Ford teases FPV GT F 351 once again
BY MIKE COSTELLO | 30th May 2014
The latest image posted to social media shows a production worker at the Campbellfield plant working inside the door of a nearly-finished vehicle, painted in electric blue and wearing a graphite GT F sticker on the lower section of its rear door.
Over the course of the past week FPV has also released teaser shots of the grille, engine cover (complete with 351 stamping) and the individually-numbered badges that will adorn all units to roll off the production line.
As reported earlier this month, Ford Australia said it had been taken aback by early demand for the final FPV-badged Falcon model, sight unseen.
Just 550 units of the limited-edition GT F sedan – the lone “F” at the end of the name stands for “final” – will be produced, with 50 earmarked for New Zealand and the rest for Australia. Ford will also make 120 GT F Pursuit utes.
As previously reported, from the end of 2014, Ford will cull the brand and replace it with a last-gasp revival of the Falcon XR8 badge before that car, and all Ford’s Australian-made models, die in 2016. This XR8 will be based on the updated model being worked on at Ford's Broadmeadows headquarters.
One dealer has sold out of its GT F allocation of 12 vehicles and has already turned away six prospective customers since.
Due for release later this year just ahead of the facelifted final ‘FG II’ Falcon, the GT F will feature a higher-output version of the current 335kW/550Nm supercharged Boss 5.0-litre V8 now pumping out 351kW.
The badge harks back to the 351 cubic-inch 5.8-litre V8 Falcon GTs of the 1970s that became a staple in Australian driveways and on racetracks, including the Bathurst 1000 endurance race.
The GT F will also feature the handling package from the 2012 GT R-Spec limited edition, including a launch control system, a host of front and rear suspension modifications, and wide nine-inch rear wheels with 275/35 R19 Dunlop Sports Maxx tyres.
The car-maker says GT-sourced six-piston Brembo calipers will be fitted to the front brakes, with four-piston calipers at the rear.
