FPV FG 2008 Review

It's three days after the opening of the Melbourne motor show and Ford Performance Vehicles boss Rod Barrett has had the weekend to reflect on the launch of his new FG range, and the impact on it made by HSV. Yet it still takes him a full 20 seconds to sit back, scan the ceiling and think about the question put to him. Did the unveiling of the HSV W427, with a reputed 370kW or more, steal the thunder of FPV's effort - especially seeing his team in the blue corner won't even talk power figures yet?

"Are they trying to blow us out of the water, or are they releasing a one-off car that can be built to order?" Barrett asks rhetorically. "If we're talking production vehicles, ones that are in the showrooms right this moment, we'll be highly competitive when we launch this car."

He's talking about the power outputs, of course, and whether the 5.4-litre Boss V8 fitted to the FPV GT will be able to match HSV's 6.0-litre LS2 or forthcoming 317kW LS3. With final specifications not expected before May, FPV was being coy about what the Boss now produces in FG trim and, for that matter, what the tweaked version of Ford's 4.0-litre turbo in the F6 will deliver. That's why there are no numbers tattooed onto the panels of the cars seen at the motor show, or on the press-photography cars. Best guesses put the outputs at 315kW for the V8 and 300kW for the Turbo, based on the 270kW and 290kW currently produced by the XR6 Turbo and XR8 respectively.

But power outputs are only part of the story, because according to Barrett, FPV head of programs Paul Cook and designer Graham Wadsworth, there's much more depth to their new range of cars. The styling is more mature and further separated from Ford-badged products, the V8 revs harder and longer, while the XR6 has been turned into a high-tech wonder with animal tendencies. Until we drive them it's all just talk, but here's the story so far:

DESIGN
Work on how the FPV range would look started in mid-2005, even before the final design of the FG Falcon was locked away. Cook's team worked with Ford designers including Wadsworth and Steve Park, and other younger members. The initial, philosophical question was whether to move away from Falcon XR styling cues (such as the rounded lower edges of the headlamps) and create a more specific FPV look. The aggressive front fascia, with its gaping lower intake and dark 'eye patches' either side of the air dam show the latter course was emphatically taken.

The eye patches, or racoon mask, or whatever you want to call them, evolved from earlier, more menacing drawings, according to Wadsworth. "We looked at some ideas of, let's say, not being overtly aggressive - not looking as if it would eat your children - but demonstrably sporty."

At one stage the black patches were to be made of carbonfibre before accountants recalibrated the design team's thinking, but in production they are painted. Two subtle differences in shade (dark and even darker grey) will be available depending on exterior colour, while the GT-E luxury variant of the V8 range doesn't have them at all. Still on the front fascia, the F6 has no mesh grille on the lower air intake, exposing the intercooler to visual appreciation.

The GT's bonnet (designers prefer to call it a hood) was another major area of discussion, especially the trademark 'power bulge'. This is a design necessity to accommodate the V8's valve gear, as well as a key visual indicator the owner has opted for the V8 rather than turbo power.

"When we designed the original BA hood years ago, we thought the customers would flat-out reject the size of [the bulge] - it would be too in their face and nobody would like it - but to our surprise they absolutely loved it," says Wadsworth.

"So when we went to the next model we decided we shouldn't back off on this hood. Let's not make it any smaller at all. So we made it as overt as we could within stamping restraints ... plus it covers that huge engine." The decals denoting it's a Boss V8 and the TBA power figure have moved from the sides to the front of the bulge.

Down the sides there are sill extensions, and the GT's stripes have evolved into a more flowing design that fits the FG's scalloped doors. Indicators are now positioned on the new mirror housings, and the units seen on front guards of the Melbourne show cars will be replaced by FPV badges.

Speaking of badges, there isn't a Blue Oval on any of the FPV variants. It was a personal project of Barrett to replace Ford badges with FPV logos, and one that Ford Australia (which owns 49 percent of FPV; Prodrive has the rest) weren't too keen on. Barrett and the design team researched other peripheral Ford brands, and found that Shelby had done exactly the same thing in the States with its Mustang.

"The badging is a departure for both companies: for us to go down the individuality route, and for Ford to allow that to happen. FPV is always going to be Ford Performance Vehicles whether it's got the Ford badge on it or the FPV badge. I compare it to our competitor which doesn't carry Holden badges, and Shelby doesn't carry Ford badges. You say it's a Shelby Mustang; there's not a Ford badge on that car."

