FPV F6 2009 News

Even at a time when fuel economy is top-of-mind with a growing number of Australian drivers there is plenty of space on the roads for Commodores and Falcons with old-fashioned V8 muscle under the bonnet. They burble menacingly at idle. They are the backbone of V8 Supercar racing.Yet V8s in the 21st century are not what they were in the days when they first conquered Mount Panorama and a GTHO Falcon or a Monaro - or even a Valiant V8 - was a dream machine for a generation of Aussie youngsters.Since 1970 the crude oil price has exploded from $20 a barrel to double that amount during the Iran revolution, over $70 during the first Gulf War, broke through the $100 barrier ahead of the Global Financial Crisis and has now settled at just below $100.In Australia, petrol prices have correspondingly risen from about 8c a litre in 1970 to about 50c in 1984 and almost $1.50 today.Despite all this, and despite one attempt at a death sentence by Ford in the 1980s, the V8 has not been wiped from Australian showrooms. Holden and Ford have continued to produce large cars with a V8 alternative and continue to slog it out at Bathurst.But Australian cars, even the ones that now have American V8s imported for local use, are not the only bent-eight blasters on the road.Germans are prolific builders of V8s and produce some of the most powerful engines in the world thanks to AMG-Mercedes, BMW and Audi. English V8s are built by Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar, while the Americans provide V8s in the Chrysler 300C sold here. Even the Japanese luxury brand Lexus has a V8 in its IS F hero and its luxury saloon LS460, as well as the LandCruiser-cloned LX470.Most V8s are powerful enough breathing ordinary air, but there are many forced-induction models with either turbo or supercharging to liberate even more power. Walkinshaw Performance does the job in Australia for Holden, BMW is going down the turbo V8 road for its latest M cars and Benz had a time with a supercharged AMG V8.But V8s are not just about unrestricted power. The push for greater fuel economy has also reached V8 land and so Chrysler and Holden have V8s with multiple displacement technology which shuts down half the cylinders when the car is just cruising to improve fuel economy. Formula One racing engines now do the same thing when they are idling on a grand prix starting grid.Holden's Active Fuel Management (AFM) was introduced on the V8 Commodore and Caprice in 2008 and the red lion brand is committed to the engine - with future technology updates - despite near-record fuel prices."It is incumbent on us to keep it relevant and continue introducing new technology that delivers on our customers' needs," says Holden's Shayna Welsh.Holden has the biggest stake in V8s with more models than any other company selling in Australia. It has a total of 12 models with V8 engines across four nameplates and four body styles, including Commodore SS, SS V, Calais V, Caprice V and the recently introduced Redline range. V8s account for about one quarter of Commodore sedan sales and almost half of Ute sales."We see it as being more than just the V8 engine - it's about the entire car. It's the whole performance package that appeals to people and we want to continue making cars that people are proud to own," Welsh says."The combination of features and technology, great handling and braking and outstanding value is consistent across our V8 model range."Ford fans are also committed to V8s, according to company spokesperson Sinead McAlary, who says a recent Facebook survey was overwhelmingly positive."We asked whether they worry about petrol prices and they say 'No, it's the sound of the V8 we love and we are prepared to pay the price'," she says.Both Ford and Holden also have performance divisions where the V8 was, and still is, king. Ford's is Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) and Holden's is Holden Special Vehicles (HSV).HSV marketing manager Tim Jackson says their sales are "on par" with last year."That's despite the fact that last year we had the limited edition GX-P which is an entry level product for us," he says. "We don't have that model in our range at all this year and you would expect numbers to come off, but we've been able to maintain sales volume."All of HSV's range are powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine (6200cc 317kW-325kW), while the opposition at FPV has gained the kilowatt advantage with forced induction (supercharged 5000cc 315kW-335kW).Jackson says their LS3 V8 has been "validated" by customers."We're not getting guys screaming at us to go turbocharging. The LS3 is an extraordinary unit. It's a light engine with a good power-to-weight figure. There is not a turbo engine that would do it for us at the right development cost. But I wouldn't rule it (turbo) out or rule it in."Jackson says there have been no repercussions from the rise in petrol prices."Our customers don't have other choices in their repertoire," he says. "A small car doesn't suit them and they're not into an SUV. They're of a certain level where the whole cost of running the car is easy for them to absorb."The top-selling HSV is the ClubSport R8, followed by the Maloo R8, then GTS.However, the greatest HSV in history is debatable, Jackson says.HSV engineering boss Joel Stoddart prefers the all-wheel-drive Coupe4 and sales boss Darren Bowler the SV5000."The Coupe4 is special because of its engineering but I like the W427 because it's the fastest," Jackson says.FPV boss Rod Barrett says they are also experiencing strong sales growth. He says they sold about 500 cars in the first quarter, which is up 32 per cent on the previous year. He also says sales of the F6 have slowed since the launch of the supercharged V8 engine variants late last year, as customers "opt for power". Ford no longer offers a V8 with the demise of the XR8 sedan and ute last year."Our middle name is performance so we have all the V8s," Barrett says. "When we were launching this new supercharged car all the V8s came across here."Barrett says their supercharged engine has changed people's minds about "dinosaur V8s"."The turbocharged F6 was a cult hero car in its day and people thought a V8 was a low-tech dinosaur," he says. "But when we produced a high-tech all-alloy five-litre supercharged V8 built in Australia people started to think that V8s aren't all that bad after all. I'm not seeing the demise of the V8 just yet, but for us, the future is hi-tech."The supercharged 5.0Litre V8 335kW FPV GT continues to be FPV's top-selling vehicle followed closely by the supercharged V8 5.0 litre 315kW GS sedan and GS ute.Barrett believes the current GT is the best FPV car yet with its segment-leading power, light weight and improved fuel economy."However, I think our most iconic car was the 2007 BF Mk II 302kW Cobra in white with blue stripes. That car brought back the passion of '78 with the original Cobra. If you have a look at the second-hand prices, they are still holding up very well" he says.

