Final FPV GT Fs go under hammer for good cause
BY RICHARD BERRY | 25th Aug 2014
With all but two of the 500 FPV GT Fs already allocated to Australian customers, the eBay auction was a last-chance opportunity for die-hard fans of the Blue Oval to put a piece of Australian automotive history in their garage and help find a cure for breast cancer.
Ford’s auction campaign in conjunction with the NBCF and supported by eBay and Bid For Good was given the hash tag #PinkistheNewBlue and fans of the brand were urged to sign up and bid on the cars.
The FPV GT Fs, provided by Ford for the auction, are even more collectible than the other 498 examples, as they are the first and last of the vehicles in the Australian production run – build number 001 and 500 Bidding started for both cars at the FPV GT-F market list price of $77,990 each on Sunday, August 17, and seven days later, after some furious last-second bidding, car 001 was won for $157,600 and car 500 sold for $236,100.
Car 001 was won by a Western Australian businessman, while the new owners of Car 500 are Steven Clarke of Victoria and his business partner Harry Davernaris.
Mr Clarke, 42, is the director of a security company and has long been a fan of performance cars, having most recently owned a HSV VE GTS and a Nissan GT-R R35. But Fords have a special place in Mr Clarke’s heart and he’s ecstatic to be the winning bidder.
“It brought a tear to my eye,” Mr Clarke said. “I had an XT Falcon as a 20 year old and 10 years ago I had an original XT GT Falcon. So it’s emotional as a person who’s always been into Fords and V8 engines.” As the new custodian of the last-ever FPV GT, Mr Clarke said he is keen to share the it by taking it to various enthusiast shows.
“It’s part of Australian history and I want everyone to see it. It’s not going to be locked away in a shed. It’s not just for me, it’s for everybody out there to enjoy. I’m going to drive it too – I’m going to cruise around Sandown Raceway in it.”Mr Clark has already chosen number plates with the combination BCF GTF in recognition of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. He said that knowing funds were going to the charity made winning the auction even more meaningful with family members having been affected by the disease.
“It’s just fantastic that I’ve bought this car and the money is going to the Breast Cancer Foundation. This helps people out. ”As for the car’s colour Mr Clarke said it’ll be a custom colour, but is keeping it a secret for now.
“It’s going to be a total one-off – a completely different colour to all the others. I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you!”Ford Australia President Bob Graziano said he is pleased with the success of the campaign and auction.
“Given the historical significance of both cars, we expected to raise considerable funds for NBCF and I am thrilled with the final result,” Mr Graziano said.
“Both Ford and the NBCF are focused on the importance of investing in research and development and the innovations those programs can achieve.
“The auctioning off of these two iconic vehicles, built by our passionate and dedicated Australian team will provide necessary support to the NBCF to fund their equally passionate researchers in their bid to achieve a future of zero deaths from breast cancer in 2030.
“We welcome the two lucky GT F bidders to the Ford family.”Car 001 is painted in Kinetic Blue with black stripes and comes registered with GTF 001 number plates, while car 500 will be built in September allowing the new owner to pick the colour and stripe combination.
Both are powered by a 351kW/570Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 with a six-speed manual gearbox.
The FPV 351 GT F is the fastest and most powerful Falcon ever made by Ford and it is also the last. With Ford ceasing local production in October 2016, the GT F has been built as a last hurrah for the iconic Australian performance car.
Only 500 were made for sale in Australia with another 50 produced to be sold in New Zealand. The 351kW power output is a hat tip to the 351 cubic-inch V8 in the GT and GTHO Falcons of the late 1960s and ’70s.
