Ford executives are increasingly studying all aspects of Chinese automakers and that market as the most intense competition to beat.

And the Pinto project—winning in its second appearance, long after most of the serious racers had dismissed Ford's subcompact as a lost cause—rather grandly supports our theory.

FASTLANE: GM to invest $4 billion in US manufacturing, Ford worried about rare Earth minerals, Ride share study conducted FOX 2's Dave Spencer takes a look back at automotive news from the past week.