also go into production this year. If owning one of the last Land Rover Defenders to be produced still isn't exclusive enough for you, a Leeds-based company is offering what it calls the 'ultimate Defender.' The model dates back to 1948. These, the final batch, are special editions ranging from £27,800 to £61,845. But modification specialist KhanDesign has pumped and pimped up the basic version to produce a 4x4 with near-supercar performance — and a £150,000 price-tag to match. Its Flying Huntsman 105 Longnose is an elongated Defender with a 450 bhp 6.2-litre V8 petrol engine. It will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this spring. Cheeky little Fiat is putting a large amount of oomph into its new 500X crossover that had its UK debut party in East London this week. A risqué promo film, shot in Italy, has already become an internet sensation. It features a man of advancing years who, with amorous intent in mind, loses his little blue pill out of the window. It bounces around the ancient hilltop town — narrowly missing an open-mouthed priest — until it lands in the tank of a young chap's standard Fiat 500, which instantly morphs into the bigger, testosterone-charged 500X as he fills it with petrol. Nancy Dell'Olio attends the Fiat 500X event this week, where Dynamo performaned, at the Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London . The film was quite the talk of the event at the Copper Box Arena, at the Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford, this week, which also featured magician Dynamo and guests including Nancy Dell'Olio (pictured with the car). Fiat is holding a nationwide promotional tour and more than 71,000 potential customers have already registered an interest. It is available in April from £14,595. Pure automotive Viagra, clearly.
The new model is predicted to sell for a quarter of a million pounds .
The two-seater was designed by Scot Moray Callum and unveiled in Detroit .
The rear-engined supercar is tipped to compete at Le Mans next year .
Ford is set to mount a challenge to Ferrari in the race for peak performance. But don't expect to pay Fiesta prices for the stupendous new GT — it's predicted to sell for a cool quarter of a million pounds. That'll buy you up to a dozen Mondeo saloons or nearly 30 Ka superminis. The two-seater, designed by Scot Moray Callum, younger brother of Jaguar design director Ian, was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show ahead of going into production. The new Ford GT (pictured) was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January . The rear-engined supercar features upwardly swinging scissor doors, 20in alloy wheels and raised twin exhausts. It's tipped to compete at Le Mans next year, which is apt as it's the 50th anniversary of Ford's original GT beating Ferrari's six year winning streak at the race. At its heart is a 600bhp 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost engine linked to a sporty seven-speed dual clutch transmission. A teardrop-shaped cabin reduces wind resistance and the driver and passenger are cocooned in a super-strong carbon-fibre cell. The rear spoiler can deploy automatically to help keep the car rooted to the ground. Fierce stopping power is provided by carbon-ceramic brakes. Mr Callum told Auto Express magazine: 'We wanted people to recognise it as a Ford GT, but didn't want to do the heritage car we've done in the past. 'I'm still pinching myself that we got to do it. That we knew it was going to be a production car helped. I think the danger was going off in flights of fancy. But it really kept us grounded.' Raj Nair, Ford's vice-president for global product development, said: 'The GT is the ultimate execution of an enthusiast supercar. It includes innovations and technologies that can be applied across our future portfolio.' Away from the Motown hype, Britain's biggest-selling marque for the 38th consecutive year celebrated a double win. The Ford Mondeo was crowned estate car of the year in the What Car? awards after only its first full month on sale. And the Fiesta ST was best hot hatch for the second year running. What Car? singled out the Mondeo 1.6 TDCi Zetec estate, capable of more than 74mpg. It's priced at £23,045, comes with SYNC2 connectivity and 8in touchscreen as standard, plus cruise control, DAB radio and a rear seat ski hatch. Editor Jim Holder said: 'It's hard to find an estate car that excels in every single area, yet Ford has got it spot on with the new Mondeo. Just like the old car, it's fantastic to drive, with a refined engine and a smooth ride. 'It's cracking value and will be cheaper to run than most of its rivals, thanks to CO2 emissions of just 99g/km.' The Fiesta ST, from £17,395, was praised for its 'dynamic yet practical' style, high performance and value. An all-new Galaxy seven-seater will go on sale in the summer along with a new S-MAX, C MAX, Grand C-MAX and Mustang. The new Edge SUV will also go into production this year. If owning one of the last Land Rover Defenders to be produced still isn't exclusive enough for you, a Leeds-based company is offering what it calls the 'ultimate Defender.' The model dates back to 1948. These, the final batch, are special editions ranging from £27,800 to £61,845. But modification specialist KhanDesign has pumped and pimped up the basic version to produce a 4x4 with near-supercar performance — and a £150,000 price-tag to match. Its Flying Huntsman 105 Longnose is an elongated Defender with a 450 bhp 6.2-litre V8 petrol engine. It will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this spring. Cheeky little Fiat is putting a large amount of oomph into its new 500X crossover that had its UK debut party in East London this week. A risqué promo film, shot in Italy, has already become an internet sensation. It features a man of advancing years who, with amorous intent in mind, loses his little blue pill out of the window. It bounces around the ancient hilltop town — narrowly missing an open-mouthed priest — until it lands in the tank of a young chap's standard Fiat 500, which instantly morphs into the bigger, testosterone-charged 500X as he fills it with petrol. Nancy Dell'Olio attends the Fiat 500X event this week, where Dynamo performaned, at the Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London . The film was quite the talk of the event at the Copper Box Arena, at the Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford, this week, which also featured magician Dynamo and guests including Nancy Dell'Olio (pictured with the car). Fiat is holding a nationwide promotional tour and more than 71,000 potential customers have already registered an interest. It is available in April from £14,595. Pure automotive Viagra, clearly.
it's predicted to sell for a cool quarter of a two-seater, designed by Scot Moray Callum, The rear-engined supercar features upwardly raised twin exhausts. It's tipped to compete at Le Mans next year, which is apt as it's the 50th