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Thread: GT 40 returns with anniversary Falcon

  1. #1
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    GT 40 returns with anniversary Falcon



    http://editorial.carsales.com.au/car...w/2398363.aspx

    FPV's 40th Anniversary GT and R-Spec Handling Package (March 2007)


    Words - Joe Kenwright



    FPV's star Melbourne Motor Show exhibit is a limited edition version of the FPV GT to celebrate 40 years of the original Falcon GT

    FPV is also using the special model to launch a new R-Spec handling package that will soon become available across the GT and F6 sedan range.

    The FPV GT 40th Anniversary's sole colour scheme is a reverse of the original XR Falcon GT's gold with black stripes. It features a Silhouette Black exterior with a gold over-body stripe kit that also draws inspiration from the wild Cobra Hardtop launched in 1978.

    The special model will feature the R-Spec handling package as standard and will be available as a six-speed auto and manual at $65,110. Although the build of 200 is somewhat higher than anticipated, FPV advises that buyers will need to be quick when at least 25 are already spoken for.

    The GT 40th Anniversary starts as a GT but features distinctive gold striping with 40th Anniversary cutouts that on first glance read as GT 40 with the "th" concealed in the zero. The stripes on the original Falcon GT were inspired by Ford's Le Mans winning GT40.

    There are extra accents on the side skirt flutes and rear spoiler pillars and a distinctive red bootlid badge which highlight the addition of the R-Spec package. The latest GT-P 19-inch alloy wheel design with gloss black accents is specified.

    The standard GT seats with a combination of leather and suede finish trim feature an embroidered GT logo. FPV floor mats feature the 40th Anniversary graphic.

    According to Prodrive Managing Director Bryan Mears, a revived Super Roo theme which was to appear on this commemorative model has been held over for a future model.

    As an astute shuffling of existing components to promote the new R-Spec handling option, the limited edition model works well. Whether FPV buyers consider it goes far enough to join significant past GT models in Australia's most hallowed performance hall of fame remains to be seen.

    FPV R-Spec Handling Package
    Of all recent local muscle cars, FPV's current suspension tune is the most comfort-oriented. FPV has developed a handling package for drivers prepared to leave some of the comfort zone behind and shave a significant amount from their club lap times. Testing at Winton Raceway involving race driver John Bowe suggests that the new R-Spec suspension is worth up to three seconds a lap.

    Although similar in concept to HSV's DTS (Dealer Team Spec) based on the last of the Z-Series Club Sport models, FPV has taken a different approach when the DTS was expensive and had a very low take-up rate.

    Racing tyres and competition springs were dismissed early in the R-Spec program when replacement cost and compromises in everyday usage were regarded as too high. FPV instead undertook an intensive damper development program with its supplier, Delphi.

    After Delphi reduced lag within the dampers and increased valve response then fine tuned the pistons and valves within each damper to Prodrive specifications, R-Spec delivers a suspension tune "that offers a significant improvement in diagonal pitch, provides a much more even footprint in power-on situations and with a much sharper turn-in response" according to FPV.

    Prodrive Chassis Engineering Manager Peter Ford is candid on its impact on ride comfort: "Critically, we have maintained an impressive level of ride comfort. While the R-Spec package picks up more road irregularities, we have maintained the supple ride that has earned FPV cars an enviable ride and handling reputation."

    John Bowe notes a further benefit: "The difference the package makes to steering feel, creating a far more instantaneous response with added weight and feel."

    For automatic R-Spec models, FPV has added a higher capacity oil cooler to counter the more extreme conditions and temperatures experienced on race tracks.

    Launched as standard on the 40th Annversary GT, the R-Spec will be offered as an option across the F6 and GT sedan range soon.
    I am the Stig

  2. #2
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    Oh that was a special special vehicle? Didn't look much different to me. Lighting on the stand was terrible too.

  3. #3
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    I'll snap some pics for you JD up and close
    "Just a matter of time i suppose"

    "The elevator is broke, So why don't you test it out"

    "I'm not trapped in here with all of you, Your all trapped in here with me"

  4. #4
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    Hell yeah, go the stickers..and more stripes. Not too unique to me to be honest.
    House said the perfect woman was a man...now im all confused!!

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  5. #5
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    That bonnet is looking very busy - they shouldn't have put the Boss decals on...along with the stripes, they make the whole thing look overdone and amateurish. Other than that, it looks good, if very similar to the regular GT.

