Our Favorite Five Fords (That Aren’t Mustangs) at the 2012 SEMA Show The SEMA show this year is full of Fords – there’s a huge Ford display and an even larger one outside with a mini-track for visitors to demo Mustangs, Shelby Cobras, and rally-prepped Fiestas. Seeing as we covered our favorite Mustangs in a previous post, here’s a look at our favorite five Fords (that aren’t Mustangs) at the 2012 SEMA show.
Our Favorite Five Fords (That Aren’t Mustangs) at the 2012 SEMA Show
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| Our Favorite Five Fords (That Aren’t Mustangs) at the 2012 SEMA Show |
Our Favorite Five Fords (That Aren’t Mustangs) at the 2012 SEMA Show
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| Our Favorite Five Fords (That Aren’t Mustangs) at the 2012 SEMA Show |
Our Favorite Five Fords (That Aren’t Mustangs) at the 2012 SEMA Show
Ford Bronco
The Galpin Auto Sports 1966 Ford Bronco might just be one of the coolest trucks at this year’s SEMA show. The Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) Bronco stands out from the crowd thanks to its baby blue and orange Gulf livery, something GAS president Beau Boeckmann said was a controversial decision, “This is going to go one way or another,” he said, reflecting on the decision process, “People are just going to get angry with us…or they’re going to dig it.” Well Mr. Boeckmann, we certainly dig it. Aside from the Gulf livery, the GAS Bronco gets a 6.2-liter stoker V-8 churning out 540 hp, a Ford four-speed automatic transmission, beefy Dana axles and bead lock wheels. Truly a stunning Bronco.
Ford F-150
Without a doubt the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Rough Riders is our favorite F-150 of the show – which is saying a lot, considering the F-Series was voted SEMA’s Hottest Truck. The Rough Riders Raptor is how we’d customize ours with an unlimited budget and, well, a Raptor. The Rough Riders Raptor is decked out like a trophy truck in a red, white, and blue Ford livery. The Rough Riders Raptor is then modified with Foutz Motorsports parts to increase suspension travel, bed-mounted reservoir shocks, a 9-inch rear-end, Roush performance parts, a fuel cell, and mean-looking bumpers, making the Rough Riders Raptor perfectly suited for long-distance sprints across the desert.
Ford Fiesta
Surprisingly, the Fiesta selection was somewhat thin this year. That said, it’s hard to imagine a custom Fiesta that would beat the Blue Oval’s own Ford Fiesta Rally Car. Maybe it’s the ride I just took with Ken Block in his Fiesta H.F.H.V. that’s doing the talking, but there’s just something awesome about a fully rally-prepped Fiesta. This Fiesta has been stripped out so it weighs just 1600 pounds sans driver. Its 1.6-liter four-banger then gets fitted with a turbocharger, an anti-lag system, a six-speed sequential gearbox, and a four-position engine calibration system. The four engine settings are: Economy, 240 hp, 265 hp, and 295 hp, making this flyweight Fiesta a true rally rocket. Shame Ford is pulling out of the WRC.
Ford Focus
Quite a few Ford Focus cars caught our eye at SEMA this year, with the European Car-modified Focus and the Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) Rally cross-inspired Focus two highlights. (Side note: Boeckmann told me that Edsel Ford II loved the GAS Focus so much he wanted to buy it). Ultimately, our favorite was the Colin McRae-tribute 2013 Ford Focus ST by Rally Innovations. Wearing a color scheme and graphics similar to the rally legend’s own Ford Focus WRC, the Rally Innovations Focus ST is modified to make it a street-going rally rocket. It features a new ECU, a Magnaflow/Rally Innovations exhaust system, full custom skid plates, a vented hood, a WRC-inspired spoiler, and a redone interior with race buckets.
Ford Fusion
There were quite a few Ford Fusions at the SEMA show but the Ford Fusion Ice Nine Group is our favorite. We might not be in love with the green paint and Monster Energy livery, but other than the paint this Fusion is truly an appealing package. This manual-equipped 1.6-liter EcoBoost-powered Fusion takes its inspiration from the Australian V8 Supercar Series and is fitted with attractive wheels, and a sporty hood. This would be the perfect jumping-off point for our dream Fusion ST.
The Galpin Auto Sports 1966 Ford Bronco might just be one of the coolest trucks at this year’s SEMA show. The Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) Bronco stands out from the crowd thanks to its baby blue and orange Gulf livery, something GAS president Beau Boeckmann said was a controversial decision, “This is going to go one way or another,” he said, reflecting on the decision process, “People are just going to get angry with us…or they’re going to dig it.” Well Mr. Boeckmann, we certainly dig it. Aside from the Gulf livery, the GAS Bronco gets a 6.2-liter stoker V-8 churning out 540 hp, a Ford four-speed automatic transmission, beefy Dana axles and bead lock wheels. Truly a stunning Bronco.
Ford F-150
Without a doubt the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Rough Riders is our favorite F-150 of the show – which is saying a lot, considering the F-Series was voted SEMA’s Hottest Truck. The Rough Riders Raptor is how we’d customize ours with an unlimited budget and, well, a Raptor. The Rough Riders Raptor is decked out like a trophy truck in a red, white, and blue Ford livery. The Rough Riders Raptor is then modified with Foutz Motorsports parts to increase suspension travel, bed-mounted reservoir shocks, a 9-inch rear-end, Roush performance parts, a fuel cell, and mean-looking bumpers, making the Rough Riders Raptor perfectly suited for long-distance sprints across the desert.
Ford Fiesta
Surprisingly, the Fiesta selection was somewhat thin this year. That said, it’s hard to imagine a custom Fiesta that would beat the Blue Oval’s own Ford Fiesta Rally Car. Maybe it’s the ride I just took with Ken Block in his Fiesta H.F.H.V. that’s doing the talking, but there’s just something awesome about a fully rally-prepped Fiesta. This Fiesta has been stripped out so it weighs just 1600 pounds sans driver. Its 1.6-liter four-banger then gets fitted with a turbocharger, an anti-lag system, a six-speed sequential gearbox, and a four-position engine calibration system. The four engine settings are: Economy, 240 hp, 265 hp, and 295 hp, making this flyweight Fiesta a true rally rocket. Shame Ford is pulling out of the WRC.
Ford Focus
Quite a few Ford Focus cars caught our eye at SEMA this year, with the European Car-modified Focus and the Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) Rally cross-inspired Focus two highlights. (Side note: Boeckmann told me that Edsel Ford II loved the GAS Focus so much he wanted to buy it). Ultimately, our favorite was the Colin McRae-tribute 2013 Ford Focus ST by Rally Innovations. Wearing a color scheme and graphics similar to the rally legend’s own Ford Focus WRC, the Rally Innovations Focus ST is modified to make it a street-going rally rocket. It features a new ECU, a Magnaflow/Rally Innovations exhaust system, full custom skid plates, a vented hood, a WRC-inspired spoiler, and a redone interior with race buckets.
Ford Fusion
There were quite a few Ford Fusions at the SEMA show but the Ford Fusion Ice Nine Group is our favorite. We might not be in love with the green paint and Monster Energy livery, but other than the paint this Fusion is truly an appealing package. This manual-equipped 1.6-liter EcoBoost-powered Fusion takes its inspiration from the Australian V8 Supercar Series and is fitted with attractive wheels, and a sporty hood. This would be the perfect jumping-off point for our dream Fusion ST.
