Call it a comeback
In America, the hatchback has long fought an uphill battle — garnering the scorn and disdain of image conscious buyers who prefer the look of a sedan or coupe. The thing is, regardless of mass public opinion, we think hatchbacks are great, especially on smaller vehicles where the proportions, engineering and design seem to jive [...]
Peer into the future, without the crystal ball
We kicked off 2012 by visiting not-so-beautiful Las Vegas to attend CES, with the hope of getting a head start on the exciting new products that will launch over the coming year. While we’ll continue to highlight gadgets revealed there on a regular basis, one of the best parts about being on the ground at [...]
If train A leaves the station at...
According to estimates there are 800 million cars on the road today. By 2050 it will approach between 2 and 4 billion with 70% of those cars existing in cities. Needless to say, automakers — and city planners alike — are scrambling to develop new and more efficient ways to get around. One company, Ford, [...]
Super Natural
We have a big soft spot for pick-up trucks. Not just because they represent so much of what America is and how we get work done, but the fact that when it comes to two-axle haulers, no one does a full-size pickup like the U S of A. Even as fuel prices have rocketed and [...]
Getaway car
When the photos for the 2013 Ford Escape landed in our inbox we immediately thought two things. First, the superb job Ford did bringing the Vertrek concept to fruition without sacrificing the design. Second, how the dynamic Ford Focus (read: European) aesthetic actually works in small crossover utility form. Yes we too have a little [...]
Winging It
Concept cars, by their very nature, are designed to floor the gas pedal of our automotive imagination. The Ford Evos achieves this end with flying colors, and then some — thanks in large part to the striking pose of its not one, not two, not three, but four gullwing doors. Born from Ford’s design studio [...]
From Grave to Glory
It goes without saying that the original Ford GT40 stands as one of the most iconic American cars of all time. Originally designed to go up against Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race series, it won the race four times in a row from 1966 to 1969, which undoubtedly shamed the [...]
STreetworthy
Dreams can become reality, even in the automotive world. In the fall of 2010, GP teased you with images of the then predicted arrival of the Ford Focus ST . We started hoping for an American hot hatch we could both believe in and thrash around the track. Hope no more. It’s official and Ford [...]
More Horses Than a Farm
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. That’s all well and good, but what happens when you give the guys at Shelby 800 horses?
Alone Ranger
Before you start day-dreaming about a new way to haul your gear around, it’s worth noting that the 2011 Ford Ranger will be available in 180 countries, except one: the US. Why? We can think of five reasons: a 3.2 liter 200 horsepower Duratorq turbo-diesel engine with a rock-stomping 346 lb-ft of torque, 6-speed manual [...]
The 2010 Paris Motor Show had landed and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to for a man to assume an amplitude of impossibly sexy cars, leggy models, and enough bespoke suits to make the men of Positano blush. Well, if this year’s display of supercar prowess is anything more than a declaration that the recession is [...]
Ford Fights Back
Later this month at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, Ford will be unveiling the 2012 Ford Focus ST (no, not SVT). Not only will the Ford Focus ST finally bring an American hot hatch contender to our shores, but one teeming with attitude – an aggressive front fascia with massive air intakes and grille, rear [...]
Mess With the Bull, You Get the Horns
It’s no secret that American car makers are in the process of reinventing themselves. Their image and their vehicles are being transformed, as well. Admittedly, we’re often enamored with the latest models to arrive at port from Asian and European manufacturers and, for years, our excuse has been that there simply wasn’t much to consider [...]
It Goes Against All You've Come To Perceive About Lincoln. Oh, Except For the Trunk That Will Fit Four Golf Bags And A Person.
Here at Gear Patrol’s New York branch, we do our fair share of golfing, no thanks to the tyrannical tee-time scheduling of Patrick Tuttle. The Land Rover we keep parked in midtown Manhattan does a fine job soldiering us to each week’s round. Our only hurdles being either poor traffic conditions or my refusal to [...]
