Thomas Ieracitano

The 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty and GM Heavy Duty pickups were introduced a year ago but the battle between these giants for best-in-class bragging rights continues. The latest move: Ford is set to reclaim the top spot for maximum conventional towing from the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra HD twins. Next Monday, Feb. 7 – if the massive winter storm bearing down on the Midwest doesn't disrupt production – Ford F-350 and F-450 two-wheel and four-wheel drive dual rear wheel SuperCrew pickups will roll off the assembly line able to pull up to 17,500 pounds with their ball hitches, according to Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari. "We're adding upgraded towing hardware to the trucks," Gattari said. "New hitches will work with the frame change we made [ in August 2010 ]." Last year, Ford made a running change to the Super Duty's ladder frame that reengineered the number six cross member with high-strength steel. That change, plus a power hike to 400 hors...

Top 10 Pickup Truck Sales in January 2011 Rank YTD Sales YTD vs. 2010 Year-Over-Year Monthly Sales Last 12 months 1 Ford F-Series +29.6% January 2011 35,806 35,806 January 2010 27,630 2 Chevrolet Silverado +23.7% January 2011 28,172 28,172 January 2010 22,772 3 Ram Trucks +22% January 2011 12,197 12,197 January 2010 9,957 4 GMC Sierra +46.2% January 2011 10,627 10,627 January 2010 7,271 5 Toyota Tacoma +5.8% January 2011 7,140 7,140 January 2010 6,747 6 Toyota Tundra +55.9% January 2011 6,087 6,087 January 2010 3,904 7 Ford Ranger -31.3% January 2011 2,848 2,848 January 2010 4,143 8 Nissan Frontier +43% January 2011 2,796 2,796 January 2010 1,955 9 Chevrolet Colorado +13.7% January 2011 2,204 2,204 January 2010 1,939 10 Nissan Titan -4.1% January 2011 1,431 1,431 January 2010 1,492 Notable Items: - Ford Ranger, Nissan Titan and Toy...

By Larry Edsall for PickupTrucks.com On the third day of the 40th annual Barrett-Jackson classic car auction last week in Scottsdale, Ariz., the vehicle that brought the most money – a whopping $157,300 – was – wait for it – a pickup truck. Of the 250 or so vehicles that sold that day at what's billed as the "world's greatest collector car event," the highest bids weren't on the featured 1968 Ford Mustang fastback. Or the 1965 Studebaker Champion Conestoga custom wagon. Or the Dodge Viper. Or any of the Chevrolet Corvettes. Or the 1969 Chevy Camaro SS convertible. Or the 1933 Ford Highboy roadster. Or the 1938 Lincoln Zephyr convertible. Or even the well-worn 1954 Buick Special convertible that was found in the Arizona desert. It was a pickup truck – albeit a highly customized 1955 Chevrolet 3100 — that was deemed worthy of the most money. The '55 3100 (pictured at top), nominated for a Goodguys Magazine award, features a new 6.2-liter LS2 Corvette engine,...

The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor and rooster tails go together like bacon and everything. Since its introduction, we've kicked up dirt, mud and rocks with both the original 5.4-liter and new 6.2-liter V-8 versions but we've never carved a Raptor through snow and ice, until now. Several weeks ago, we headed to Detroit for the 2011 North American International Auto Show. With temperatures hovering in the teens and twenties and sporadic snow showers, the climate could hardly have been more different from our backyard stomping grounds in Southern California's Mojave Desert. After spending two days hunting relentlessly for truck news inside Detroit's Cobo Hall Convention Center from before sunrise until after sunset, we needed a break. Weather that looked cold and bleak outside while eating shrimp with supermodels – really, cold soggy sandwiches and stale brownies in the company of grumpy, over-caffeinated journalists – turned into a playground for us and our friends fro...

Thank you, Thomas Ieracitano 229.251.2462 Thomas@Ieracitano.com TheDigitalCarGuy.com Can't Make it Here, We'll Take it There! Facebook Twitter   want a website or an email like this ?   go to http://123BrandMe.com -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Fw: Spied! Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Testing Daytime LED Running Lights From: "Thomas Ieracitano" < Thomas@RobertHutson.com > Date: Tue, January 25, 2011 11:30 am To: < Thomas@Ieracitano.com >   From: Mike Levine Sent: Monday, January 24, 2011 1:17 AM Subject: Spied! Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Testing Daytime LED Running Lights Photos by Chris Doane for Brenda Priddy & Company It looks like Ford is contemplating adding LED daytime running lights to the F-150 SVT Raptor , as seen in our latest spy photos. The Raptor is Ford's only half-ton pickup that uses exterior LED lighting because its extra track width (for off-road stability) has to adhere to federal regulations mandati...

From: Mike Levine Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 10:53 AM Subject: Report: Parts Shortage Forces Production Pause at Ford F-150 Plant Ford is halting production of the F-150 light-duty pickup for a week due to a shortage of parts for its new 3.7-liter and 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engines, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press . "Suppliers took a lot of capacity out to get through the downturn," said Ford spokesman Todd Nissen. "As volumes have increased for our new, high-volume products, suppliers have had some issues keeping up." Nissen did not identify the suppliers or parts that caused the shortage. 3,000 workers at the plant will also go on hiatus for seven days. F-Series pickup sales grew 27.7 percent in 2010 over 2009, as the U.S. economy continued to slowly recover from its slump and businesses and core truck buyers replaced their aging pickups with new trucks. Ford has also been successful gaining market share at the expense of its c...

  From: Mike Levine Sent: Monday, January 24, 2011 1:17 AM Subject: Spied! Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Testing Daytime LED Running Lights Photos by Chris Doane for Brenda Priddy & Company It looks like Ford is contemplating adding LED daytime running lights to the F-150 SVT Raptor , as seen in our latest spy photos. The Raptor is Ford's only half-ton pickup that uses exterior LED lighting because its extra track width (for off-road stability) has to adhere to federal regulations mandating illuminated marker lamps at night. There are three bright-orange LEDs mounted in the Raptor's grille, three in the center high-mounted stoplight and two each at the corners of the front and rear bumpers. The white lights on this manufacturer-plated test truck supplement the existing LEDs, with unique placement between the front bumper and fenders. The move to front LED daytime running lamps mirrors the design cues of Ford's latest cars. The Taurus sedan and Fiesta c...