The Ford Focus electric is Ford’s first ever all electric passenger car. The 2012 Ford Focus was designed with specific competitive features in mind including a mile-per-gallon equivalent better than Chevrolet Volt and competitive with other battery electric vehicles. Using a 240 charging station the Focus can be charged in 3-4 hours, half the charge time of the Nissan Leaf. The design will be familiar, as it’s based on Fords global C-car platform which is used for both the gasoline and diesel powered Ford Focus vehicles which where debuted at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit (Detroit Auto Show) and were launched at the Paris Motor Show in September.

“Focus Electric is the flagship of our new family of electrified vehicles, showcasing our commitment to offer consumers choice when it comes to fuel-efficient or fuel-free vehicles,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president for Global Product Development. “Its advanced powertrain will deliver significant energy efficiency advantages and zero CO2 emissions without compromising driving enjoyment. And its suite of smart driver information technologies will transform the way customers think about energy usage and their transportation needs.” (more…)

California continues to lead the world in the use and development of electric vehicles (EV). One of the newer automotive manufacturers is Coda (based in Benicia California) with its all electric sedan. The company focus for Coda is “Green Technology” with its first effort being the 4 door, five-passenger all electric Coda Sedan.

To start off the 2012 Coda has a pretty impressive warranty, a 3-year / 36,000-mile warranty, 5-year / 60,000-mile power train warranty and 10-year / 100,000-mile limited battery warranty. It also has one of the best driving ranges for an electric vehicle with a range of up to 125 miles per full charge (which takes 5 hours on a 220 volt, 30 amp charger. Top Speed for the Coda is 85 Mph and is electronically limited. (more…)

Maybach is not one of the manufacturers you hear a lot about in the U.S. Unlike some of the other chauffeured vehicles like Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce and Bentley, Maybach a devision of Daimler hasn’t reached the level of popularity needed to make it a household word. That being said, Maybach and the Maybach Landulet easily competes with the other ultra luxury vehicles in style and class.

Maybach the early years

Maybach first became great in the twenties and thirties. During this time cars like the Maybach Type Zepplin DS 8 Cabriolet could be found in all of the major markets so it wasn’t unusual to see them in major cities like New York, Monte Carlo and Berlin. Wilhelm Maybach was an exceptional design engineer and was the designer of the first Mercedes. (more…)

Today NorCal Spotlight is on a 1970 Cadillac Coupe Deville for sale in Red Bluff California. This fully restored Cadillac has all original Cadillac parts and a V8 7.7liter Engine. It has 91000 miles on it and runs great!

Here are a few more specs:

• Air Conditioner
• AM/FM Stereo
• Automatic Transmission
• Leather Interior
• Power Windows
• Power Steering
• Power Locks

You can find this car (if still available) in our Classic Car Classifieds section of the NorCalCar private party classifieds.

Today’s Nor Cal Spotlight is on a 1923 Ford T Bucket for sale in our automotive classifieds section. This red and gray beauty has an automatic transmission and leather interior And can be found (at least until it is sold!) in our Nor Cal Classifieds Classics Cars for sale section.

Here are a few more of the specifications you might be interested in. (more…)

An Introduction with Flare

By designing to attract and meet the needs of a wide variety of personalities and styles Ford is appealing to individualism with the new 2011 Fiesta. The vibrant design, (nine shades make up its dynamic color palette), reflect the “Inspired by Color” campaign that has hallmarked the release of the Fiesta.

Fun and Functionality

More than just a fun car with a funky color scheme, the Fiesta is also practical. With 15 different technologies, that work together to produce a projected fuel economy rate of 40 mpg, it gets a best-in-its-class fuel rating.

But good gas mileage is not all it has to offer.
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For ever known as the Daytona, the 365GTB4 was Ferrari’s final fling for the front engined two seater; four seaters would continue with front mounted engines, but two seater sports Ferraris would be mid engined after this. But what a finale. It was a bold statement of sheer power and shameless aggression, from sharp front end to the wide fastback that had lost any semblance of its predecessor’s narrow cabin, inset from a curvaceous waist line.

It was a big car too, heavy and bulky, but a muscle car designed to appeal to the American market; its performance and maximum speed would leave all of those and the Europeans standing, it was king of the road in its day. Its predecessor had been the 275 GTB4.

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Most of the Ferrari’s model names have been based on the capacity in cubic centimeters of a single cylinder, 12 of the 250 GT cylinders gave 3 liters; for cars specifically designed for the American market where cubic centimeters are unrecognized, the name became more important than the numbers. The 410 Super American was a very fast late fifties Gran Turismo powered by a 4.9 liter V12 engine with 360 bhp available for the third series, one of which produced these figures for Road and Track; 410 wasn’t far out, as its 4962 cc engine had 413.5 cc per cylinder. Like most of the road going Ferraris, the body was styled by Pininfarina.

Ferrari’s first recognition of the American market potential came very shortly after the company was set up in 1946; where the European market expected small efficient engines, the American wanted big horsepower figures from big capacity engines.

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After early forays into building single-seater for Formula Junior and Formula 2, Alejandro de Tomaso joined the ranks of Italian sports car builders back in 1963. The first offering was the mid-engined Vallelunga which used a backbone chassis to which was bolted a 1600 cc Ford Cortina engine; this took all the rear suspension loads via arms on the transaxle bell housing. The theme was extended at the 1965 Turin Show with a sports racing car using a bigger backbone which carried a 271 bhp Ford Mustang engine; never raced, this formed the basis of the Mangusta using body styling by Giugiaro while he was working at Ghia.

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The Viper sets out to be an anachronism. It is modern technology applied to an old fashioned concept of enjoyable open motoring; raw fun on four wheels. There are other cars with some of the same retro appeal, like the TVR Griffith, but the Dodge Viper has more in common with a 1965 Shelby Cobra than with Blackpool’s best. What sets it apart from this decade is the big, lazy engine, an 8 liter V-10 and the studied lack of creature comforts; you didn’t expect a quiet ride in a Cobra, or a snug fitting roof, but you did expect raucous high performance in any gear, just like the Viper. Against the Cobra it is 7 inches wider and 5 inches lower, a Cobra with a modern stance.

The common denominator is indeed Carroll Shelby, Shelby who put Ford V-8s into AC’s very British sports car and won a World Championship, the same Shelby who then worked over Chrysler saloons to transform their performance. And Shelby has been in the background of the Viper development. But the concept was Chrysler’s spurred on by President Bob Lutz, and arch enthusiast for the sheer fun of driving anything that challenges the driver.

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