FPV GT Cobra 2007 Review

Even an intellect the size of Paris Hilton's toy dog would acknowledge that the FPV GT Cobra you see here, and a Ford Falcon XC Cobra Hardtop from almost 30 years ago, have nothing in common. Not in terms of hardware, anyway. Badges, blue stripes and a misty-eyed nod towards Bathurst victories, maybe. But engines, suspension, brakes, steering and any number of electronic systems? Absolutely not.

The current Falcon GT is a product of CAD/CAM manufacturing, calibration of drive-by-wire throttle mapping, compliance with Euro 3 emissions legislation, ADR 69 crash-test approval, and many other things never even heard of in 1978. It has ABS, independent rear suspension and a complex six-speed automatic built in Germany. It's obviously a thoroughly sophisticated 21st-century car in the way that a carburettored, pushrod-engined, leaf-sprung lump from the time of Saturday Night Fever never was. Hell, 'software' back then was probably a pair of white underpants with blue stripes on the elastic.

So why, every time I prod the throttle even halfway seriously in an attempt to launch the four-door Cobra down the drag strip, do its low-profile Dunlops dissolve in a cloud of smoke? The V8 bellows and the tacho needle chases its redline, yet there's not much in the way of forward progress. Just a sideways slew as the madly spinning rear tyres follow the camber towards the edge of the road. Yes, the traction control is turned off (as it must be to achieve the best acceleration times) but it's clear that no amount of technology can hide what the Cobra GT really is: a brutally powerful, rear-drive V8 sedan. And that's exactly what links it to the '70s.

Now, the cynical among us might think that reviving the Cobra badges and blue stripes is merely a marketing ploy aimed at flogging a few more BF Falcons late in its model cycle, before a new body style arrives next year. It wouldn't be without precedent: cynics said the same thing about the appearance of the XC Cobra Hardtop in 1978, a year or so before the XD arrived.

Missed, however, would be the fact this latest Cobra is about more than just badges. The 1978 Falcon coupe was, as far as I can make out, largely a marketing exercise: it didn't have any juicy extra hardware to make it go any faster than any other V8 Falcon.

Instead of the 'standard' Falcon GT's 290kW, the Cobra puts out 302kW. The number is evocative in itself, being not only the same amount of cubic inches in the XC's 4.9-litre engine, but exactly twice its power output as well. Significantly, this Boss 302 will now be standard fitment to all V8 FPV products, not just the limited-edition Cobra.

The small leap to 302kW for the modern 5.4-litre, 32-valve 'Boss' V8 has been achieved partly through the time-honoured tradition of getting more air into the engine, and exhaust gasses out quicker. The intention, according to FPV programs manager Paul Cook, was to increase peak power and torque in the mid-to-upper rev range, so a new cam profile has been fitted that increases valve lift and duration, and fabricated stainless-steel exhaust headers flow into a dual exhaust system. Just as importantly, though, new pistons have lifted the compression ratio from 10.5 to 10.8:1, which has not only increased combustion efficiency, but means the GT Cobra needs 98 octane unleaded for the full effects to be realised.

The result is 302kW at 6000rpm, and 540Nm at 4750rpm. Not only are both outputs up compared with the Boss 290 (power by 12kW, and torque by 20Nm) but so are the revs at which they're produced, by 500rpm and 250rpm respectively. It's pretty clear, in other words, that the aim has been to get maximum figures from the V8 (while respecting emissions and drive-by noise regulations, of course) without giving too much lip-service to mid-range pulling power.

The same uncompromising approach has resulted in the so-called 'R Spec' suspension, which is the other main mechanical upgrade to the Cobra version of the GT. The package was developed in conjunction with Delphi, supplier of FPV's dampers, and centred around re-tuning the twin-tube units to give each tube a more even share of compression and rebound forces. The goal was for quicker damping response to improve the GT's steering reaction and resulting turn-in, as well as reducing diagonal pitching so it would work better on the race track, but without ruining the ride quality. The R Spec suspension package was developed for the 200 limited-edition 40th Anniversary FPV GTs sold earlier this year.

The blue stripes, Cobra badges, some white paint on the wheels, snake-ish motifs embroidered on the seats and a limited-edition plaque on the centre console complete the changes. A run of 400 will be built, and sold for the entirely reasonable price of $65,110 apiece, $2900 more than a regular GT.

We were given early access to the Cobra sedan at Ford's You Yangs proving ground near Geelong, which is what led to me frying those 245/35ZR19 Dunlops in the quest for some acceleration times to see how the latest chapter in Falcon V8 history stacks up.

Without putting too fine a point on it, the results were disappointing. The fact is that in the prevailing conditions, the Boss 302 didn't quite match what we've achieved in a Boss 290 GT. This six-speed automatic Cobra managed to hit 100km/h in 6.4sec, on its way to a 14.5sec standing 400 metres. That's only a tenth or two slower in each instance, but slower nonetheless.

What the numbers don't reveal is the new-found free-revving spirit of the 5.4-litre V8, and its urge to compel the driver on towards the upper ranges of the tacho. In the past, this long-stroke V8 has been a bit of a slogger, despite the number of valves and cams. Now, the extra valve lift and faster-departing exhaust gasses means it sings towards 6000rpm without difficulty and sounds pretty wonderful on the way.

The six-speed ZF auto helps by offering a ratio for every need or circumstance, and not dropping too many revs between shifts. It's also smooth, whether on up-shifts or kickdown, and uncannily able to predict whether the driver wants to lope along in a higher ratio, or hold a lower gear despite lifting the throttle for a corner when pushing on. It works brilliantly with the free-spinning nature of the engine, and amounts to a drivetrain that's more BMW or Audi than traditional big-cube Australian.

Even without actually having driven the GT Cobra on public roads, the handling balance seems to be particularly sweet. Understeer has been pretty well dialled out in fast sweepers, but a touch of oversteer is always on call from the driver's right foot.

Falcon steering has been a delicious thing at speed ever since the arrival of the BA, and the combination of stiff rubber and the R Spec damper tuning seems to have paid off: not only does the GT Cobra turn in nicely, it sits solidly and holds its line through quicker stuff, all the time letting the drive know what the front end is up to.

Ride quality? The smooth, somewhat wavy surface of Ford's own handling track wasn't the best place to make a final judgement, but an early call would be of surprising compliance with ample body control.

What it all adds up to is a Falcon that might still be a long way from matching HSV when it comes to straight line numbers despite the increase in power figures, but is probably closer than you'd think in terms of driveability.

Of course, any verdict along those lines will have to wait for a comparo, but the GT Cobra does perform extremely well when it comes to drivetrain refinement, nicely balanced handling and possibly ride quality.

But the best news is there's also a hefty dose of mongrel V8 attitude lurking behind those retro stickers and badges, and that's what we've really been looking for.

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