FPV ‘Orion’ Typhoon Rumours

jbot

It is a bit dissapointing they can’t get more than 302kW for the GT. I thought they would get a bit more out if it. However its good to see that the ‘Phoon won’t be held back to allow the GT to remain the most powerful in the Falcon range.

Tonyn

as a diehard ford fan… it must be said… is ford abandoning the v8 again, in my opinion the GT should be the hero car, not the typhoon, it is iconic and is deserving of the mantlepiece…. i hope they do something special…. with both the GT and the GTP… as well as the typhoon….

Reckless1

“will scare the hell out of HSV owners” haha – why?

HSV owners buy their HSV because they are not Ford fans, and Ford fans buy FPV vehicles because they are not Holden fans.

Makes the statement sound as ridiculous as it is.

How many cars has HSV sold compared to FPV?

jbot

I like the idea of the GT being the hero car, but unless they can get some serious power out of it, the turbo models shouldn’t suffer because of it. I was hoping to see a GT with at least 320kW. From the early rumours it was looking very promising that this would happen. Let’s hope Ford have a few suprises for us when the Falcon is released.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ alborz

Jbot, sorry there was a misunderstanding in that post, the 302kW is for the future built, current model GTs.. the new Orion GT will beat that … easy

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ alborz

Sorry guys misinterpretation of our info, the GT was actually the 320kW one, the Phoon is going to be around 300kw.

Adam [aka Mada]

Ford doesn’t have an American V8 bigger than 5.4 to pinch like HSV does, come 2009-10 Ford US will have a new 6.2 V8 thats when we should see bigger V8s for our falcons.
Alborz is right, apprently 320KW will be the power level for all orion FPV V8s.
I must say that inline turbo 6 certainly has balls, 300KW!

jbot

Thanks for clearing that up Alborz. You got me very excited when I saw 320kW for the Typhoon!

http://. Colonel Klink

Jbot… mate a new V8 costs a heap bit, sure you can afford it and handle it?

jbot

Why do you say that Klink? I’m not in the market for one of these atm, but that doesn’t mean I can’t comment on the post. You often post on Lambo/Rolls Royce, etc posts, when you and I both know you would never be able to afford one… Get over yourself.

Tony M

What is it with capacity and kilowatts. The bigger the motor the more kilowatts; WRONG.
Direct injection, multi-valve heads, high compression, hemi heads, performance based computer management systems, the list goes on.
If you get a chance research the all aluminium 4.6 Ford V8 with supercharger, now thats grunt in a small package.

Bavarian Missile

Yep Tony said the same thing myself earlier today on another post.Cubes aren’t everything. Its how much horsepower you can extract per cube that counts.

Similar to guys comparing appendiges I guess ,its not the size that counts but what sort of performance you can get out of it for the size.hahaha Thats how you impress !

Bavarian Missile

Sorry Reckless have to disagree with FPV fans buy FPV and HSV buy HSV. Many have jumped ship on either side for one reason or another.People annalise what package is best bang for their buck or what suits their needs,some don’t care what badge is on the bonnet!

Barrett clearly wants to be taken seriously he has made that clear before ,I would take this as a promises not a threat ,that Barrett is coming after HSV and WILL win as he unlike some others before ,he is VERY passionate about the GT heritage and FPV following .He wants to be renowned in years to come as being the head of FPV that made the phase 5 a reality . I would think HSV are not sitting on their laurels with this guy in charge of FPV.

Me.

Well thats good the GT will be 320kw ALSO the update about the Orion and I hope FPV are working on a car to take on the 7.0L CSV (Chev Special V) GTS-R-ubbish.

Me.

‘Reckless1′, this car will make car testers like the speed over the CSV. SORRY, I MEAN HSV!! Also This will make Holdent fans fall powerless to make fun of Ford fans.

Andrew M

dead right guys about getting more power out of same cubes.

i love the way that ford has revised the 5.4 litre for the cobra to get more power rather than “lets go shopping” like holden does. and it will be a further revision to get it to 320kw for next year. yep all of the sudden they have picked up an extra 30kws from actually listening to the motor and refineing it.

give me a smarter V8 anyday. so 6.0L and how many kws? oh and cant get any more than 307kws out of it? SO LETS GO SHOPPING!!!!!!!

