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- Boss 5.0 litre, supercharged DOHC 32 valve all-aluminum V8 engine
- Maximum power (DIN) 351kW @ Maximum torque (DIN) @ 570Nm^
- R-SPEC suspension - retuned dampers, increased spring rate, reinforced lower control arm, bulked up anti-roll bar and revised rear toe setting
- Brembo 6-Piston brake calipers (front) with Brembo 4-piston brake calipers (rear)
- Performance leather sports seats with suede inserts and embroidered GT logo
- 19” x 8” alloy wheels (front) fitted with 245/35 XL R19 93Y Dunlop Sport Maxx tyre
- 19” x 9” wheels (rear) fitted with 275/30 XL R19 96Y Dunlop Sports Maxx tyres Human Machine Interface (HMI) with Interior Command Centre (ICC) featuring premium audio system, 8” colour touch screen, Bluetooth® mobile phone integration*, iPod & USB Integration~
- Satellite navigation with Suna Traffic Message Channel (TMC)#
- Launch control
- Reverse camera with reverse sensing system
- Bi-modal twin pipe quad outlet active exhaust system
- New limited edition GT F badged satin chrome manual gear knob cover
- Unique ICC gauges:
Boost, Engine Temp, Oil Temp, G-Force (Automatic)
Boost, Engine Temp, Voltage, G-Force (Manual)
- Unique start-up screen with FPV welcome message and GT F Logo and build number
We created the ultimate Australian muscle car and with only 500† to be built for Australia it is the most collectable FPV GT ever.
Back in the 70s the 351GT took the country by storm, and history is about to repeat itself with the new Limited Edition GT F 351. Bold, striking and powerful, this is the ultimate expression of the legendary GT.
Breathing new life into the iconic 351 badge, FPV’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine has had its engine and transmission electronic control systems recalibrated to produce a massive 351kW of power at 6,000 rpm and 570Nm of torque^.
Making sure all that power gets to the road as efficiently and instantly as possible is your choice of a slick Tremec 6-speed manual gearbox or the world-renowned ZF 6-speed automatic transmission with Sequential Sports Shift.
An automatic launch control feature and 19” x 9” rear wheels with 275/30 XL R19 96Y Dunlop Sports Maxx tyres ensure a perfect take off. But it’s in the corners that you’ll notice just how good the GT F 351 really is. With the R SPEC suspension package as standard, and Brembo 6-piston brakes on the front and 4-piston brakes on the rear, you’ll find the new GT F 351 is as much at home on a racetrack as it is on the road.
The deep, throaty roar from the bi-modal quad exhaust system lets the world know you’re coming, while distinctive GT F 351 badging and a unique ‘stealth’ stripe design package evocative of the blacked out highlights from the 70’s muscle cars let everyone know that this is a performance car with true heritage. The bold, muscular look is taken even further with a high-gloss black ‘racoon eyes’ treatment around the headlamps and high-gloss grilles, door handles, mirrors and diffuser. The result is a dark, powerful and ominous look with unmistakeable presence.
For a car destined to be one of the most collectable Australia has ever seen, the interior of the new GT F 351 has been crafted with richer, darker tones and more lustrous finishes. A new dash spear and gear knob cover along with distinctive highlights on the trim, a high series audio system and a premium centre console are all standard on the new GT F 351. Signature ‘GT Orange’ detailing has also been integrated into the design and appears in the seat stitching and embroidery, cluster dial faces and unique GT F build number badge.
As a final touch, GT F owners will be able to protect their investment with an accessory specially designed for this supercharged supercollectable- a form-fit tailored cover in Dark Grey with light grey GT F 351 logo and stripe print. With the most powerful and advanced engine FPV has ever built, total performance, and unique design cues that pay homage to the great GTs of the past, the new GT F 351 is the ultimate embodiment of one of the most famous Australian muscle cars ever to take to the racetrack or the road. But with only 500† in existence, only the lucky few will be able to own this rare and unique part of Australian motoring history.
