FPV GT R-Spec is fastest ever Falcon

The supercharged V8 in Ford Performance Vehicle's flagship GT will finally be matched with wheels and suspension capable of putting its awesome power to the road.

The $76,900 GT RSpec - internally known as Panther - is also the first FPV with launch control, which chief engineer Bernie Quinn says is equally effective with the manual or automatic transmissions.

The heart of the machine - the "Miami" 5.0-litre V8 is unchanged. The engine was hailed at its launch in late 2010 ago as the most powerful V8 developed for an Australian-made muscle car.

As reviewers and owners explored the performance potential of the car it became apparent there was too much power - 335kW and 570Nm - for the rubber under the rear wheels to cope with. When the car was mobile, the handling lacked the precision that is a hallmark of high-end performance vehicles.

The release of 350 GT RSpec models fitted with 275mm wide Dunlop MaxxSport rubber on 19-inch wheels, along with a strut-load of suspension upgrades and reinforced engine mounting points, is intended to address those issues and put Falcon-based beast at the top of the local performance market in terms of handling as well as power.

FPV tested the US-built Ford Mustang, BMW M3s and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG to establish handling benchmarks for the car. 

Quinn says the objectives for the RSpec were greater roll control, so the car sits flatter in corners; better body control, so the chassis stiffness and dampers were improved “so it followed the road more, instead of floating over the bumps and having issues like aftershake”; and improved steering response to eliminate the delay between turning the wheel and having the car respond.

“We realised we had to get the power to the ground more effectively and we also wanted more traction mid-corner and powering out of the corner,” Quinn says. “And we've achieved that. This car is more agile, more responsive to steering inputs and puts its power down better in all situations."

He refuses to give 0-100km/h times or a top speed (it is electronically limited to 250km/h). The GT RSpec is a $5700 premium over the regular GT. FPV boss Bryan Mears says the GT won’t be built while the RSpec versions are going down the production line - and won’t commit to whether the upgrades will become a standard fit on future GT models. Beyond the badging, the RSpec is identified by a C-stripe along the side panels and the unique rims.

BREAKOUT

The 350 RSpec sedans will be joined by 75 Pursuit utes in FPV showrooms from late August. The $57,990 utes will share the cars alloy wheels and C-stripe decals but will only be sold in the black “Silhouette” paint scheme with red “Vixen” accents. Half of the sedans will also come with this colour scheme while the other 175 cars will be split between red, white and blue, all with black highlights.

FACTOID

The NSW Police are the first to buy an FPV RSpec sedan. The force has a deal to buy the 150th car that rolls down the line to coincide with its 150th anniversary. FPV will hand it over with the white paint scheme.