Car FYI

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company untitled One of many returning traditions in 2021 is the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is a celebration of the past, present and future of aviation going beyond many air shows. This exhibition running from July 26 to August 1 st provides something for everyone enamoured by creations that draws humanity airborne. Displays of vintage warplanes, ultra-light and home-built flying machines, air demonstrations, radio-controlled aircraft, aviation-related exhibitors as well as various workshops are part of this massive gathering insuring lots of fun and entertainment throughout the event. On Thursday, July 29 th the festivities in Oshkosh will include an auction for a one-of-a-kind piece of machinery by the Ford Motor Company. Although a four-wheeled automobile limited to traversing land, a very special Ford Mustang Mach-E is crafted as a high-flying tribute to brave pilots. Created specifically for the EAA AirVenture auction to bene...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada Theme of the Show: Beyond Expectations For an event that featured the Canadian debut and/or exhibition of several high-performance vehicles, the opening ceremonies were a particularly high-octane affair. The late Sergio Marchionne, than-CEO of Fiat Group and later Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), took to the stage for the company’s press conference followed by a Q&A in an act that could be viewed as brave or foolish. Just ahead of the auto show, his automaker had been reportedly asking for $700 million in government assistance to upgrade their Canadian manufacturing short of five years after the company accepted nearly $3 billion in loans from the Ontario provincial and Canadian federal governments in order to restructure Chrysler Group. Despite the allegations there was some serious hardball being played by the auto company, Marchionne’s speech and tone attempted to divert any hostilities drawing heavily on his personal Canadian conne...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada   Theme of the Show: The Vision- Explore New Directions. Experience Innovation. Though the effects of the great global recession were nearing an end with the arrival of 2010, Canadian auto sales from the recently concluded year of 2009 made it clear that the auto industry had a hole to climb out of. Only 1,484,000 new cars and trucks sold in Canada represented a 11.36 percent drop over the 2008 calendar year as instability with money caused many to temporarily forego many expensive purchase and expenditures.   Although this was only the second year I attended the event, I could tell there was truly a lower key tone to the 2010 Canadian International AutoShow compared to the previous year. The show’s footprint decreased as the floors of the Skydome (Rogers Centre) was no longer part of the display space. Since 2009, none of the subsequent auto shows in Toronto would use the popular retractable roof sports and entertainment buil...

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company of Canada Limited With more than 55 years of history for the Ford Mustang, it’s amusing that much of the car’s decades on the market is focused on the passion and enthusiasm created in the first five years of the original pony car’s history. Monikers such as GT, Shelby GT350 and Cobra Jet have been revived on numerous occasions. Ford has also celebrated the appearance of a green Mustang GT fastback in the 1968 Steve McQueen movie Bullitt with a commemorative edition vehicle twice in the past 20 years. Even if we have not experienced the Mustang’s history first-hand, the vehicle has a knack of drawing out the emotions found in fans of speed. Set to appear in its fourth incarnation for the 2021 model year, the famed Mach 1 name will again ride on the Ford Mustang in a spirited high-performance revival. When the Mach 1 was introduced by Ford in 1969, the nameplate was instantly coveted for V-8 performance. Providing available 52 years later, the 2021 Ford...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy The Detroit-based North American International Auto Show has always fueled an early release of potentially game-charging designs and vehicle philosophies from automakers (with American companies traditionally reserving some of their most pivotal presentations). After the course of recent history, Ford Motor Company hasn't been afraid to make some noise on the departure or arrival of a new year. In December 2013, the current generation Mustang broke cover ahead of the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit while a new F-150 pickup truck debuted for that same exhibition. The following year, Ford decided to retain the suspense for the show introducing two EcoBoost-propelled, high-performance models in the form of the GT supercar and the F-150 Raptor. Ahead of the 2017 edition of the important automotive event, the blue oval has set out some remarkable new plans that includes adding electrified powertrains to some iconic Ford vehicles wit...

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company A showcase devoted to the celebration of things that fly, the 2015 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh’s spirit spread once again to a favoured land vehicle form. Serving as a new annual tradition as part of the Gathering of Eagles charity event, Ford Motor Company has donated a very special Mustang for auction. Every year, a unique aviation-themed version of the pony car was created by Ford. Past creations included the Mustangs paying homage to the F-22 Raptor, SR-71 Blackbird, Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. For the 2015 Gathering of Eagles fundraiser, the design concept for the Ford Mustang was out of this world. Hammered away for $230,000 during the July 23 rd charity auction, NASA’s famed Apollo space program served as the inspiration for a modified 627-horsepower 2015 Ford Mustang . Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company Finished with a pure white/pure black exterior paint custom colour scheme resembling the appearance of the ico...

At the beginning of this month, I was captivated by the announcement of a new app worth my attention as a Canadian car enthusiast. May 1st, Ford introduced a revised version of the Mustang Customizer app providing an interactive experience relating to the sixth-generation model of the pony car started the wild rush in the vehicle segment. Having previously dribbled in the desktop version of an earlier version of the Mustang Customizer , I was stoked to try out the latest program. At the time I entered the Google Play, my glee was quickly deflated as I eventually found out the new Mustang Customizer app was not available in my country. The app was released on Android and Apple IOS devices. Since I run an Android tablet, I am not aware if the regional restriction applies to Apple devices. As a Canadian, I don't know how I am supposed to feel after finding out I can't even download the Mustang Customizer app. I recall Canada is the first international market where...

At this time, the production first examples of the 2015 Ford Mustang just reaching showroom floors. Reporting the new Mustang is spending an average of only six days on United States dealership lots before being sold, Ford appears to have succeeded in creating an attractive refresh of their coveted vehicle. The Evos concept car inspired styling and the power up to 400 horsepower available from the Canadian-built 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 engine allowed the new Mustang to openly participate in many glamour shots since it went public light this past December. Fanfare for the latest generation version of the original pony car remained high throughout this year as the vehicle’s introduction coincided with the Ford Mustang’s 50 th anniversary. After almost a full year of the 2015 Mustang, Ford Motor Company’s selective breeding has now led to the latest iteration of the Shelby GT350 Mustang. Rolling up to the 50 th anniversary to the production of the first Shelby GT350s by Carroll S...

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company Since late last year, a wild horse temptress has been wooing hordes of followers. A creation celebrating its 50 th birthday in 2014 , the Ford Mustang has started the year promising a brand-new level of sports car performance. Accented with a bold, new look reflective of the future rather than the past that guided some previous generation models, the 2015 Mustang preserves the virtues that made the original pony car a dream machine. For 2015, an all-new 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder powerplant joins a V-6 and the Mustang GT’s 435-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8 engine . With eight months of auto shows and special appearances assembled in locales (including the top of the Empire State Building) wetting the appetites of eager buyers or simply enthusiasts, Flat Rock, Michigan is now ready for the distributions of a vehicle a half-century in the making. The home of the Mustang since 2005, Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant is beginning production of the ...