F 250

One of the harsh realities encountered by some in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is the damage done to their beloved classic cars. Such a story may not make it to CNN, so Hagerty Insurance set about chronicling the efforts by several owners to preserve their classics during the storm.

Don't be confused; for every low, fast and/or sleek looking car at the SEMA show, there is at least one towing truck or SUV. The off-road and working vehicles of the world are well represented here in Las Vegas, as typified by this Ford F-250 XLT Crew Cab by Kelderman Air Suspension Systems and Tim Nicolau Designs.

After already tipping its hand with a goodly selection of Focus ST concept teasers, as well as a passel of tuned Fusions, Ford has let loose with more images and information regarding its huge presence at this year's SEMA show. And, while we'll be bringing live reports of all the SEMA goodness to you next week, we couldn't help but want to share these last minute previews.

According to a report from Reuters, Ford has been sued for allegedly selling F-Series pickup trucks and E-Series vans with defective fuel tank linings. The suit alleges that Ford knew about the problem and continued to sell affected vehicles over a 10-year period.

The Ford F-Series Super Duty pickup truck is a pretty big deal. Not only is it physically large and imposing, it's also a huge seller for Ford and a vehicle that practically generates its own weight in gold profit. That being the case, it's no surprise that Ford is keen to make some noise about a new trim level for the 2013 Super Duty.

Ford is recalling thousands of F-Series pickup trucks from the 2011 and 2012 model years over a transmission problem that, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "fails to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 114, theft protection." NHTSA reports that the transmissions in these defective trucks can be shifted out of the park position without pressing the brake pedal due to a problem with the brake shift interlock switch.

According to The Detroit News, The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has closed its investigation into 2.7 million Ford pickups for fuel tank straps that may have rusted and failed. Affected models included 1997-2001 F-150, 1997 to 1999 F-250 and 2002 to 2003 Lincoln Blackwood trucks.

The Bonneville Salt Flats are a place where records are constantly made and broken. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes are driven, towed or pushed out to the brilliantly white sodium chloride desert where drivers embark on a quest for high speeds. You can expect to see production cars, motorcycles, purpose-built streamliners and vehicles that look ready to leave the flat plain and attack the sky. One vehicle you would not expect to pull away from the start line, however, is a Ford F-250 Super Duty

Back in May of 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it was expanding its investigation of 2.7 million Ford F-150 models for corroding gas tank straps. Less than three months later, the recall is on like Donkey Kong, though Bloomberg reports that Ford has announced that the actual number is closer to 1.1 million. Further, the 1997 through 2004 F-150 models will be joined by 1997 to 1999 F-250 trucks and 2002 and 2003 Lincoln Blackwood models.

Ford has announced a recall of 26,715 E-Series, Excursion and Ranger vehicles for a defective hazard warning, signal and brake light switch. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, certain F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 vehicles manufactured between 2002 and 2007, certain Excursion models built between 2002 and 2005 and Ranger pickups built between 2002 and 2011 may have been assembled with a faulty switch that could deform over time.

If you thought 2010 was going to wrap up with an all quiet on the recall front, think again. Ford and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration have announced the recall of 14,737 vehicles for a faulty body control module that may short out and cause a fire.

Every now and again, we come across news that a vehicle has eclipsed the one million mile mark. The vehicles are typically very old, and they're often pickup trucks. That's only partly true for Phil Marsella, who uses his relatively new four year-old Ford F-250 to deliver greyhound dogs to racetracks and families across America. Marsella reportedly drives his gas F-250, "Betsy," between 7,000 and 10,000 miles per week, or more miles than many drivers log in an entire year. And it appears as thou

Bigfoot #1 – Click above for high-res image gallery

LPG has come to the masses massive, with ROUSH introducing a conversion for the Ford F-250. The changes are minimal: fuel tank and pump, stainless steel fuel lines, aluminum fuel rails and PCM calibration. They'll mean cheaper running costs but no loss of horsepower, torque or towing capacity. Depending on which conversion you choose, though, you could lose bed capacity: an under bed tank provides a 250-mile range, or a 62-gallon tank that goes in the bed means 500 miles of running.

PickupTrucks.com is reporting that by the end of 2010, Ford will alter the three engine options that currently make up the engine choices in the F-150. What is coming in time for the 2011 model year will be a new 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and a 5.0-liter V8 code-named "Coyote."

Click image for a gallery of '05 - '07 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks

International and Ford haven't been the best of friends lately, with the two companies sparring over compensation for the Powerstroke 6.4L. International stopped making the engines in protest earlier in the year, but this time the union has walked out on International. Even with the strike, Ford hasn't yet suspended production of the Super Duty at its Louisville plant. If the strike lasts more than a few days, however, the blue oval will simply run out of parts with which to build the big truck.

For those complaining that the Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson introduced yesterday wasn't suited for real truck duty, here you go. It's the F-250/450 Super Duty version of Ford's cobranding enterprise with Harley-Davidson, and can surely tow a few more bikes behind its bed than the half-ton version. Since this big bruiser from Milwaukee via Dearbon hasn't been officially unveiled yet, we can't tell you any details beyond what the spy pics show. Expect a set of nice chrome wheels, a catchy paint job,

Minisites, sitelets, microsites -- whatever you call them, they're now a part of just about every product launch, whether it's for potato chips or Porsches. True to form, with last week's reveal of the '08 Ford F-Series Super Duty, the Oval followed up with a dedicated minisite for the new ginormous trucks. Its primary navigation elements are a set of links across the top of the page, each of which correspond to a specific background environment that gets dropped behind the black Super Duty sitt