Car Moon

Not to be outdone by rival Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) unleashed its first-ever concept car at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne.

Unlike HSV and its Black Edition Clubsport and Maloo R8s, FPV went for an all-blacked out look for its bespoke GT muscle car, which is based on the local market, rear-wheel drive Falcon sedan.

The thundering sounds of Australia’s V8-powered racecars will soon be heard in the U.S.A. as Texas Governor Rick Perry and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, announced today a five-year agreement to bring the famed Australian V8 Supercar series to the new Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas beginning in 2013.

"The addition of V8 Supercars into our lineup at Circuit of The Americas will add to what we already know will be a rich and exhilarating fan experience," said Steve Sexton, President of Circuit of The Americas.

In Australia and New Zealand, “hooning” is a term applied to any anti-social and often dangerous behavior behind the wheel of a car. Burnouts, car surfing and illegal street racing all fall under this rather broad definition. And it’s an ever-growing problem. Each year there are more reports like, “Hoons kill innocent driver in Dandenong, say police” and, “Man killed in Burwood Highway 'hoon' crash.”

So it’s obvious that cracking down on hooning is very important to the governments of both nations. Here we have two adverts, one from Oz and one from Kiwiland, that use tactics both old and new to get their message across. The Aussie one plays on that, “If you hoon, you’ll lose your car” message while the NZ one plays on the, “If you hoon, you’ll lose your life” vibe. Who knew that New Zealand’s roads were covered with hidden landmines?

Ford Motor Corp.'s Australian division has released a teaser illustration of its new-look 2011 Territory, some six months ahead of the crossover's market launch. The current Territory is based on the underpinnings of the local market Falcon sedan and was first introduced in Australia in 2004 having received some subtle updates throughout its production life.

It is believed that the 2011 Territory will continue to make use of current model's platform adding fresh styling inside and out, plus a number of technology highlights, including the introduction of turbo-diesel power.

This year's Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, which runs October 15 -24, will see Ford taking the wraps off an all-new generation of its Ranger compact pickup truck. The new Ranger will be joined by Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) first-ever supercharged V8 Falcons, and the Aussie debuts of the current Focus RS and Fiesta Sedan.

The Ford vs. GM war continues to rage in a theater of Kangaroo meat and toilets that flush counter-clockwise. In order to give Holden (aka GM) a kick in the Down Under, Ford Australia recently dropped a load of forced induction all over its delectable Falcon GT. Unfortunately there are no cosmetic updates because all the money was spent on the engine. Rock and roll.

Ford Performance Vehicles, owned by Ford Australia and Prodrive, fell over itself to find a suitably-powered replacement for its retiring 5.4-liter.

After musing about the possibilities of twin-turbos, they decided to add a supercharger to the 5.0 instead; with it come improved cooling/fuel delivery, an active exhaust, and all the other tidbits necessary to make the car production-ready without grenading itself all over the asphalt.

In an ominous sign for the rest of the Falcon range, Ford Australia announced that the Falcon Wagon will be axed in June. Ironically, the announcement comes a few months before the company celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Australian Falcon that was launched onto the market in June of 1960.

Named after the original Aussie model from the late 1960s, the Falcon GS sedan and ute models are the new entry-level products of Ford Performance Vehicles, otherwise known as FPV. Available in limited numbers, the new FPV GS is the budget series of the Falcon GT with both the sedan and ute being powered by a detuned version of the 5.4-liter V8 engine that now produces an output of 405HP (302kW) instead of 423HP (315kW). Peak torque remains the same at 551Nm or 406 lb-ft.

The first application of Ford's new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine in a rear-wheel drive vehicle will be on the Australian market Falcon sedan, the U.S.-based automaker announced today. The new powerplant that uses petrol turbocharged direct-injection technology will be available in Australia from 2011. According to the Ford, the new EcoBoost four-pot will "deliver the power and refinement of a six-cylinder" but with 15-20 percent better fuel economy than the firm's 4.0-liter straight-six engine.

Being somewhat of die-cast model collectors ourselves, we couldn't bypass the chance to tell you about this giga-sized, 1/8th scale replica of the 1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III from 'Icon Models' that will be produced in a limited run of 1,000 units each priced at a hefty $1,295 AUD - that's about €700 or US$925. For non-Australian readers, the GTHO Phase II Falcon is one of the most iconic muscle cars from the land 'Down Under' reputed at its time to be the fastest production saloon in the world.

In celebration of its 5th birthday, Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) revealed a limited edition version of its FG Falcon based sports sedan at the at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. Claimed to offer over $9,600 AU worth of additional features for a premium of $5,300 over the retail price of an FPV GT sedan, the FVP 5th Anniversary model gets a series of goodies like 19-inch alloys, a 6-piston Brembo brake package, unique decals, badges, stripping and sports seats finished in Nudo Leather. -Continued

The FPV 5th Anniversary will be available in two colors, Lightning Strike or Silhouette with prices set at $71,890 AU and production limited to 200 examples.