Premcar and the Sprint. End of the line?

[flappist]

It believe it is purely historical perception and the difficulty that some have with change and moving forward.

I remember turning up to a Falcon GT club day and being told in no uncertain terms that my shiny new FPV GT-P was NOT a Falcon GT and in fact some believed that it was not even a Falcon because it was not "factory standard" and was modified by an external group.

[4Vman]

It believe it is purely historical perception and the difficulty that some have with change and moving forward.

I remember turning up to a Falcon GT club day and being told in no uncertain terms that my shiny new FPV GT-P was NOT a Falcon GT and in fact some believed that it was not even a Falcon because it was not "factory standard" and was modified by an external group.

Completely different tangent, and all GT clubs recognize GTPs

[flappist]

Completely different tangent, and all GT clubs recognize GTPs

Yes they do now but back in 2003 it was a whole different story.

[4Vman]

Yes they do now but back in 2003 it was a whole different story.

I believe that was cleared up at the next AGM as it was a constitutional issue, nothing to do with snobbery.

And trust me I know exactly what went on.

[flappist]

I believe that was cleared up at the next AGM as it was a constitutional issue, nothing to do with snobbery.

I was there, yes it was EXTREME snobbery.

[4Vman]

I was there, yes it was EXTREME snobbery.

Not at committee level, the president is a friend, I remember exactly what went on

It was simply a constitutional wording issue, same issue that the Fairmont GTs faced.

[4Vman]

Anyway this is way off topic

[flappist]

Not at committee level, the president is a friend, I remember exactly what went on

Yes I am quite sure you are right.

My point was that there are many who do not like change and will resist it for that reason only.

Using your Mustang example. The most famous and collectible Mustangs are arguably the Saleen, Roush and Shelby. None of these are "factory models".

In Australia the same thing has been tried but has not done so well. CSV and DJR come to mind immediately. Streetfighter was another one.
On the other hand HDT did quite well and Walkinshaw seems to be accepted.

I bought John Bowe upgrades for my second F6 believing them to be factory approved. I was a bit annoyed to find out later they were not and if I had known at the time I would not have fitted them.
My FG2 has not had any upgrades other than the brake rotors and pads (which were done as a purely safety measure) because I did not want to void warranty.

One thing I see happening to the whole Australian car industry is that we are rapidly catching up with how things are done in the rest of the world.

[4Vman]

HDT was the pioneer of high performance products when Holden couldnt but were fully supported by Holden who acknowledged them and created separate model codes for HDT products. They were unique models not modified existing products.

Walkinshaw is owned by the same person who owns HSV who are holdens official Performance partner. Walkinshaw kits though are recognized as aftermarket, albeit with "insider" help..

I don't see it as resisting change or falling in line with other countries at all.

This is about essentially OEM v Bolt on engineering.

We've just seen the profound level of engineering involvement needed to get Sprint to market and the detail of changes.

The dealer fit "kit" version of Sprint would be a tune, plastic CAI, set of shocks, new tyres and exterior styling.

Id be most interested to hear how Ford would see the relative performances of those 2 setups head to head....

It would simply be impossible for a dealer to create a Sprint.

This is what we're talking bout.

Secondary to that go ring AAMI and tell them you've got a GT Mustang that is modified and you want it insured for purchase price of $80,000.

Then go get $80,000 of HP from a lease company securing the car at $80000....

Then go try selling that Modified GT Mustang that cost you 80k against all the other 65K GT Mustangs with perfect unmodified historys.......

For sure there's a market for aftermarket mods, but they are NOT and NEVER will be a substitute or viable alternative to most people for dedicated performance models.


For me personally it will be a very sad day the day we're forced to modify our cars or fit kits to new cars as a substitute for dedicated higher performance models from Ford. Especially if suitable products exist elsewhere in the Ford world.