The ‘Squeezed Middle’ is a much abused term, most frequently applied to the law-abiding middle classes who don’t have the wherewithal to dodge taxes through off-shore film investment schemes and are too morally-grounded (or too far in hock…) to give up work and suck from society’s withered but ever obliging teat. It applies to manufacturing too; luxury consumer goods and bargain-basement imports are both thriving while the middle ground struggles…

Show someone, anyone, an early Ford Granada and it’s an odds-on certainty they’ll mention ‘The Sweeney’. Ignoring the fact that the most famous Sweeney car was actually a Consul, few cars are so indelibly linked in the public’s collective memory thanks to Ford’s canny PR department. Watch an episode today and you’ll be stunned by the sheer volume of Dagenham cars they used – all of which were restricted to…

Ford’s EcoBoost three-cylinder engine shouldn’t, in theory, be very nice at all. Nine hundred and ninety-nine cubic centimeters really isn’t much, even if it is turbocharged, and experience shows that it will be a high-rev screamer with peaky power delivery and bugger-all torque. Experience can be a faithless mistress… Fresh from winning the International Engine of the Year award (which the EcoBoost won with the highest score ever recorded) Ford…

We like toy cars that are pretending to be real cars; there is something about the scale and proportions that can turn an otherwise nondescript video into something special. There is, however, nothing nondescript about this video of a Mk1 Escort rally car storming through the forest. It has everything: oversteer, spraying gravel, soulful engine and exhaust noise, yomping, and even the odd Scandinavian-flick – and it’s all done with…

Here is the Motoring Journo Daily News Summary for the 23rd of December 2011, a rundown of all the interesting things that have happened in the last 24 hours – with the waffle removed. Ford is offering to make it a greener Christmas with a concept sleigh that would dramatically downsize Santa’s carbon footprint. Santa’s new ride, packed with cutting-edge Ford technology, would allow Rudolph and friends to enjoy a…

We’re not sure that this advertisement for the Ford Mustang increases our desire for them (mainly because we’re not sure that we could lust after a Mustang any more than we do already) but it’s a great slice of TV. It’s worth noting that most British traffic cops are genuine petrolheads too. Not convinced? Well, you would be if we were allowed to tell you about the secret game that…