    Should be interesting to see how an R-Spec F6 Typhoon does come Motor PCOTY time, seeing as JB says the new bits are worth 3 seconds a lap around Winton.

    One question - do the premium brakes (6-piston front/4-piston rear calipers) come standard on the R-Spec package??
    Last edited by Monty_Burns; 03-03-2007 at 06:45 PM.
    I am a New Zealander, and I hate Greg Murphy. Yes, we exist.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Monty_Burns View Post

    Should be interesting to see how an R-Spec F6 Typhoon does come Motor PCOTY time, seeing as JB says the new bits are worth 3 seconds a lap around Winton.
    Knowing our "luck", they'll do something to send the car into limp mode, or they'll pick the auto and have the new oil cooler fail or something.
    I am the Stig

  7. #7
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    Ford Falcons are sick. If they sold them here, I'd buy it in the drop of a hat.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by fpv_gtho View Post
    Knowing our "luck", they'll do something to send the car into limp mode, or they'll pick the auto and have the new oil cooler fail or something.
    and they dive all over that too....funny thing is whenever they got a holden and the power stear blew up they said it was great till that happened.

    Funny thing is the ves falling to bits and their saying how good it is and they keep mentioned its quality in the same sentance as bmw i aint no bemmer fan but i never had a bmw fall aprart like this.

    Just take them as rough guidelines look at it drive it make your own decision. I decide this is an improvment and while its quite a lame one and its very overdue its still a good one.
    Lifts heavy things and hits hard......also eats as much as 2/3 people and sleeps 10 hours a day!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Falcon500 View Post
    Funny thing is the ves falling to bits and their saying how good it is and they keep mentioned its quality in the same sentance as bmw i aint no bemmer fan but i never had a bmw fall aprart like this.
    The BMW comparisons come from the driving experience, not the build quality.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 2ndclasscitizen View Post
    The BMW comparisons come from the driving experience, not the build quality.
    their refering to the whole package in general other wise they wouldent mention it every 3rd sentace.

    The VE is a much sharper tool then past models but its hardly bmw quality in all areas like some of the automotive drivel magazines (cough wheels) keep refering too. And in many ways this is a good thing id be most disgusted with holden if they gave any of their models the detached floaty feel i got from alot of more bland BMWs.

    Personally I think its a stupid thing to compare a holden or any car built for are roads too they keep compareing our cars to euro cars which I think is a no contest Im alot more versatile then i used to be and I like alot of euro and jap cars but still are cars are NOT and I think a majority will agree with me would want them to be european cars. rate them for their values not what values you wish on them.
    Lifts heavy things and hits hard......also eats as much as 2/3 people and sleeps 10 hours a day!

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Falcon500 View Post
    Funny thing is the ves falling to bits
    What do you mean falling to bits?? Falling to bits as in it has problems or tounge in check falling to bits .
    "Just a matter of time i suppose"

    "The elevator is broke, So why don't you test it out"

    "I'm not trapped in here with all of you, Your all trapped in here with me"

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by SlickHolden View Post
    What do you mean falling to bits?? Falling to bits as in it has problems or tounge in check falling to bits .
    Bit of both

    Some seat problems I though stopped when dastun fixed them in the mid 60s (the seats are still falling flat when you go over speed humps) and other niggling little things.

    There the usualy array of new car problems and then there some problems that are badand shouldent of happened at all! which is a real shame because I quite like this car. Soem people in the industry are going as far to say the car like the VN and VT before it is a lemon which I think is going a bit overboard.
    Lifts heavy things and hits hard......also eats as much as 2/3 people and sleeps 10 hours a day!

  13. #13
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    I never had any seat problems at all and i hit the od bump.
    Only couple of problems i found were going flat stick in sport shift mod trying to select up gears was delayed to the point it took 2 shots at it.
    And the other was in the trip readout i have herd of some type of software issue that well need to be updated in the first serves it reads some type of warning like mine said ESP off ESP on and another was check engine.