The rear gets slots in the bumper extremities to mimic brake cooling outlets, while rear wings range from the F6's XR-sourced unit, to the GT-E's bootlid lip, through to the more extreme GT spoiler. The ute has a huge sign across the tailgate indicating whether it's in Pursuit or Super Pursuit trim.

Inside, there's been an effort to cocoon the driver in a cockpit environment, with FPV's extra gauges moved from the central binnacle to the instrument panel.

The engine start button remains, but is now on the centre console between the seats, and requires just one click of the ignition key to engage. Softer leathers have been embroidered with model-specific logos instead of a generic FPV badge, and a satin-alloy finish has been applied to specific interior panels.

ENGINEERING
The FPV range will get two engines, each with one state of tune. The 5.4-litre V8 slots into the GT, GT-P, luxury GT-E, Pursuit and Super Pursuit Utes, and the turbo six into the F6 and F6 Ute. The Force6 executive express has gone, effectively replaced by the new Falcon G6E Turbo.

Specific details on what FPV has done to the V8 and turbo six weren't available at time of writing, although Cook and Barrett are adamant there is more performance and more excitement. They say the GT has moved on, and the F6 - with the six-speed manual - is particular exciting.

The big story with the V8 was the search for revs. The long-stroke V8 hasn't been noted as a free revver, and although the 290kW hand-built engine that now goes into the XR8 is a bonus for Ford, FPV wanted to go further.

Cook hints at greater volumetric efficiency for improved breathing, so bigger valves and new cam profiles seem likely. There's also been work done on the crankcase and sump - the latter is a new unit to clear the FG's revised front end - with more complex baffling to improve the crank's path through the oil and reduce drag. There are also new pistons and conrods to handle the higher speeds of the reciprocating masses. Knock control is improved in the ECU, and the result is claimed improvements in both performance and fuel consumption. "It's the eye to detail, to increasing the overall efficiency of the engine as a whole," says Cook.

While the Falcon XR8 gets an active muffler with a valve that opens to give a two-tone exhaust note, it won't be found on any V8-powered FPV car. That's because GTs have a unique muffler set-up with twin boxes on the tail-pipe and the sound quality was found to be better than even the second-stage volume of the XR8's exhaust note.

"We worked hand-in-hand [with Ford] in developing [the active muffler system] for XR8, but the tones we were after were naturally in the exhaust system," says Cook.

FPV had already re-developed the turbo six for Ford with a new inlet manifold and some clever software improvements, including a form of launch control for manual transmission cars. As with the V8, reciprocating masses have been lowered for more eager response, but a new intake system has improved air flow from the turbo to the intercooler, reducing pressure drops across the intercooler, which itself is a larger unit to that in the XR6 or G6E. Knock-control calibration is more aggressive, and there is more boost control across the range of revs and throttle applications.

The team also had an entirely new suspension and steering set-up under the FG, which had to be fine-tuned for sportier handling without losing the ride quality. To that end, the BF II's 19-inch alloys have been retained, as has the tyre package, largely because the combination of grip and ride couldn't be bettered for the price.

Spring and damper work concentrated on tuning the suspension for new geometry and learning the characteristics of the new Sachs monotube dampers. The FG is also a little more nose-heavy than its predecessor, and more powerful as well, which required another degree of fine-tuning, particularly with the sharper steering of the FG platform.

FPV already had experience with stability control with its Territory-based F6X, but the rear-drive FG was a different proposition, and it was taken to both Sweden and New Zealand for winter testing in low-grip conditions. The aim was to have it step in at the right moment on the road, but not be too intrusive on the race track if owners chose to leave it switched on. Switched off, there's still a watchdog feature aimed at saving the day in the most dire of circumstances.

While Barrett and Cook say the more flexible V8 impressed staff who drove it as part of their in-house drive program, the F6 manual had more impact. Cook says employees came out of it grinning "like they'd been on some sort of party drug."

"Of all the cars we [made available] for people to drive, the F6 manual is what I would call the ultimate driver's car," says Barrett. "The F6 has just developed into such an amazing car to drive. It's lighter [than the GT], quicker and, dynamically, it's just phenomenal."

Images: Cristian Brunelli