Chopstar87

a 300kw typhoon… i would say it would have to do under 5sec to 100 cosindering the 270kw does 5.3 to hundred… plus the handling should be better as well…. this car would be hard to stop i would think…. i would say in 30yrs time the typhoon will be look at the same way the GT is now and will always been looked at….

i cant wait to the GTHO… i heard the rumour of a V10 in the HO….maybe the engine from the GR1 concept!!!!

if ford wanted to get there bigger brother ford america to help like GMH…. bring on the 400Kw Shelby gt500KR engine….. or super snake engine….all 522Kws!!!

my Spam word was Ford!!! lol!!!

Bavarian Missile

HAhahaaha lets go …….shoppingggggggggg.

Chopstar…..think about it if the rumour is true about 6 sec faster around the track this thing is going to nail in performance ,stopping and handling,bring it on HSV!

The V10 yep heard the same thing!

Chopstar87

remember all that power… 373kw, 400kw and 522kw that the top mustangs put out are from a 5.4litre v8 just like ford australia engine!!!! lol!!!

Me.

I can’t get over how smart the 5.4 is, the most powerfull V8 made in Australia. Then Over at Holdenwoo all they can do is put giant chev engines in them.

“What do I think of The Orion FPV?” Not enough speed, needs to be a 10 sec run (stock)!! 0-100km in less than 4.5 sec. Hope so because Holdenwoo are planing to put the 6.2L LSIII motor in the sh-t after the 6.0L and a 7.0L.

Chopstar87

Remember ford will have 5.8 litre and a 6.2 litre V8 by next year… and they will be ready for Oz use in 2010…. also remember 5litre Jag engines will be here in 2010 as well!!! so dont be to worried people… and dont forget V10 GTHO pharse V

Me.

Hey caradvice!! Are you going to where the F6 is been tested and take photos?

As Ford gets more powerfull, Holden and CSV will have no where to go and get beaten. They can’t use the 7.0L for mass production because It’s to big and thursty, not to mention a shoe horn job to put in the car.

Bavarian Missile

Hey ME, I wouldn’t be suprised ,Caradvice seem to be everywhere taking photos of this new Orion!

Me.

Great, I can’t sleep untill I see then. Oh maybe not.
I bet it will look diffrent to the other Falcon spy shots.

Frosty

The 5.4 ltr V8 is NOT a Australian made motor. Fords motors are made in Geelong and they do NOT make the V8 there and only the I6. How do I know this? My cousin works at the factory. So stop spinning shit ME

Bavarian Missile

Every heard of FPV !!!!!!!!!!!You tool! What are you 12?

Bavarian Missile

HEY ME>>>>>>>>>>>>> Is Frosty our mate NIK?

Andrew M

ah frosty maybe they dont make the V8s on the I6 assembly line because….well it an I6 assembly line

Bavarian Missile

fyi Frosty……..FPV assemble FPV engines not Ford !AH DER!

Bavarian Missile

Andrew check your email……………

Re Frosty…..I obviously need to eat tonight and have a drink,I am turning into a b#!*h. Fasting sucks! But I dont tolerate idiots well…….sorry!

Me.

Frosty, stop acting like a F*** head because you’re doing a good job!!

The Ford Boss V8 used in FPV & Falcons is made in Australia, just because its not made Geelong. Its made somewhere other than Geelong. Maybe you should Stop spinning sh*t Frosty!!

Me.

Frosty, you sound like a 14 year old Holdenwoo fan I know That says lies like that.

Reaserch The Boss used in the Falcons. There maybe a simlar V8 used in the Shelby GT-500 Mustangs, but the ones used in the Falcon, FPV is not made overseas like Holdenwoo’s V8s. Just Because the the Boss V8 used in the Falcons is not made with the stright six engines does NOT mean the its not made In this Contry.

Next time Frosty, don’t try to get us what you think thats in your dreams is real, don’t take your dreams too serious.

Bavarian Missile

I think FPV build their engines in Canterbury NSW? Anyone know different?

Me.

I can’t get over a noth’a arsehole, just like NIK again wishing his anti-Ford dreams come to life and wants me to think that bull**** is real!!

Now I know of 4 people that take their anti-Ford dreams seriously!!!!!

Me.

Finnished looking up Wikipeadia Frosty?

Bavarian Missile

HONK IF YOUR BROWN

gigantore

there have been rumors going around stating that when ford brings out the v6 that there will be a twin turbo on its way that will produce 309kw wich is stupid becuase most ppl who know about the turbos ford uses is bilt for 700hp so y dosnt ford just destroy holden once and for all and bring out a 700hp typhoon and hay y not strap a turbo to the v8s and give holden a run for its money

Me.

What do you mean brown? dark skin, or the whole person is Sh*t brown like Frosty(aka)Nik?