    I would go as far to say the VN is close to a lemon only because it was half done and they then spent Series 2 and the VP series making what it should have been. Not sure on the VT only because i know a few people that have the first VT's and they are only starting to feel some issues with them like silly little things thermo fan sticking on some little switches that cost $250 to replace
    "Just a matter of time i suppose"

    "The elevator is broke, So why don't you test it out"

    "I'm not trapped in here with all of you, Your all trapped in here with me"

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by SlickHolden View Post
    I never had any seat problems at all and i hit the od bump.
    Only couple of problems i found were going flat stick in sport shift mod trying to select up gears was delayed to the point it took 2 shots at it.
    And the other was in the trip readout i have herd of some type of software issue that well need to be updated in the first serves it reads some type of warning like mine said ESP off ESP on and another was check engine.

    I would go as far to say the VN is close to a lemon only because it was half done and they then spent Series 2 and the VP series making what it should have been. Not sure on the VT only because i know a few people that have the first VT's and they are only starting to feel some issues with them like silly little things thermo fan sticking on some little switches that cost $250 to replace

    Yeah the gearboxes are weird in them either the hunt for gears excessivly or their reluctant to shift this problem is only apprent in the 4 speeder the 5 and 6 are alot better behaved.

    Some of those electical problems can send the car to limp home mode which is not what you need along the highway on a frosty morning and lets not mention other prbolems that can arise from electrical faults. And a large ammont of the interior falls aprat like lego and while this alls happening the seat brakes and your stuck stareing at the roof

    But anyways you have your good and your bad not ALL VNs where bad just most (its not liek the EA was much better) But VTs where rubbish in general as bad as the VN was electrics frying on them an engine that was 20 years out of date when they started useing it dated near everything and problems galore it took them till the vx to fix it (incidently the best of that model imo cleanest looking no problems unlike vy-z after it) But the early VTs problems showed some massive holes in holden quality control.

    Ive heard stories of rebuilds on holdens and in one extreme case this v8 engine (304) had 4 diffrent sized pistons rangeing from std-40 thou over. EVeryone makes mistakes but the worst ive seen is with holden lol. All cars face problems you take the good with the bad only car we mentioned so far i wouldent own is a VN (i dont like the ghetto image ) in general they are all fine cars and will give you many happy motoring years
    Lifts heavy things and hits hard......also eats as much as 2/3 people and sleeps 10 hours a day!

  15. #15
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    I had the Calais that's why i was shocked with it's manual shifting playing up.. I joked on here at the time saying i know what the max speed in a VE Calais is in 1st gear Because it didn't change up.. But in sports mode in Auto it was very nice.
    I also pulled the top of the handbrake off looks like someone broke it and stuck it back down.
    But other then that we had no issues at all with the car and we got back from the trip of over 1200km and i went and grabbed my brother and his mate and we found a private road and tested some of the new saftey fetures They work great.
    But if anything was wrong with the seat in this VE i would have broke it for sure lol.

    Maybe you know more of holden issues from working at holden, I know of many cars one more recent is my brothers BA Fairmont which for the life of him he can't fall in love with, He just want's to part with it but can't afford a XR6T or Typhoon, So for now he is stuck with it. He bought it with under 40,000km and it's not ran 82,000km... He's got that many issues with it he finds it hard to say a good word about it.. He has already been back to ford for the normal problems like Rotors, power steering flush, But the Transmission is now slipping and taking 10 seconds to engage into gear and banging in hard when it does, The rear is making this moaning sound that sounds like metal grinding. And the steering problems are back with a vibration and a moan when you turn the wheel sitting still 3 times worse then when you go full lock.. And the pulleys are screaming he called ford and they told him to ad some dishwahing liquid to it run it and that should loosen it up from screaming for the first 10 min of driving i think that did work.. The auto lights are getting stuck on for min rather then seconds he waits till they turn off and ends up turning them off himself..

    And speaking of VN's a friend bought one for $6000 about 5-6 years ago it in the first 3 weeks was at the dealers more then home, You name the issue it had it, I drove it once and didn't again it was scary brakes shit steering vibrations suspension floating dash not working give it a hit up she comes lights on and off it was a lemon she sold it.. I would have burned it.

    Another guy my brother knows bought a brand new VY SS when first released iin the first month he done all the bushes in the rear end.

    The other night i was thinking i had electrical problems, Come out of the shopping centre open the car and got in stuck the key in and turned the key and it all went dead with a boof sound not to loud, I was thinking the ****er has blown the electrics are dead.. It was the lead on the battery i got to be careful with that.
    "Just a matter of time i suppose"

    "The elevator is broke, So why don't you test it out"

    "I'm not trapped in here with all of you, Your all trapped in here with me"

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