IS FPV eclipsing HSV? Buyers of high-performance European sedans as well as the Bathurst V8 brigade are now also on the faster-Ford radar with new additions like the turbocharged F6 Typhoon. The revised BF range runs more than skin deep and is headlined by an automatic gearbox like the one found in BMW’s 7 Series, while the GT-P adds a brake package normally reserved for Mercedes-Benz models sporting the AMG logo. Whatever the spin may be, there is now compelling evidence that Ford offers the most capable Australian sports sedans ever. ‘Bang For Your Bucks’ just doesn’t do justice to the sophistication or refinement of the FPV BF cars.
FPV BA MkII range
Released: October 2004
Ended: October 2005
Family Tree: GTFrying clutch packs may have placed a pall over the early turbo F6 (the star of the near-invisible facelift that marked BAII from BA), but FPV did respond rapidly with adequate effort and humility, and there was no denying that for many, even in BA six-speed manual mode, the first Typhoon ranked above the aggressive GT V8 models for out and out performance and beastly pleasure. The former’s 270kW/550Nm 4.0-litre DOHC straight six turbo packed a heart-palpitating mid-range punch, while the latter’s locally fettled Boss 290 290kW/520Nm 5.4-litre 32-valve V8 brought back the glories (and sales) reserved for pre-XA Falcon GTs. Utes in F6 Tornado and V8 Pursuit outfits offered the blast but not the dynamic class of their independently suspended siblings.
Super Test
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