Recently, CarScoop reader Anrev stumbled upon an unusually large gathering of Ford prototype models in Denver, Colorado, some of which were in full camouflage while others sported strange features that caught his, and ultimately, our attention as well.

Anrev explains what he saw and snapped with his camera:

"The Ford Test mule fleet is in Denver. Mustangs, Fusion, Fiesta, Ecosport with Japanese emblems, F150, Mondeo, Ranger and 2 other cars that are heavily padded and were covered. One was the size of the ecosport but more boxy. The other was the size of the Mustang but had a sharper nose and longer back roof line.

He continued: "The engineer that asked me to stop taking pics said they were in town for a few days. He started the Mustang while I was there and gave it a little gas. It may have SAID 5.0 on the side. But there's no way it was. Sounded like a V6."

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After announcing plans to shut down its Genk factory in Belgium at the end of 2014, Ford came out today with new details about its European restructuring efforts that include the closure of two more plants, the allocation of production, the loss of up to 6,200 jobs and other actions to increase cost efficiencies.

The announcements come against the backdrop of the persisting economic crisis in Europe with Ford estimating its loses in the region for the full year 2012 to exceed $1.5 billion (€1.15 billion).

The two additional factories receiving the axe are the Southampton Transit van plant, which is Ford's last vehicle-making facility in the United Kingdom, and its stamping and tooling operations in Dagenham, again in England.

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On account of reduced demand and uncertain market prospects throughout Europe, Ford has decided to close down its underutilized Genk Plant in Belgium and to cease vehicle production by the end of 2014, which will lead to the loss of 4,300 jobs.

Ford, which is estimated to burn through more than $1billion this year in Europe, said that the move is part of a broader plan to restructure its local operations and help to address overcapacity issues curtailing from a more than 20 percent drop in total industry vehicle demand in Western Europe since 2007.

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A lot has been said about the styling similarities between Ford's new corporate nose and in particular, the trapezoidal grille, and the one used by the Blue Oval's former premium brand, Aston Martin, on models like the Rapide luxury sports saloon.

Naturally, when the opportunity arose, Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire didn't miss out on the chance to park his black 2013 Ford Fusion (to be sold as the new Ford Mondeo in Europe and other regions) next to an Aston Martin Rapide in the same color and shoot a few pictures for us to compare.

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