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Mustang-themed pinball game debuting in Chicago [w/video]

Believe it or not, but new pinball machines are still being made. Chicago-based Stern Pinball still makes them and has found a niche selling modern machines to individual buyers and arcade distributors. For its latest cabinet, Stern partnered with Ford to create a pinball game that pays homage to the 50th anniversary of the Mustang, including the next generation. The new machine is being unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show on February 6 and goes on sale in March.
Stern is offering the machine in three variants. The pro-level machine is meant for arcades and public spaces and retails for $4,995. All of them come with background and cabinet art by Camilo Pardo, who designed the Ford GT, and Top Gear USA host Tanner Foust is the game's announcer. Depending on where players shoot the ball, they activate events that simulate drag racing, rallying, drifting and racing the Mustang, and hitting targets lets players shift the gears up and down.
An upgraded, premium table with added art will be added later for pinball machine collectors. The third model is a signed, special edition with art of the 1965 Mustang and 2015 Mustang on the machine and chrome and Mustang badges on the speaker grilles. Prices for these editions will be announced later.

New car market raining on convertibles' parade

Whether fitted with soft or hard folding lids, today's droptops are better than ever for year-round motoring. Advancements in power top mechanisms, sealing, aerodynamics, structural rigidity, rollover safety and creature comforts like heated and cooled seats mean that modern convertibles are more versatile and better to drive than ever before. Yet the segment's sales took a dive during the recession and haven't come back, Automotive News reports.
Part of that is because automakers are looking at today's more sensible buyers and simply not developing as many new models, and that lack of fresh iron is curbing sales. AN cites R.L. Polk data which notes that only about one percent of new vehicles registered in the US last year had tops that folded. Back in 2009, it was 1.4 percent, and it was 2 percent in 2006. All-in, some 151,636 convertibles were registered in 2012. That's more units more than were registered in each of the past three years, but the market has also grown as the economy has picked up speed, and as a percentage of new vehicles purchased, convertible sales are lagging.
Thus far in 2013, the Ford Mustang is America's top-selling convertible, with 6,421 units registered through the end of April, followed by its rival, the Chevrolet Camaro, at 4,751 units. The Volkswagen Beetle isn't far behind, with 4,305, but from that point, it's a steep drop off to the fourth-place Mercedes-Benz SL-Class and its 2,380 sales.

Ford recalls select Explorer, E-Series vans

Just a few days ago we brought you news that Ford had issued a recall on 28,000 units of the Edge crossover for problems related to the fuel line. But now the Blue Oval has issued recall notices on two more of its larger vehicles.
The first relates to the Explorer, 395 examples of which from the 2011 and 2012 model years were found to have problems with their steering systems if they underwent service after September 1, 2013. An apparent software glitch could lock the steering gear, preventing the driver from steering the vehicle and thereby increasing the risk of a crash. As a result, Ford dealers are being instructed to check their records to identify the problematic vehicles and bring them in to have the steering gear replaced. Details of the recall can be found in the PDF linked here.
The second problem revolves around E-Series vans that may develop bubbles in their windshields under hot temperatures. The decrease in visibility through the problematic windshield could - you guessed it - "increase the risk of a crash." As a result, Ford is calling in 4,532 units of the E-150, E-250, E-350 and E-450 vans built in the relatively short window between May 12 and May 26, 2011. Details of this recall can be found in the notice below from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.