^Power and torque figures derived using 98 RON. *Bluetooth® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG Inc., and is used under licence. Customers should consult their Ford Dealer on the ability of their mobile phone handset to integrate with the Bluetooth® system prior to making a purchase decision. Please visit ford.com.au/compatibilityfor compatible devices. ~iPod is a trademark of Apple Inc. Please refer to ford.com.au for iPod compatibility. #Ford has an arrangement to provide the Suna Traffic Channel broadcast for a minimum of 5 years from the time of vehicle manufacture. Coverage includes Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Gold Coast metropolitan areas. Refer to www.sunatraffic.com.au for full details. †500 built for Australian market and an additional 50 built for New Zealand.
http://www.fpv.com.au/_assets/images...gine-specs.jpg
FPV GTF 351: The Last Falcon GT Arrives
Mike Stevens | Jun 10, 2014
http://images-2.drive.com.au/2014/06...00-620x414.jpg
FPV GTF REVEALED
Barring any last-minute trickery, this right here is the last new model you’ll ever see from Ford Performance Vehicles.
Dubbed GT F 351 (FPV has even confirmed the F stands for ‘Final’), the new hero comes as a powered-up and limited-edition celebration of a rich performance history.
Just 550 of the $77,990 sedans will be built, alongside a less powerful but even more exclusive Pursuit Ute that will be limited to 120 units.
Power in the GT F is provided by an enhanced 351kW version of Ford’s supercharged 5.0 litre V8, an output specifically set in homage to the Bathurst-winning 351ci (5.8 litre) Falcon GTs of decades past.
And while that particular homage - based on output instead of capacity - has drawn the ire of some fans, it has clearly done little to curb interest among collectors.
FPV has confirmed that all but 10 of the 500 sedans bound for Australian homes (50 will go to NZ) have been sold, and build numbers 1, 500 and 14 (randomly selected) will be auctioned for charity.
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/con...10-460x272.jpg
The GT F’s power boost represents a 16kW jump over the performance brand’s previous top models, including the special-edition 2012 GT RSPEC.
That increase is thanks to a specialised tune of the sedan’s Powertrain Control Module system, centred around improvements to boost control.
Peak torque remains unchanged at 570Nm, but thanks to the same tweaks that produces the car’s increased power, Ford says the engine is now more responsive than ever.
The GT F’s supercharged V8 also benefits from a ‘transient’ overboost function that will deliver a further 15 percent increase in power - “if the prevailing conditions are favourable”.
Pushing output beyond 400kW, FPV’s engineers reckon overboost can be accessed “all day long” on a cool day, but high ambient temperatures will see the function limited to 15-20 second bursts to protect the engine.
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/con...10-460x272.jpg
FPV Chief Program Engineer, Peter de Leur, says the GT F’s power curve is designed to deliver “a very noticeable feel” to the car’s performance.
“This is delivered in every gear above 4000 rpm, other than first gear,” de Leur said over the overboost function.
Other highlights include the launch control system and enhanced suspension package of the GT RSPEC model revealed in 2012, along with a new G-Force meter in the GT F’s large dash display.
The rear suspension also allows for camber bolt adjustment so that a more track-focused setup can be tuned in without affecting day-to-day driveability.
“When we started this program we had an opportunity to look at a performance increase for the engine so we developed a strategy around the calibration that allowed for a performance upgrade without impacting the all-round driveability of the car,” de Leur said.
Also borrowed from the RSPEC model will be nine-inch wide rear wheels wrapped in 275/35 R19 Dunlop Sports Maxx rubber and finished in a dark grey.
Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes are also standard equipment for the GT F model.
Other changes add a ‘stealth’ sticker pack that includes a large bonnet strip and ‘GT F’ lettering in the door graphics.
The sticker pack will come in matte black on all body colours (white, blue, black, orange and smoke grey), with a white stripe option for blue and gold body colours.
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/con...10-460x272.jpg
Gloss black accents have also been applied to the ‘racoon eyes’ headlight garnish, along with the grille, door handles, mirrors and rear diffuser.
The powered-up engine also benefits from ‘GT F 351’ stamping in place of the usual ‘BOSS 335’ detail.