Bavarian Missile

Sorry Im to intelligent to say something that stupid…….but Frosty would! Hate it when that happens!

Come on frosty own up!

http://Toyota Blue Blood

What the new Falcon lacks in power against the HSV’s it will more than make up for in handling.

All the power in the world won’t do anything if you can’t make it stick to the road.

I would also love FPV to make it lighter package. 50 to 100 kilo off please.

snags

The Boss engine is assembled in australia, but its components are sourced from a variety of Ford-US vehicles. Seriously though, Bavarian and ‘me’ – can you two cut the shit, even if youre point is valid you couldnt have come across more childish, grow up

Me.

Snags, at least the Boss V8 is assembled in Australia.
Holdenwoo have to import their engines from USA.

So why don’t you cut the sh*t and go back to a Holden forum “Snags

Me.

That’s right “snags”, Have to stick up to your Holdenwoo Loving, Ford hating for no reason fans.
Holdenwoo fans seem to be so confedent to thinking “Fords sh*t” even when they get proven wrong.

Me.

The Boss V8 is not fully made from US parts some are made Here in Australia too.

watto_cobra

I was going to mention the Jag 5.0Litre. From the rumors I’ve been hearing for six months, three different things could happen.

* Use Jag 5.0 in N/A and S/Charged forms?
* Put in bigger engine from Ford US? (pushrods?)
or
* Keep with the 5.4L, maybe S/Charge it for the HO?

Does anyone have any idea what will happen? Personally I’d go the Jag engine for these reasons.

*They’re owned by Ford so we’d be doing no worse than Holdenwoo & HSV by importing them.
* It’d be a lighter/smaller engine to help handling & dynamics.
* We’d have better power/torque from a smaller engine, which would make Holdenwoo and they’re yank attitude of “bigger is better” look silly.

Spam word was “Jaguar” which prompted me, lol.

watto_cobra

Like the sound of the progress on the Typhoon. I’ve more or less decided on one for next year, so encouraging news like this is good.

I’m hoping the FPV’s will have a ICC like in the Youtube vid below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmi2-ZLb1RI

Bavarian Missile

Who is SNAGS? Snags apparently I at least know what I am talking about even if I wish to be less serious than you !

Watto I will go with two options

The blown 5.0 litre thats going in the Jag

Or the V10 for the HO !

cobra045

Bavarian..

you you get any sleep??

Bavarian Missile

Sure I do……. Other half says I am a Car Advice junkie..hahaha

Off to Gym back later.

watto_cobra

Like the sound of the progress on the Typhoon. I’ve more or less decided on one for next year, so encouraging news like this is good.

I’m hoping the FPV’s will have a ICC like a Youtube vid I found. Go to Youtube, search for “carcomputer_f6″ and see what I mean. Seriously I hope the ICC is something like this.

Smiley

6 seconds faster than the current typhoon around Wakefield? But the current Typhoon is roughly the same speed around Wakefield as a GTS (if my memory serves me correctly, from a recent review). Sounds to me like FPV is massively under-quoting power figures again, or this is just a crazy one off test mule.
Good thing Rod Barrett is going head to head in the power war – this just means Ford and Holden are going to be piling on the kilowatts massively over the next few years. At least until one of them is broke…..

watto_cobra

Perhaps….

I dunno where FPV are going with their V8 but if HSV keep shopping for bigger engines in the USA, FPV can keep turning the wick up on the mighty ‘Phoon.

Glen

To settle this once and for all. The Boss engines are actually imported from Canada as the 3-valve V8 thats in Fairlanes & Fairmonts, then are taken to FPV where they are stripped down, have the heads from the Cobra-R mustang which was a 4.6 V8 bolted on along with some engineering from the FPV boys to make it what it is today. The “only” V8 engine manufactured & developed in Australia.

Holden’s idea of engineering is to buy a bigger engine. And b4 VE they didnt even have an original idea for their biggest selling car, they just adapted it from european made cars.

This orion phoon is going to be one of the fastest mass produced 4-doors in the world by the sounds of it because right now the phoon isn’t even 6 secs a lap slower than the Audi RS4 on any track let alone wakefield which is quite short and hasnt got many straights. The GT will probably be slower because of the great bit of cast iron block it has up the front but will still be a great machine

Me.

Any Holdenwoo f*** head like Frosty and Snags posts a bad comment just to taunt us all is a complete arsehole no matter what!!

Frosty + Snags,XXX

watto_cobra

I don’t disagree at all Glen. Just for silly little bragging rights tho we can still say at least Ford BOSS is hand assembled here.

