FPV's seemingly endless rollout of its new FG Falcon-based lineup has finally culminated in the actual launch of the cars (how novel), which we've already touched upon. To that end, we'll keep this brief and turn you loose on the multiple new photo galleries now available (check out the rest after the jump). The FPV range encompasses both Falcon sedan and Ute bodystyles, and power comes from either the turbocharged F6 inline-six or the 5.4L Boss 315 V8. The six delivers 415 horsepower and a tire-humbling 416 lb-ft of torque. The eight's no slouch either, pumping out 422 horses (315 kW, hence the engine's name) and 406 lb-ft. A Tremec TR6060 6-speed stick is available across the full range of cars.
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It was the GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team that took first prize at the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge last year. Now the team will be sending its entrant, nicknamed "Boss," to the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the weekend of April 19 - 20. There, in front of cheering race fans, the autonomous vehicle will strut its stuff on the track and at speed against competitors "Junior" from Stanford, and "Ben" from the University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University.
It's a demonstration, not a race, so don't expect these vehicles to put up a fight against the ultra-fast Champ Cars (no worries - they won't be sharing the track at the same time). In all honesty, with running speeds estimated at about 15 mph, these four-wheelers will err on the slow side of caution if given the chance. Nobody can predict, however, how well the driverless vehicles will complete the 1.97-mile Grand Prix course, but we're willing to bet that the DARPA entrants hit fewer walls than the "stars" participating in Saturday's Celebrity Race.
Over the last three decades, there's been a common thread making Mercedes designs instantly recognizable and a lot of credit for that belongs to MBZ design boss Peter Pfeiffer. After forty years at Mercedes-Benz, and thirty years overseeing design, Pfeiffer is headed for retirement within the next 12 months. It was under Pfeiffer's pen that Mercedes turned out some of its most important cars. Vehicles like the 190, the W126 S-Class, original E-Class, and more recent work like the R, M, and G-class non-cars, to name a few. Gorden Wagener, president of Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design in North America is a name being bandied about as Pfeiffer's replacement, and Mercedes will be making an official announcement soon. After such a long stint under the same chief, it will be interesting to see whether Mercedes design changes, and if so, how those changes will be received by the public.
Despite how it might seem, all the action at the Melbourne motor show is not happening over at the Holden and HSV stands. Dearborn's Australian outpost put on its brass knuckles too and is teasing Melbourne showgoers with Ford Performance Vehcie's latest, greatest muscle. The arrival of the new FG Falcon means that a full lineup of FPV variants follows, and the new F6, GT and Super Pursuit ute are all on display. Like HSV, which hasn't announced power numbers for its W427, FPV is keeping the stats for its new machinery under wraps for now.
We're confident that the numbers will match the cars' gloriously extroverted looks. Colors out of a gumball machine, matte black accents, and stripe packages give the cars a vintage musclecar vibe. Big wheels, big brakes and all the requisite badges and bulges complete the look. The F6 (above) is particularly evil, with its black wheels, "eye black," and visible intercooler. The interiors of all the cars appear to be very well-detailed, with snazzy instrumentation, sharp looking accessories (look at the shift knob), and very inviting seats.
As with the higher-end standard FG Falcons, power comes from either a turbo inline-six or a beefy Boss V8. FPV takes those already-impressive engines and makes them even more imposing. We know we have the Mustang and its impressive Shelby-badged factory specials, but man, what we wouldn't give for some of this Aussie muscle. We'll be eagerly awaiting the official June launches.
It's a couple of years late to the party, but the all-new Ford FG Falcon is set to arrive in Australia later this year, when it'll match up with GM's Holden Commodore sedan and Ute offerings on the sales charts and at Aussie stop lights for years to come. Like the Holdens, the Falcons are rear-wheel-drive. The FG is all-new, with a more rigid architecture, new and/or upgraded powertrains, increased variety in terms of visual and interior options, and improvements in fuel economy as well. The factory performance wing, FPV, will also introduce a full range of FG-based sedans and Utes as well. We'll bring you more on the FPV cars when additional info and the all-important photos are released.
As for the standard FG Falcon offerings, the sedan will come in XT, G-Series, and XR trim levels, with the Ute joining it in base, R6, and XR Trims. As before, powerful inline six-cylinders (normally-aspirated and turbocharged) are joined by a range-topping V8 -- this time, it's the hand-built FPV-supplied 5.4L Boss 290. As impressive as the V8 is (388 hp / 383 lb-ft), however, the turbo six (362 hp / 393 lb-ft) makes a hell of a case for itself. An LPG-fueled E-Gas version of the I6 is also offered on the Falcon XT sedan and the XR6 Ute. Follow the jump for a quick-and-dirty rundown on the engines, as well as the overview press release sent out by Ford.
Steven Colbert has triumphantly returned to his nightly tirades after being off the air for over two months because of the Writer's Guild strike. The faux conservative commentator's comeback happened on Monday, but last night, Colbert weighed in on the General's announcement that it's developing a vehicle that takes those pesky driving duties away from the person behind the wheel. Colbert opines that The Boss might be the answer to his dreams of catching up on TIVOed Oprah episodes or sending a scathing email to the New York Times editorial department while barreling along at 80 mph. More importantly, Colbert questions that if a car can drive itself, why can't they develop a TV show that writes itself?