In the cabin, there’s darker tones featured across the various highlights, along with a build-number plate and ‘GT orange’ details throughout.
The FPV GT F is priced at $77,990, up from $70,790 for the ‘regular’ GT sedan.
FPV Pursuit Ute
FPV is also offering a new Pursuit Ute, based again on the specifications of the GS model.
Additional features include Pursuit badging, a build number badge, eight-inch GT wheels, GT front bumper, partial leather seats, climate control, ‘Premium Sound’ and satellite navigation.
The Pursuit Ute is powered by Ford’s supercharged 5.0 litre V8, producing 315kW and 545Nm of torque.
Limited to 120 cars, the FPV Pursuit Ute is priced at $52,990.http://www.themotorreport.com.au/590...con-gt-arrives
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FPV GTF 351 Review: Ford Proving Ground Launch
Tim O'Brien |
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/591...-ground-launch
FPV GT F 351 REVIEW
What's hot: Balance, power and finesse; gorgeous blended Boss V8 howl and supercharged whine - a performance bargain.
What's not: Too bad, they’re mostly sold; visual clues too subtle?
X-FACTOR: An instant classic for ‘blue oval’ loyalists: of the 500 stamped for Australia, all but 10 are sold.
Engine/trans: 5.0 litre supercharged Boss V8 | 6spd manual or 6spd auto
Power/torque: 351kW (with 400+kW on overboost)/569Nm
Price: $77,990
Fuel economy listed: manual / automatic: 13.6 l/100km / 13.7 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Ford Australia boss Bob Graziano describes his new baby, the FPV GT F 351 as “a celebration of the best of the best”.
The celebration? It’s there in the new FPV GT F’s 351 badge.
Those numbers harken back to that most famous and desirable of Australian high-performance classics - the venerable XY GT HO Phase III with its Bathurst-winning 351 cubic-inch Cleveland V8.
But this new car is an eon removed from that raw and untamed beast. We’ve never seen such a sublimely balanced performance saloon from Ford.
But, infuriatingly, perversely, this car also carries an ‘F’ in the badge. That ‘F’ is for ‘final’: and we won’t see its like again.
Of course, we know the economic reasons for this stroke of the pen in that distant Ford Boardroom, and we know that the end had come for an orphan car on an orphan chassis, but show me anywhere in Ford’s global stable a better high-performance V8 sedan.
So, two or so years from now, the Falcon, and all its derivatives like this sensational car, will be extinct.
And the lineage of performance classics - from the XR GT, to the XY 351 GT HO, to this FPV GT F - will end on the chopping block on that dreary day ahead, red-ringed somewhere on a Ford calendar.
“We put the best of everything we have into this car,” Bob Graziano said.
It shows in even a few minutes behind the wheel (and that’s all we had).
Too bad if you’d like to jag one. By the time you read this, the production run of just 500 for Australia (our Kiwi mates get an additional 50) will all be spoken for and headed for the garages of ‘blue oval’ loyalists.
You will just have to wait till they begin to trickle back onto the market as modern day classics.
This is our report, filed through misty eyes.
THE INTERIOR
Unique build number, gear knob, and instrument cluster
FPV starter button, GT F logos throughout
Human Machine Interface (HMI) with Internal Command Centre (ICC)
8-inch colour touch-screen
Premium 150W 8-speaker audio system (with subwoofer), AM/FM radio, CD
Bluetooth and iPod integration, USB connectivity
Satellite navigation system with Suna Traffic Message Channel
Auxiliary audio plug-in (MP3 capability)
ICC gauges:
Boost, Engine Temp, Oil temp, G-Force (Automatic)
Boost, Engine Temp, Voltage, G-Force (Manual)
Cruise control and dual-zone automatic climate control
Reverse sensors
Sports multi-function leather steering wheel (with cruise control and audio)
Alloy pedal covers
‘Soho’ leather inserts and bolsters, door trim inserts with suede-feel armrests
Four-way power driver’s seat
It’s no longer a ‘new’ interior - this car, still essentially a Falcon, has been around for a while.
