FPV GT F: F is for final

Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) has announced it will release the GT F special edition later in the year priced at $77,990 plus on-road costs. The new F will commemorate the end of the high-performance sedan's production.

Ford is yet to release a picture of the car. Power output and images of the car will be released in three weeks, Ford spokesperson Neil McDonald told motoring.com.au. The former is widely tipped to be 351kW.

FPV will also sell 120 Pursuit Utes alongside the GT F, priced at $52,990 before on-road costs.

Ford claims FPV's engineering and design team agreed that the 'F' to was a "fitting way to mark the cars' 'Final' designation".

Just 550 of the limited edition models will be built: 500 for Australia, 50 for New Zealand.

Although FPV has released only a few mechanical details of the car, the GT F should be the best-performing FPV yet. The suspension for example will be taken from the FPV GT RSPEC model including that car’s wider rear wheels.

Expected to go on sale in August 2014, the new GT F essentially sounds the death knell for a rebirth of Ford’s venerable GTHO model designation.

The mooted 351kW output would be a healthy lift on the current 335kW/570Nm supercharged V8s FPV features. Torque output could rise to 600Nm, though both outputs are still a long way off HSV's supercharged GTS, which pumps out 430/740Nm.

Pursuit Ute models will get a 315kW/545Nm version of the Boss V8.

President and CEO of Ford Australia, Bob Graziano said the GT F will be a fitting bookend for FPV.

"The entire team has worked tirelessly to develop a GT that will forever pay homage to the FPV brand and celebrate its iconic status among enthusiasts," said Graziano.

"Developing this FPV sedan and ute has been a project of passion, a combined effort by many dedicated and passionate Ford engineering staff and suppliers to produce a model that celebrates the FPV brand for our customers and fans," he said.

The FPV GT F's chassis will be underpinned by the suspension setup from the GT RSPEC, which is said to deliver "racetrack-inspired handling and better traction".

Six-piston Brembo front brakes will do the stopping and an automatic launch control feature regulates torque output "to ensure launch performance is optimised" says FPV.

In terms of design, we can expect something a little different, as Ford Australia's design team has been involved with the new look. Led by Nick Eterovic, Ford Australia design manager, the GT F will pay homage to fast Falcons throughout history.

"We knew we had to celebrate an icon so some of the visual design cues can trace their heritage back to the Ford GTs of the 1970s," said Eterovic.

"There is a true sense of history and celebration with this car but we wanted to make sure that we retained the most exciting elements of the current FPV range, while modernising the design and adding fresh elements to the GT F," he explained.

The FPV GT F will be offered in five colours: Silhouette (black), Octane (orange), Smoke (dark grey), Kinetic (blue) and Winter White. Some will be offered with optional stripe colours. The blue GT F can be optioned with white stripes for instance, and Silhouette with gold ones.

Inside, the GT F will feature a higher level of luxury and specification than before, with premium stitching and new embroidery on the partial leather sports seats, along with the higher-quality finishes and premium fittings such as the stereo and gear knob from the GT P.

"The GT F is a celebration of the GT and of Ford’s history in Australia and our dedicated team have made sure this vehicle can stand proudly beside any GT products of the past – and any Ford performance vehicles in future," said Ford boss Graziano.