The Folden: New Zealanders Create Half Holden HQ, Half Ford Mustang Mechanical Frankenstein

Is it a Holden? Is it a Ford? Well, according to the folks from the New Zealand music radio station, 'The Rock', neither. They say it's a Folden and it was born from the unholy -or so to speak- union of a Holden HQ and a 1969 Ford Mustang.

The culprits are The Rock's Drive show announcers, Robert Taylor and Jono Pryor, who claim that they created the Folden because they were "fed up with the ongoing battle between their listeners over who is mightier - Ford or Holden."

Their goal was to fuse the rear 3/4s of a 1970's Holden HQ sedan with the front-end of a 1969 Ford Mustang with power being provided by 302 cubic inch V8 Ford engine.

After 3 months and more than 800 man hours involving a couple of dozen of businesses, and not to mention a total cost ranging somewhere between NZD$85,000 to $95,000 (about US$62,000 to $69,500), the project was finally completed.

Other treats include one-off Chip Foose 20-inch alloy wheels, a gun metal gray paint job with orange racing stripes, a custom interior fully rebuilt, high-end audio system, and last but certainly not least, a cool badge that puts the Mustang horse and Holden lion together.

And what now? New Zealanders have the chance to bid for the Folden as the car is being auctioned on "Trademe" with proceeds to be donated to the NZ Mental Health Foundation for Out Of The Blue, an organization set up to help combat depression in men.

At the time the article was written, the highest bid on the website was NZ$62,700 or close to US$45,800 at today's exchange rates. The auction will end on May 6, 2010.

Links / Source: The Rock & Trademe

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Rollin on DUBs: Ford Introduces DUB Edition of 2011 Mustang

In order to connect with "a whole new generation of buyers", Ford has teamed up with DUB magazine and Roush to release a special "DUB" edition Mustang.

Based on the 305-horse 3.7 liter V6 model, the DUB package supplies the V6 Stang (coupe, convertible, or glass-roof coupe) with 20-inch TIS rims wrapped in Pirellis, a Roush appearance package, special striping, and the DUB logo embroidered on the headrests.

In an attempt to help the DUB stand out, the appearance package uses Roush's front fascia and splitter, a windshield banner, and rear quarter-window louvers.

In regards to performance: it gets slightly sportier thanks to lowering springs (also from Roush) and a 3.31 axle ratio.

Myles Kovacs, president / co-founder of DUB magazine, said, "Working with Ford and Roush is an honor and has been a dream come true for DUB. The Mustang is such an iconic muscle car and has always been a customizer's favorite. The DUB Edition Mustang stays true to its roots, but I think we've successfully brought a ton of hustle to the muscle."

Available colors for the DUB Mustang are Black, Ingot Silver, Grabber Blue, and Race Red; the interior color is limited to black.

So, how do we feel about yet another special edition Mustang? Pointless or cool?

By Phil Alex

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Rollin on DUBs: Ford Introduces DUB Edition of 2011 Mustang

In order to connect with "a whole new generation of buyers", Ford has teamed up with DUB magazine and Roush to release a special "DUB" edition Mustang.

Based on the 305-horse 3.7 liter V6 model, the DUB package supplies the V6 Stang (coupe, convertible, or glass-roof coupe) with 20-inch TIS rims wrapped in Pirellis, a Roush appearance package, special striping, and the DUB logo embroidered on the headrests.

In an attempt to help the DUB stand out, the appearance package uses Roush's front fascia and splitter, a windshield banner, and rear quarter-window louvers.

In regards to performance: it gets slightly sportier thanks to lowering springs (also from Roush) and a 3.31 axle ratio.

Myles Kovacs, president / co-founder of DUB magazine, said, "Working with Ford and Roush is an honor and has been a dream come true for DUB. The Mustang is such an iconic muscle car and has always been a customizer's favorite. The DUB Edition Mustang stays true to its roots, but I think we've successfully brought a ton of hustle to the muscle."

Available colors for the DUB Mustang are Black, Ingot Silver, Grabber Blue, and Race Red; the interior color is limited to black.

So, how do we feel about yet another special edition Mustang? Pointless or cool?

By Phil Alex

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Ford to Provide NYPD with Fusion / Escape Hybrid Patrol Cars

Not to be left behind in the quest to clean up our planet, the NYPD announced that it will be adding 200 hybrid vehicles to its fleet in the form of Ford Fusion and Escape Hybrids.

The announcement comes after officers across the five boroughs began testing copped-out Nissan Altima hybrids this time last year.

NYPD spokesman John McCarthy explains, "These [Altimas] were the first hybrids outfitted with a police package being used for patrol. We wanted to see how they held up after being subjected to use on patrol. After a year of use, the feedback has been positive."

With the new purchase, hybrid fleet vehicles in the Big Apple will number more than 400. The result is saving money on a variety of levels: the hybrids' brakes last twice (or even three times) as long as those of standard cruisers, and the vehicles are two to three times more efficient.

By Phil Alex

Via: NYT [Opening Photo: flickr /av8pix]

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Boston Says "Yes, Please" to Ford Transit Connect Taxis

The city of Boston, Massachusetts has become the first city in America to officially approve of Ford's Transit Connect (2010 North American Truck of the Year) as a taxi.

Mark Cohen, Boston PD Licensing Division director, says this about the Transit Connect: "It's the closest thing to a purpose-built vehicle for taxi use that I've seen in 25 years." I guess he's never been to the UK...

For many places, the issue with replacing the large, Panther-based Crown Victorias has been the regulation of vehicles that are allowed to perform taxi duties. A successor would have to meet various size/measurement/cargo/safety standards before approval, and the city of Boston has deemed the TC Taxi worthy of the job.

Why is it a good follow-up? "Its open architecture provides excellent interior headroom and passenger visibility and, with 6.5 inches of ground clearance, passengers step easily through the sliding doors."

So it's roomy and ingress/egress are a cinch. That's important, but another factor has been on everyone's mind when it comes to purchasing fleet vehicles: efficiency.

The TC Taxis come standard engine with a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder and an automatic transmission, which are said to return up to 30% improved fuel economy. Other options include packages that can convert the taxis to run on either compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied propane gas (LPG), which will take cleanliness, efficiency, and cost savings to an even higher level.

"According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CNG is less expensive and burns cleaner than gasoline, resulting in 30 to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions. Propane also burns cleaner than gasoline."

CNG tanks can be stored behind the rear seats and there's still enough room for luggage, says Ford.

Other factory-installed fleet-vehicle necessities (or bonuses) include vinyl flooring, third-row windows, and a "wiring upfit" package. The rear seat (available in vinyl for durability and late-night clean-ups) was also moved back 3 inches for improved legroom, and a heating/cooling system was added for second-row passenger comfort.

When it comes to future tech, Ford is working with CMT (Creative Mobile Technologies) "to integrate premier payment processing and passenger information technologies in the taxi, including an 8.4-inch electronic infotainment and navigation screen that shows cab fares, news, weather, sports scores and stock ticker."

Congratulations, Boston, on becoming Test Market #1. Let's hope this works, because those Crown Vics are getting ratty.

By Phil Alex

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