That said, while the FPV doesn’t have the crisply modern feel of the latest German saloons, it comes with enough premium touches to remain an appealing place to be.
The sloping centre console, low hip-point and nicely styled dashboard ‘open up’ the Ford interior, giving it a spacious and airy feel. It has always felt less-enclosed than the equivalent Commodore.
In the FPV, there is little to complain about for comfort or for the quality of materials and fit.
The nicely bolstered leather-faced seats come monogrammed and with contrasting stitching; the doors are similarly leather and suede trimmed and there are classy touches like polished metal scuff-plates and trim highlights.
The FPV GT F also comes with its own unique build number badged onto the console and repeated on the screen display.
The gearshift - we’ve driven the manual only - comes with a terrific machined knob (and perfectly-weighted short throw) and there’s a cluster screen display as well as a bespoke GT F display on the 8-inch touchscreen.
The centre screen carries four dials recording boost, engine temperature, voltage and g-forces (the auto gets a transmission oil-temperature gauge instead of voltage).
Forget about the g-force gauge. When you’ve got the ‘eyes on’, and giving things a serious belt, you’ll be too fully occupied at the wheel to be wondering about why your head feels strangely heavy.
But it will give your passengers something to look at.
And, being a large saloon, you will have no trouble loading up with three adults and their clobber. You’ve got to go to an E Class or 5 Series or A6 to get the kind of sprawling room you’ll find in the big Ford.
Plus there’s a 535 litre boot, and, should you go troppo and decide to hook a trailer up behind, the FPV also comes with a 1200kg tow rating for the manual, rising to 1600kg for the auto.
SAFETY
Standard safety features of the FPV GT F include:
Driver and front passenger airbags
Curtain airbags plus front-seat side-thorax airbags
Beltminder (front driver’s side)
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with emergency brake assist (EBA), 4-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and traction control
Reverse parking camera
ON THE ROAD
Boss 5.0 litre, supercharged DOHC 32-valve all aluminium V8
351kW @ 6000rpm / 570Nm @ 2,500-5,500rpm
TR6060 6-spd manual; or ZF 6-spd high-torque auto with sequential sports-shift
Automatic launch control
Bimodal quad-exhaust system
R SPEC suspension package with retuned dampers, increased spring rate, reinforced lower control arm, heavier anti-roll bar and revised rear toe-setting
FPV Dark Argent alloy wheels (front 19" x 8"; rear 19" x 9"); 245/35 XL R19 Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres
Brakes: Front - 355 x 32mm ventilated rotors with Brembo 6-piston calipers
Rear - 330 x 28mm ventilated rotors with Brembo 4-piston calipers
To develop the FPV GT F, Ford Australia called in its former Prodrive/Premcar partners. And while it sits on what is essentially RSpec underpinnings, there are subtle performance changes below.
We had barely a drive, just a few laps of the banked circuit and straights, and then some steaming hot laps on the road circuit with two of Ford’s development drivers.
But this much is clear: this FPV GT F turns in better than any other factory-fettled hi-po Ford GT before it.
It is surprisingly nimble underfoot. The stiffened front-end keeps the nose noticeably flatter, and it points in with an eagerness that belies the weight of the all-alloy V8 and wailing supercharger sitting high in the nose.
The way it holds a tight line through an apex at speed is approaching scary. The back-end, with reinforced lower control arms and beefier anti-roll bar, just does not want to let go.
We saw some very high speeds down the long back straight. Stable, and with an almost perfect weighting through the wheel, the overwhelming impression of the handling balance of the GT F is of a European sports saloon - like a thumping German for instance.
(On a gut-feel short drive, you can consider this car in the hallowed company of an M or RS-badge. The FPV is a match for steering feel and turn-in, and will keep them honest in a straight line, just losing a little on exit thanks to a higher centre of gravity.)
Importantly, while making these comparisons, just remind yourself of the price advantage this car holds, and its classic collectability. It packs a hell of a lot of high-performance finesse into a sub-$80k price bracket.
We’ve said it before: pound-for-pound the hi-po Aussie V8s are performance bargains.
