Ford 351 badge revived for final GT Falcon
The GT-F is expected to be the fastest Falcon GT ever built.
Ford has revived the famous 351s "1970" badge for the last ever Falcon GT, as the company confirms that all 500 examples were sold out before the first one was built.
The 351 badge is a nod to the supercharged V8 power in kilowatts, as well as a nod to the size of the V8 in the iconic 1970s model. It will be the most powerful Falcon ever built at Broadmeadows when the GT-F (from the "final" version) enters production next month.
“I am happy to confirm that we are going to deliver what our fans have been asking for: a car that pays homage to the iconic Falcon 351 GT,” Ford Australia President and CEO Bob Graziano said in a media statement.
“Ford's supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine is a brand new high-performance V8 engine, and in the upcoming GT-F sedan, it will deliver more power and torque than even its more powerful predecessor. And we were able to do all of this by simply unlocking the hidden performance that is already there.”
All 500 Falcon GT-F sedans destined for Australia (and 50 for New Zealand) have been sold to dealers and most cars already have customer names against them.
Dealers are now haggling among themselves to try and get more cars because Ford has said it won't make more than 500 cars. allocation of cars. "This is a huge missed opportunity."
When Ford introduced a special run of the Falcon GT "Cobra" at the 2007 Bathurst 1000 - to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Allan Moffat and Colin Bond's 1-2 finish - all 400 cars were sold to dealers within 48 hours.
Dealers insist all Falcon GT-Fs are selling for a suggested retail price of $77,990 plus travel expenses. “We are not allowed to charge them extra, but they are all sold at full price,” said one Ford dealer. "They won't take a dollar off these cars because someone else will buy them."
Five colors will be available, including two exclusive to the GT-F - bright blue and dark gray. And all cars will come with a unique set of stickers.
Ford also confirmed that the GT-F will be based on the R-Spec limited edition version of the Falcon GT launched 18 months ago, just before Ford Performance Vehicles closed its doors and Ford Australia took over the skeleton of the operation, namely the engine. . Construction team.
The GT-F is expected to be the fastest Falcon GT ever built. Thanks to a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 and wider rear wheels to help it take off the track with race car-style "start-up" handling, it should sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.
Following the release of the 351kW Falcon GT-F, the 335kW Ford XR8 will be introduced with the refreshed Falcon range from September 2014 until Australia's oldest car nameplate reaches the end of the line no later than October 2016.
Carsguide have been told that there are secret plans to make the power output of the latest Falcon GT significantly higher than the high note of 351kW it finishes on.
Confidential sources claim the now-defunct Ford Performance Vehicles extracted 430kW of power from a supercharged V8 while it was in development, but Ford vetoed those plans due to reliability concerns - and the capabilities of the chassis, gearbox, driveshaft and Falcon differential. deal with so much grumbling.
“We had 430kW long before anyone knew the HSV would have 430kW new GTS“, — said the insider. “But in the end, Ford slowed down. We could get the power fairly easily, but they felt it didn't make financial sense to make all the changes to the rest of the car to handle it."
In its current form, the Falcon GT briefly hits 375kW in an "overboost" that lasts up to 20 seconds, but Ford can't claim that figure because it doesn't meet international testing guidelines.
Meanwhile, the last of the Ford Performance Vehicles F6 sedans is due to be sold and no more production is planned. “Once dealer stock sells out, that’s it,” Ford Australia spokesman Neil McDonald said. The fastest six-cylinder turbocharged car ever made in Australia, the Falcon F6 has earned iconic status among enthusiasts and the police.
In New South Wales, an elite Highway Patrol Squad has maintained an entire fleet of unmarked F6 Falcons for the past four years, designed to deal with hooligans and criminals at high speeds. They are expected to switch to HSV Clubsport sedans when the F6 comes to an end.
This reporter on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling
