WHAT a last hurrah for the brilliant 5.4-litre Boss V8 the FPV GS is, a limited-edition Falcon XR8-based entry-level sports sedan introduced in Australia towards the end of 2009. A slight power drop does nothing to diminish the visceral appeal of the US-made but locally revised engine, which is matched beautifully to the sophisticated FG chassis. Strong yet gentle with an appealing, reserved nature, the FPV GS is more than a retro image builder, and deserves to join the legions of other classic fast local Fords in this country.
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Ford XC Falcon GS Hardtop
Released: October 1976
Ended: March 1979
Family Tree: GSYOU must go back more than 30 years to find the last Ford with a GS badge, worn by the slow-selling two-door XC Hardtop from 1976 to 1979. The last official two-door Falcon passenger car, the GS Hardtop was lumbered with the same leaf-spring live-axle rear suspension as all of the other big rear-drive Aussie Fords of the day, but at least the XC-and-a-half ‘facelift’ of April 1978 saw a sort of ‘Radial Tuned Suspension’ modification to bring the Falcon in line with the HZ Holden cars of the time. Mainly a stripes and fog lights special, the GS Hardtop was available with three engines – a 4.1-litre in-line six, a 4.9-litre V8 (302 cubic inches in fact), and a roaring 5.8-litre ‘351’ V8. Gearbox choices were either a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic.
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