And this one - carrying that ‘F’ for ‘Final’ - is just that little more special.
Special indeed is the Boss V8 under the bonnet - this is surely one of the world’s great V8s. Smooth, with a satisfying bellow at full noise, it will have your neck hairs tingling when you hound it through the six speed box.
In anyone's hands, manual or auto, this is very a quick car. With launch control, Ford is claiming mid-fours for the 0-100km/h dash.
And it will bellow without complaint to the limiter; the cut-out is then ‘slurred’ so that you can keep momentum on the change.
The overboost function, which boosts power to 400kW+, kicks in on all gears bar first - provided conditions are right. If you’re all crossed up on exit, you won’t find it, nor if ambient temperatures are too high.
Incidentally, launch control is really simple to use (unlike some systems). Just stop, engage first, and floor the pedal. The FPV will rev up then settle back at around 4500rpm; then you simply slide your left foot sideways.
It nobbles things for the briefest moment while it gathers traction, then bolts.
So, yes, as Bob Graziano commented, “When you’re driving this car hard, you will get what you asked for.”
No argument about that.
TME FIRST DRIVE VERDICT | OVERALL
Launched to the media at Ford’s You Yangs Proving Ground, all around the new FPVs we were driving was Ford’s future in the Australia-Pacific region.
There was a camouflaged LHD Ranger - an updated model - circulating on the banked oval track when we arrived, and various Everest ‘mules’, half-Territory, half-Ranger, dotted about the facility.
Unfortunately, for all its character and capability, we were driving Ford Australia’s past.
The FPV GT F is, and will forever remain, a classic. Exclusive, one to be enjoyed by the few, it is the last of the line. There is no room now in Ford’s transnational world for such an oddity.
Stiff, indeed, that the FPV GT F has a termination date, but stiffer that it’s quite possibly the best high-performance V8 saloon wearing a Ford badge anywhere on the planet.
It’s a beautiful car this GT F; it’s affordable and is everything a high-performance V8 saloon should be.
For this one, the FPV, it’s likely we’re all too late - check with your dealer (you might get lucky).
But you’ll get a second chance. The Falcon update will bring the new XR8 with an expected 335kW before it too then disappears.
Drive:FPV GT-F official details revealed
Date: June 10, 2014 - 12:00PM
Andrew Maclean
Associate Editor
The final locally-produced 351kW FPV GTF.
This is the end.
The final chapter in the history of Ford's revered GT Falcon has been written with the blue oval revealing full details of the special swansong model, the FPV GTF.
As first reported by Drive in March, the retro-inspired limited edition is powered by an uprated version of the locally-developed supercharged 5.0-litre V8 that produces 351kW of power - a nod to the cubic capacity of the 5.8-litre Windsor V8s in the iconic Bathurst-winning Falcons of the 1970s - and comes with a host of additional performance upgrades and styling tweaks.
The engine management system has been re-calibrated to generate the additional power over the standard GT's 335kW thanks to a transient overboost function that is available in all forward gears - except first - above 4000rpm.
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Ford does not provide claimed acceleration figures, but considering the GTF also features a tailored launch control function and the revised suspension package with wider rear tyres previously offered on the R-Spec GT, it is expected to be able to sprint from 0-100km/h in around 4.7 seconds.
While that makes it marginally slower than the HSV GTS - Australia's most powerful muscle car ever with a 430kW supercharged 6.2-litre V8 - the GTF is easily the fastest, and most powerful, car ever developed by Ford Australia.
Unique to the GTF, the rear suspension can also be adjusted to optimise traction for owners that want to drive it enthusiastically on a race track.
“When we started this program we had an opportunity to look at a performance increase for the engine so we developed a strategy around the calibration that allowed for a performance upgrade without impacting the all-round driveability of the car,” FPV Chief Program Engineer, Peter de Leur, said.
“In doing so, we were also able to make this car special for our FPV GTF customers.
“We were also able to add things like rear camber bolt adjustment on the rear suspension so it can be adjusted for track days, if a customer wishes,” de Leur said.
“Our goal was to create the best vehicle we could; a vehicle that pays respect to Ford GTs of old yet celebrates all that is good about Ford’s performance credentials,” .
Visually, the GTF has gloss black exterior higlights in the 'racoon eyes' that surround the front fog lights as well as the grille, door handles, wing mirrors and rear diffuser panel.
It also has a unique stripe package with a 'black-out' panel on the bonnet that harks back to the design of the 1970's GT Falcons adn extends over the roof and onto the bootlid, giving it a defined look unlike any previous FPV models.
Inside the cabin, the stylists have used orange highlights - again made famous in 70s models - to give the GTF an exclusive ambience beyon the standard GT variants. This includes orange stitching in the top-shelf bucket seats, instruments and the GTF 351 badges in the centre console and colour display screen, which now features a series of digital gauges including a g-force meter.
Ford will build just 500 examples of the GTF for Australian customers - with another 50 destined for New Zealand - and claims that the entire allocation has already been sold to collectors, some of which have paid above the $77,900 manufactuer's list price.
It will also produce a limited batch of 120 Pursuit Utes, powered by a 315kW version of the same engine, as the last V8-powered high-performance ute from the blue oval brand.
Check Drive later this afternoon for our first drive review.
http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/f...610-zs1tz.html
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Wheels: Ford comes clean on V8 power
Final hot Falcon actually produces 404kW, not ‘just’ 351kW
James Stanford Tuesday, 10 June 2014 9:40AM
http://d3lp4xedbqa8a5.cloudfront.net...h=655&Mode=Max
IF YOU thought the final GT Falcon – the GT-F 351 – makes 351kW, think again. It actually pumps out 404kW.
Ford has finally come clean and admitted its FPV GT models have been producing far more power than the official ratings since the introduction of the Miami V8 in 2010.
Owners of Ford Performance Vehicles have been reporting dyno readings significantly higher than the 335kW maximum stated power figure of the regular GT vehicles running the supercharged 5.0-litre.
FPV sources indicated a transient overboost function allowed for more power to be produced for short periods, but the peak power figure did not qualify as the official number. This is because the design rules require the engine to achieve its peak power figure at any time.
Now that FPV is producing its final batch of cars – and having made a big thing about the 351kW figure – the company has ’fessed up about how much extra grunt is produced when the overboost function is operating.
It says in that situation the engine will make 15 percent more power. That drives the peak power figure of the GT-F final edition cars to 404kW.
At lower temperatures, the overboost function works without a time limit. That means it produces 404kW all the time.
The only limitation comes on a hot days, when the engine control unit limits the overboost function to 15 or 20 seconds to prevent engine damage.
The official recognition of transient overboost function will make no difference to FPV sales, as stocks of regular GT and related models are almost all sold and every single GT-F has been allocated to a customer.
It does, however, create more excitement around the return of the Ford Falcon XR8 model when the updated Falcon range appears in November.
That car will run what was the FPV GT engine, which is officially rated at 335kW.
However, as Ford now admits, the V8 will pump out 15 percent more power, for a peak figure of 385kW.
This much power in an XR8, which is likely to be priced within range of Holden’s SS Commodore, which costs $41,990 and produces 270kW, could really boost the appeal of the final hot Falcon.
The XR8 will also be the first Ford-badged V8 model since the last XR8 bowed out due to emission rules in 2010.
By then, FPV had removed all the Ford Blue Oval badges from its cars, replacing them with oval FPV badges.
With the release of the GT-F, Ford said its engineers achieved the 351kW power rating without any mechanical changes. Software modifications were made to achieve the iconic number, which matches the size (in cubic inches) of the famed 5.8-litre V8 that powered muscular Fords from the 1960s through to the early 1980s.
The company insists a noticeable change in the GT-F’s power curve can be observed above 4000rpm in every gear other than first.
“We developed a strategy around the calibration that allowed for a performance upgrade without impacting the all-round drivability,” said FPV chief program engineer Peter de Leur.
“In doing so, we were able to make this car special for our FPV GT-F customers.”
