2008 FPV Open Day Cancelled

For the first time in 10 years, FPV will not hold its traditional Open Day in February 2008. A letter recently sent to participating clubs signed by FPV general manager Rod Barrett announced the cancellation.

The decision has stunned those clubs which serve Ford's performance models not only around Australia but across the Tasman in New Zealand.

FPV's open house event (check out the 2007 event here) is firmly established as one of Australia's five-star enthusiast automotive happenings and the only one of its kind where the public can visit a vehicle manufacturing facility and factory race team workshops on an annual basis. It also provides a meeting point for owners of the full spectrum of Ford performance models of all origins and ages.

The event started as the Tickford Family Day initiated by founding Tickford managing director, David Flint. Entry was by gold coin donation to charity.

Later events were also heavily supported by police and traffic camera operators, not just Ford fans.

It was not unusual to see evaluation and development vehicles from rival manufacturers parked outside when local engineers would use the FPV Open Day to provide their families with a glimpse of what their own workplaces looked like.

Rod Barrett with his usual candor cited the early start of the V8 Supercar season, a crowded February and March schedule including two state motor shows, the Clipsal 500, an All Ford Day in Geelong, the Australian Grand Prix and a long weekend that left no date free.

While it was perhaps inevitable that the FPV Open Day would sooner or later be squeezed out of its original time slot, Barrett's list of additional reasons makes for interesting reading.

He cites the building and launching of the new Territory-based F6 X and the new Orion range as stretching the resources of the Prodrive/Ford joint-venture. Inviting the public into the factory's inner sanctum would have been a nightmare if FPV staff were still applying the finishing touches to the most important new model range in the company's five-year history.

When Barrett cannot afford to expose either of these activities to any delays or security breaches, his decision to cancel the FPV Open Day appears to be a responsible one. It also makes no sense to invite the public and not be able to display the new Orion range which will be reserved for the Melbourne Motor Show for maximum impact.

Because the Open Day is staffed by FPV volunteers who donate their time to enable the full proceeds of the event to go to charity, staff retrenchments in 2006 and early 2007 have left few resources in reserve.

Barrett acknowledges this in his letter by referring to the "now limited human resources available".

In a move to appease the clubs, FPV has undertaken to "hold a barbecue and preview day of the entire FPV range for all to view before it goes on public sale" closer to the launch of the new range. This suggests that any early 2008 motor show preview of Ford's or FPV's Orion range may be limited.

As the 2008 FPV Open Day would have been a celebration of the fifth anniversary of FPV delivering its first production car, the BA GT, FPV has also undertaken to display an example of every FPV model produced at the plant at this event which may occur as late as April or May.

All that was missing from what was an otherwise reasonable explanation was a commitment to restore the Open Day back to what it was in 2009. Although several clubs remain suspicious of FPV's latest move, Barrett has assured them that "FPV will not abandon the event."

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