Redesigned Ford Focus expected to get 40 mpg on the highway

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will get an estimated 40 mpg in highway driving with an all-aluminum 2.0-liter engine mated to a six-speed, dual-dry-clutch automatic transmission. The normally aspirated engine combines variable camshaft timing and high-pressure direct fuel injection to crank out 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. That compares with 140 hp and 136 lb-ft from the aluminum 2.0-liter engine used in the current-generation Focus.

Boyd Coddington, dead at 63

Legendary Californian hot-rod builder and customizer Boyd Coddington, passed-away last Wednesday, at 63, from complications related to a recent surgery. His influence and legacy is immense, not just in the street-rod scene, but for the automotive design community as a whole. Raised in Rupert Idaho, Coddington moved to California in the late 60's to start his hot-rod shop while working for Disneyland as a machinist.

2014 Jaguar XK Signature and Dynamic R specification revealed

The 2014 Jaguar XK Dynamic R (left) and XK Signature The Jaguar XK – in naturally aspirated guise or as an XKR – is getting a bit long in the tooth, so Jaguar have launched two special editions – the XK Signature and Dynamic  R specification – to try and put a bit of fizz in to sales. Jaguar are proclaiming the XK Signature and Dynamic  R specification as special editions, but at substantial discounts to the current models – and with increased specification – it looks like these two new models are going to be the Jaguar XK range for 2014 (plus the Jaguar XKR-S). The Jaguar XK Dynamic R gets the same 503bhp 5.0 litre supercharged engine as the XKR but gets both the Black Dynamic Pack and Speed Pack as standard as well as a sports exhaust, Performance Seats with diamond stitching and 20” Vortex diamond turned wheels.