Ford Australia will not discuss the 0-100km/h figure of the GT-F, which is being launched today at the company’s You Yangs proving ground south-west of Melbourne, but a time well below five seconds is expected.
The final 500 GT-F models wear a single, wide stripe that runs over the bonnet, roof and boot. They can also be distinguished from other GTs by the gloss black doorhandles, wing mirrors and spoiler, while the section between the headlights and bumper, as well as a strip above the grille, is also blacked out.
The cars also have unique instrument dial faces, seat stitching and a centre console screen that displays ‘GT-F 351’ on start-up.
Ford has also announced 120 Pursuit Utes will be built as part of the final FPV production run. These vehicles will take on many of the visual cues of the 351kW GT-F, but will not run the same engine tune.
Engineers admit the leaf-sprung rear end would be too much of a handful if the ute was fitted with anything more than the 315kW version of the Miami V8 that served in GS models.
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GO Auto: Ford's last Falcon 351 GT packs 'secret' 420kW
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...pg?OpenElement
FPV GT F 351Power play: Ford's GT F brochure might says 351kW, but the overboost can deliver up to 420kW in the right conditions for a short time.
Supercharged FPV GT F can blow right through 351kW to more than 410kW, says Ford
10 June 2014
By RON HAMMERTON
FORD Performance Vehicle's last-hurrah Falcon GT F has a secret – it is promoted as having 351kW but its supercharged 5.0-litre Boss V8 can produce between 410kW and 420kW on maximum overboost, if the conditions are right.
Company engineers say the car – the last of the iconic GT line from the Australian Ford factory – is designed to produce 351kW under all conditions, including Australia's high heat.
But the newly calibrated powertrain control unit will allow the Harrop supercharger to churn harder and faster in overboost when atmospheric, altitude and engine conditions are right, lifting engine power to as much as 420kW and torque from the standard 570Nm to about 650Nm for a limited time.
You won't read this in the official brochure, as Ford can't guarantee it under all conditions.
The man in charge of the V8 engine development, Prodrive engineering director Bernie Quinn, said at today's GT F media launch that the GT F could produce 351kW under all atmospheric conditions, as long as powertrain temperatures and so on were within safe parameters for durability.
“On a 40-degree day in Darwin, it will still do 351kW,” he said. “But on a nice crisp cold day, at low altitude, it will exceed that.”
While no performance figures have been published, Falcon/Territory chief program engineer Peter de Leur said the GT F should be about 0.2 seconds faster from zero to 100km/h than the standard 335kW FPV GT, making it capable of a 4.5-second sprint.
The six-speed automatic is a fraction faster than the manual, but both get launch control as standard. On the automatic, the engine revs to about 2000rpm before the slingshot launch is triggered by taking the left foot off the brake and planting the right boot.
Mr de Leur said Ford had kept the claims on power and performance moderate as the company preferred to under-promise and over-deliver.
He said Ford Australia had “put the best of everything” from the company's engineering and design war chest into the GT F to make it the best it could.
“This car is for the FPV fans – that is why we built this car,” he said.
Ford enlisted ZF transmission engineers from Germany to help recalibrate the six-speed automatic transmission, altering the change points – both on up-shift and down-shift – to maximise performance potential while maintaining Ford's durability standards.
Mr Quinn said a range of software upgrades on components such as the Bosch traction control system had allowed the engineers to ramp up the supercharger performance by recalibrating the powertrain control system software.
He revealed that the engine – created in Melbourne from Ford's 'Coyote' V8 under a program dubbed 'Miami' – had been designed from the outset to cope with the extra power, but it was only now that all the software programs through the powertrain and chassis had come together to allow the power lift.
The Ford engineers who crafted the GT F have now moved onto other programs, with Ford Australia working on at least six models at present.
Looks good, thought smoke was the hero color? Anyway, its as good as it gets, congratulations Ford and FPV.
"Pushing out over 400kW"
Mate blue is and always has been Ford Australia's hero colour for hot Falcons.
413 was the number I heard. LOL HSVQuote:
Originally Posted by Falc'man
Ford officially acknowledging "over-boost" too.