Autoblog

"You guys are obsessed with rear wheel drive," Alan Mulally mused to the Australian press after a browbeating about which pair of wheels might propel the Falcon into the future. Try as they might, the Ford Chief would not be pinned down about the chassis architecture of future Falcons, saying only that the choice would be customer driven, and plugging front and all-wheel drive vehicles as "pretty spectacular."

Mulally is right that Ford's global push to put exceptional small cars in showrooms is what the automaker's focus is and should be. The Falcon has long fallen off its sales peak from the halcyon days of two decades ago, and while Mulally agrees that it's "an absolutely dynamite vehicle," small cars in the future will prop up the more niche-y vehicles like the FG Falcon. Mulally went on to say that Australia will serve as an engineering and product development outpost for Ford, and the big-vehicle prowess in Oz will be useful regardless of layout. As Ford pulls its global platforms together, the Ranger and Focus will come at us from Australia, too.

Click above for photo gallery. Follow the jump for the video.

Ford Performance Vehicles' new range of Ford FG Falcon-derived super sedans and utes is mind-bendingly appealing. Big turbocharged or NA power, bright colors, and that menacing Alice Cooper eye makeup in front make for an entire farmer's market of forbidden fruit. Sure, on this side of the world, Ford's SVT performance division gives us the Shelby GT500 and the even more monstrous Shelby GT500KR -- but seriously, as hot as the factory super-Stangs are, the lineup of FPV rides you see above is hot enough to turn that desert sand into glass. Only, they can't -- because everything you see there is virtual. Both the backdrop and the cars are CGI. The photo-realistic vehicle models were created using the real cars' CAD data for a brand new FPV TV spot that premieres in Australia this Sunday. If you don't live in Oz, no worries -- FPV sent us a copy of the spot, which is now embedded after the jump for your enjoyment. And you will enjoy it. Right now, there's a void in our lives shaped like an all-black FPV F6, and this commercial's as close as we're going to come to filling it.


[Source: FPV]

Click above for high-res gallery of the FPV F6, more galleries after the jump

FPV's seemingly endless rollout of its new FG Falcon-based lineup has finally culminated in the actual launch of the cars (how novel), which we've already touched upon. To that end, we'll keep this brief and turn you loose on the multiple new photo galleries now available (check out the rest after the jump). The FPV range encompasses both Falcon sedan and Ute bodystyles, and power comes from either the turbocharged F6 inline-six or the 5.4L Boss 315 V8. The six delivers 415 horsepower and a tire-humbling 416 lb-ft of torque. The eight's no slouch either, pumping out 422 horses (315 kW, hence the engine's name) and 406 lb-ft. A Tremec TR6060 6-speed stick is available across the full range of cars.

Speaking of that, here's the rundown:

• FPV F6 Ute
• FPV Pursuit (V8 Ute)
• FPV Super Pursuit ( Top-of-the-line V8 Ute)
• FPV F6 Sedan
• FPV GT (V8 Sedan)
• FPV GT-P (Premium version of the GT)
• FPV GT E (Top-of-the-line V8 FPV sedan, more subtle styling than GT, GT-P)

You can see galleries of everything below and after the jump. We'll take an F6 sedan in the lime green. In fact, we need one of those approximately yesterday.


[Source: FPV]

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the turbocharged FPV F6

Despite how it might seem, all the action at the Melbourne motor show is not happening over at the Holden and HSV stands. Dearborn's Australian outpost put on its brass knuckles too and is teasing Melbourne showgoers with Ford Performance Vehcie's latest, greatest muscle. The arrival of the new FG Falcon means that a full lineup of FPV variants follows, and the new F6, GT and Super Pursuit ute are all on display. Like HSV, which hasn't announced power numbers for its W427, FPV is keeping the stats for its new machinery under wraps for now.

We're confident that the numbers will match the cars' gloriously extroverted looks. Colors out of a gumball machine, matte black accents, and stripe packages give the cars a vintage musclecar vibe. Big wheels, big brakes and all the requisite badges and bulges complete the look. The F6 (above) is particularly evil, with its black wheels, "eye black," and visible intercooler. The interiors of all the cars appear to be very well-detailed, with snazzy instrumentation, sharp looking accessories (look at the shift knob), and very inviting seats.

As with the higher-end standard FG Falcons, power comes from either a turbo inline-six or a beefy Boss V8. FPV takes those already-impressive engines and makes them even more imposing. We know we have the Mustang and its impressive Shelby-badged factory specials, but man, what we wouldn't give for some of this Aussie muscle. We'll be eagerly awaiting the official June launches.




[Source: FPV]

Click image for hi-res

FPV will tease everyone with its new lineup of FG Falcon-based sedans and Utes at the Melbourne show, but the tech specs will remain under wraps until sometime closer to June, when the tire-shredders are scheduled to launch. We do know some things, though. As before, power will come from turbo inline-sixes or brawny V8s stuffed under the decaled, domed hood (at least in the case of the wicked FPV GT, above, which has a Boss V8 lurking under there).

Gone are all the Ford badges, too. In their place are oval FPV insignias, which make it crystal clear that these are not mere Falcons. The front fascia on the GT is menacing, with "eye black" under the G-Series-style headlamps (hence the Alice Cooper reference), and a pronounced honeycomb lower bumper insert. The offset GT grille badge carries over from past models. Additional matte black decals can be found on the sides of the car, and beefy (probably 19") 5-spoke wheels hide Brembo stopping power. The new FPV roster lets buyers choose manual or automatic transmissions at no additional cost. Hey Alan Mulally, CAFE-schmafe -- move the steering wheel over and send this to America so we can have the big, bad V8 Interceptor we all want. As for Australia, those GM guys at HSV better prepare for some stiff, new competition.

UPDATE: Sweet live gallery at the Herald Sun.

[Source: FPV]

Click above for hires gallery

Australia's FPV (Ford Performance Vehicles) is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the original Ford Falcon GT with a special 200-car limited edition. The FPV Falcon GT 40th Anniversary is powered by Ford's Boss 290 5.4L V8. The 290 in its name refers to its power output in kilowatts. Put in our terms, that's 390 horsepower, and it's joined by 383 pounds of twist. That power goes to the rear wheels, natch. Breathing is aided by an FPV high-flow exhaust and six forward gears (manual or automatic) round things out on the powertrian side.

It should be noted the same drivetrain is found in the "regular" FPV Falcon GT. What sets the anniversary edition apart from its bretheren is the R-Spec suspension that underpins the car. Developed by Delphi at the request of Prodrive (co-owner of FPV along with Ford), it's designed to improve on-track performance without overly compromising everyday ride quality and tire wear.

The cars are given a coat of black paint with a gold Shelby-style stripe package (a la the Hertz Mustangs), GT 40th Anniversary decals aft of the front wheels, "BOSS 290" on the hood's power bulge, R-Spec badging on the rear, and 19" alloys (with red Brembos peeking through the spokes) trimmed in black. Note also the slick detail touches such as the FPV logo that's part of the lower grillework up front. The thing looks positively menacing and it has the goods to back it up. Man, they sure know how to do it right in Australia. Meanwhile, we get a new Five-Hundred Taurus. Yay.

Press release after the jump.

[SourceFord Australia]