First look: FPV turbo to terrify V8s

FORD Performance Vehicles will shake up Australia’s homegrown muscle car market in the fourth quarter of 2004, when the Blue Oval releases the production version of its ballistic new turbocharged F6 Typhoon priced under $59,000.

Making its public debut at the Melbourne motor show opening today, the forthcoming F6 Typhoon sedan will be the least expensive model in FPV’s sedan range, which until now was exclusively V8-powered.

But FPV admits it will be the flagship of its range in performance terms – for now.

Described as a worthy alternative to the 5.4-litre 290kW Boss V8 found in FPV’s GT sedan and Pursuit ute models, F6 Typhoon will be the most muscular Aussie ever, producing more torque than any production engine ever built in Australia.

With maximum torque of a tractor-like 550Nm developed from just 2000rpm and available until 4250rpm, F6 Typhoon also produces more than 80 per cent of its torque peak at 1500rpm and more than 98 per cent of it from 1750rpm, guaranteeing flexibility along with outright performance.

F6 Typhoon’s tractor-like 550Nm torque top betters Ford’s own 450Nm (also at 2000rpm) XR6 Turbo, the 500Nm (at 4250rpm) XR8 and even the flagship FPV GT, which produces 520Nm at 4500rpm.

Meantime, HSV’s base 5.7-litre V8 produces 510Nm, while the iconic Porsche 911 Turbo – with one of the world’s highest performance six-cylinder engines - produces only marginally more torque at 560Nm.

While aftermarket tuners have already boosted the XR6T engine to beyond 330kW, FPV has limited the F6 270 Turbo engine to, you guessed it, 270kW (at 5250rpm). Crucially from a marketing point of view, that’s 20kW short of FPV's range-topping GT’s 290kW maximum, but 10kW and 30kW more than Ford's 260kW XR8 and 240kW XR6T respectively.

While no official performance figures are available, with around six per cent more torque to haul about 40 fewer kilograms than the 1825kg GT, the six-cylinder F6 Typhoon will almost certainly out-pace the $59,850 GT and its better-equipped $69,850 GT-P sibling.

To boot, FPV has issued indicative pricing of "between $56,000 and $59,000", making F6 Typhoon up to $4000 cheaper than the base GT and around the same price as Pursuit. Importantly, FPV’s turbo six will also undercut HSV’s entry level sedan – the $60,200 ClubSport – by a similar margin.

FPV has no qualms admitting F6 Typhoon will be its new performance flagship but hints there’s more to come for V8 fans, which could be a thinly veiled reference to the long-awaited return of the GTHO nameplate, powered by a 300kW-plus supercharged V8.

"We’re about building the best complete package, whether it be with V8 or six-cylinder power. Which means we won’t be standing still on V8 development, either," admitted FPV communications manager Andrew MacLean.

The F6 270 Turbo engine is a development of the turbocharged and intercooled 4.0-litre 24-valve DOHC in-line six-cylinder in XR6T.

To maximise the engine’s cooling and induction systems, it features a 50 per cent larger air-to-air intercooler, dual intake system, high-strength conrods, heavy-duty valve springs, an oil-to-water oil-cooler and modified engine management.

"The fact that it produces the highest torque output of any production engine ever built in Australia is a clear signal that FPV is forging ahead as the powerhouse of Australian performance cars," said FPV managing director David Flint.

"It will broaden the appeal of the Ford Performance Vehicles brand and introduce a new range of owners to our family. But we believe it will also expand the boundaries of what our owners expect, and what they experience, from Ford Performance Vehicles as it delivers a completely unique and exciting driving experience." Mr Flint said F6 Typhoon’s sub-$59,000 entry price further emphasises FPV’s philosophy of providing outstanding value and performance, and that FPV would continue to be the only manufacturer in Australia to offer a defensive driver training course with every new vehicle purchased.

"The F6 Typhoon, we believe, has the potential to become one of Australia’s next motoring icons," he said. "The F6 Typhoon and the GT will sit alongside each other as the ultimate expressions of our ‘total performance’ mantra.

"It is not just about us turning up the turbo boost, but comprehensively engineering a six-cylinder high-performance car that carries all the benchmarks FPV has been recognised for with the GT, GT-P and Pursuit," he said.

Offering little in the way of differentiation from FPV’s other sedans, F6 Typhoon’s unique styling cues are limited to pewter highlights on both bumpers, mesh grille inserts and a variation of the three-pillar FPV bootlid spoiler.

Inside, like GT, there are sports seats with a technical design, suede bolsters and FPV identification in the headrests, plus aluminium pedals, interior highlights and the FPV dash-mounted starter button.

The F6 Typhoon "production concept" shown in Melbourne also featured 355mm (front) and 330mm (rear) cross-drilled and ventilated brake rotors with Brembo callipers and a five-speed manual transmission.

While Ford has hinted at the likelihood of a turbocharged Territory using the XR6T engine, FPV is also expected to eventually launch its own version using the F6 270 Turbo engine to rival HSV's recently launched Avalanche.

In other Ford news from the Melbourne International Motor Show: * The base price for the forthcoming Territory cross-over wagon was revealed as $38,990.

* A limited edition build of 200 Courier XLT Hurricane Crew Cab and Super Cabs was announced, with a claimed $5250 worth of accessories fitted for no extra cost.

* A new luxury option for XR Falcons was announced. The XR Luxury Interior Package includes the instrument panel and console found in the Fairmont Ghia. The package is worth $5495.