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Autoblog Podcast #326

Easter Jeep Safari concepts, Shelby 1000, 2014 Cadillac CTS and Mercedes CLA45 AMG leaks
Episode #326 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Zach Bowman talk about this year's Easter Jeep Safari concepts, the 1,200-horsepower Shelby 1000 and leaked images of the 2014 Cadillac CTS and Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG. We wrap with your questions and emails, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #326:

What an Atlas-based Ford F-150 might look like

Just ahead of January's Detroit Auto Show, surprising rumors pegged Ford as revealing some sort of F-150 concept, perhaps as a hurried effort to deflate some of the buzz building around General Motors' new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra twins, which were also making their auto show debut. Those rumblings turned out to be true, as Ford rolled into the Motor City with its Atlas concept (inset, right), touting the truck's bold styling as a precursor to the next-generation F-Series.
The show truck featured all kinds of clever details, including active wheel shutters and a front air dam that raised and lowered to improve aerodynamics while preserving off-road ability. It also had a genuinely snarly face. And it's that pugnacious snout that may well be on its way to production. The good folks at TopSpeed have worked up the plausible-looking artist's rendering above by cross-referencing the Atlas concept with what little has been revealed from recent spy shots. The look is toned-down pretty dramatically from the concept truck, but its Atlas roots are clear, with a massive three-bar grille and bracket-shaped headlamps hiding a next-generation EcoBoost engine. In the rendering, the show truck's deeply contoured hood and roofline have been ditched and larger, more traditional side mirrors have been fitted - all likely concessions in the move to production sheetmetal.
While Ford has yet to officially announce when it will unveil the 2015 F-150, all signs point to next year's Detroit Auto Show - one year after the Atlas shrugged off GM's new pickups.

Ford builds one-off 50th anniversary Mustang Convertible for charity

At the New York Auto Show this year, Ford revealed a special-edition Mustang to honor the iconic pony car's 50th anniversary. Only 1,964 highly symbolic examples will be made, all of them fixed-roof coupes. But the Blue Oval automaker has just announced that it's also building a single 50 Years edition convertible that it will raffled off for charity.
The first production example of the new Mustang Convertible to roll off the line this fall, this one-off will pack many of the features on the 50 Years coupe, including its white paintjob, chrome trim, aluminum dashboard, two-tone upholstery, contrast stitching, special 19-inch wheels and special-edition badging throughout.
This unique cabrio will also be fitted with a special performance pack including Pirelli PZero rubber, Brembo brakes and a limited-slip differential to help get the 420 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque from the 5.0-liter V8 through the six-speed manual transmission and down to the road. It'll also feature a serial plaque with the number 0001 of 0001 and chairman Bill Ford's signature.