...following on the heels of the hot F6 E unveiled a couple of weeks ago.And one lucky Carsguide reader will be among the first to get behind the wheel of this awesome machine as our Guest Tester.The new vehicle will be released nationally on September 1, but FPV is not releasing much in the way of detail, except to say the mystery car will again pay tribute to Ford’s rich muscle car history.“Our next model to be revealed is something we’re really excited about,” FPV’s general manager Rod Barrett said. “The beauty of being a local manufacturer is that we can respond relatively quickly to market demand.“And this new V8 vehicle -- along with our recently released F6 E -- is a product that we envisage will be warmly welcomed by fans of the blue oval,” he added.“With plenty of FPV DNA running through its veins, our new addition will, like the rest of our range, be easily identified on the street and from behind the wheel as an FPV product.”And you could be the one to fly to Melbourne to drive this car for a weekend in October, as Carsguide’s Guest Tester. You’ll also have a guided tour of the FPV and Ford Performance Racing workshops, hosted by one of FPR’s V8 Supercar drivers.After the test drive, your review of the car will be published on carsguide.com.au, with photos of you at work behind the wheel.To enter, in the Comments box below tell us in 50 words or less why you want to win. Do not provide telephone numbers or house address, but let us know if you saw the competition in your local newspaper and which one it was.This competition has now closed.You must be over 25 and hold a current full manual licence to enter. Tell us if you saw the competition in your local newspaper's Carsguide section - because during each of the four weeks of the competition, each participating newspaper will announce a ‘shortlist’ winner from among their readers, who gets a great FPV prize package worth $80. Check back in your paper each week to see if that’s you.The competition closes at 5pm EST, Friday September 11, and the name of the Guest Tester will be announced in your local Carsguide section, and here, the following week.This competition has now closed.This competition has closed, and with all the great entries, the Carsguide Guest Tester judges had a difficult task. But the final winner was Nikki Robbins of Brisbane, with: “Our FPV who art not released, What say be they name? Thy colour range? Thy engine size? On quarter-miles how shall thee run? Give us thine fearless V8 brute strength, Forgive thee less-fortunate in Holdens, Lead us not into disappointment, But deliver us thine test-drive, Ford ever-and-ever, amen.” Congratulations to Nikki, and to all the entrants — there’ll always be next year... 

"What you are going to get is 310kW and 565Nm in something that looks like a 5 Series BMW," Ford Performance Vehicles boss Rod Barrett says. "When you put your foot down it is going to go ... and at a pretty good price advantage. "This really is our Euro competitor."At $79,740 the F6 E - built off Ford's award-winning G6 E Turbo at a price premium of $23,000 - slips into the FPV range alongside the V8-powered GT-E."I think it is more about choice," Barrett says. "We make these iconic go-fast cars like the F6 and the GT and that is the base of our range ... it's what our core business is about. But there are some people that we do not cater for in that range that want a bit more luxury and refinement."They don't want stripes and big wings and black wheels. They want a bit more leather and woodgrain and chrome and I don't want to lose them."Barrett says the overwhelming success of the F6 and the demand for the G6 E Turbo was enough for FPV to shift plans for the F6 E off the back burner and give it some exposure as a concept car at the Melbourne Motor Show earlier this year."It was obvious that there is a demand there for it - not significant, but a demand," Barrett says.The F6 E will be built as a limited production vehicle with plans for ‘less than 50’ this year."It is not a limited edition just a limited production run," Barrett says. "If it were to take off and there was demand for 100 or a 150 then we just keep building them - it's there to be built."Barrett says the F6 E is another model in the FPV range against which rivals HSV cannot set a direct competitor. "They have the Senator in V8, which I would say is our GT E competitor, but they don't have a turbo six and this is the luxury version of that F6. I really think the top end of town will take to this car ... it will cater for the non-V8 crowd."The F6 E is powered by Ford's proven 4-litre turbo-charged DOHC 24 valve in-line six coupled to the ZF six-speed high-torque automatic transmission with Sequential Sports Shift.In keeping with the luxury theme the cabin features seats in shadow leather with the F6 E logo embossed on the headrests, a dark walnut woodgrain finish on the dashboard and doors, sports leather steering wheel with cruise control and audio mounted switches, dual-zone air conditioning and memory on adjustable pedals.Dynamic stability control, side curtain airbags, reverse parking camera and reverse sensing system, electronic brakeforce distribution and ABS are also standard.Barrett says FPV sales have held up better than the industry-standard large cars numbers with 911 sales year to date against 1154 for the same period last year."Under the circumstances I will take that ? especially when you consider last year we were launching new models and had the Cobra sales," Barrett says.