The trusty old I6 tho, is still developed and built proudly here in Oz. That’s part of the reason I’m after an Orion F6. It most likely will be gone come 2010, and I want one of the last ones.

I’m betting the ‘Phoon will, unfortunately for the BOSS, be quicker than the GT. But most likely quicker than GTS too

6 seconds tho, that is a HUGE improvement, which makes me wonder….. Same driver? Same tyres? Same condition? We’ll have to see.

Bavarian Missile

Hey Glen can you tell us how you back this up? I was under the impression the heads too are designed in Aus along with the manifold and cams that come from CROW!

Me.

There will be a power war and ford can make great power out of the I6 turbo. Holdenwoo are planing to put the Chevy LSIII V8 in the next HSV soon that is 320kw just like the FPV Boss next year.

maybe one day, the FPV F6 will be just like the New Nissan Skyline GT-R, no way Holdenwoo can catch up to that beast!!

Bavarian Missile

For your info all……..
Fact……. John Bowe in the current R SPEC GT has done a run around the same track {not sure what track}with the older BF GT and was 3 sec faster in the R SPEC on the same day.

Oh and that other track that the Phoon and R8 went up against each other I think was Calder!

R8 1:09.90
F6 1:10.06

So guess what ,6 secs is going to be huge in the new Orion!!!!!

watto_cobra

I do remember reading that about Bowe driving a GT 40th Anniversary R-Spec being 3 secs quicker. FPV have just released an F6 Typhoon with the same R-Spec handling package too.

BWAHAHAHA!!!! A new billion dollar blunder with extra 37Kw is only 0.16 quicker than 5 year old BF without R-Spec??? That is GOLD! What will Orion do? I’m drooling at the prospect.

Me.

Anit-Spam 300kw. hope there will be a special F6 that’s faster than the GTS-R ubbish and more than 300kw.

Holdenwoo do have a concept GTS-R ubbish getting around the contry aparently, because its the same body they can drive it without photos been taken of it.

7.0L my arse!! It only has 385kw and only pushrod, giant engines don’t mean better power Holdenwoo.

watto_cobra

It’s official, TeamBOC is switching to the DARK SIDE. While I am disappointed to lose a Ford team, and wish Bradley and the team had a DECENT bathurst for once, it won’t be much of a loss.

As much as I hate to say it, BJR has been one of the bottom Ford teams for years, and I seriously doubt switching to Holden will improve their results.

Me., on another note, after researching a bit on what aftermarket tuners can achieve, I think the Typhoon can be tuned way beyond anything HSV could hope to achieve with a N/A V8. I suspect two things peg it back, warranty (something research can determine) and not wanting to overpower the GT.

While I wish GT was our all-powerful flagship, I think we could easily flog HSV (power AND fuel economy) will a seriously upgraded Typhoon.

Andrew M

watto dont be surprised if team BOC will be linked to say HSV/HRT and that would have been the carrot to get them over.
they did the same thing to get PWR on their side to.

Bret

Quote: “The SOHC 230 kW Barra engine and Boss 260 and 290 shortblocks, heads and crankshafts are built in Windsor, Ontario. The Boss engines include some locally sourced parts such as intake and pistons.” So as it says 3 valver: fully imported, 4 valver: shortblocks, heads and crankshafts imported, rest pretty much Aus.

BTW Durated 35 twin force, 3.5l direct injection twin turbo V6:321 kw is a likely successor to the I6 Turbo.

watto_cobra

Perhaps, but I wouldn’t say it helped PWR a huge amount. They are reasonably competitive, but definately not a front running team.

Are you saying Wankingshaw will be a 6 car team now? lol, just joking.

watto_cobra

ooops, that should read “definitely”. Had a few beers, a mate came for a visit and we started reminiscing Bathurst already A few typos are ecpected (haha expected)

Bavarian Missile

Heads are cast in the USA ! Components though? I thought the valves were from Germany ,aren’t the heads assembled here by FPV! Dont forget the 4 X Camshafts from Crow Cams here in Australia! That would be 1 x crankshaft ex USA too ! Hubby spoke to Crow Cams himself and got the low down on the engine when …well shall we say had some problems.

I think we can say Australia has done the fast stuff not the USA! Power comes from the top half not the bottom !

Bavarian Missile

Hahahah,in the latest Top Gear Mag,Top Gear do a test on the F6 Tornado ……….why because Holden wouldn’t lend them one of theirs……….lol..I am off to buy the book! Meant to be a good story!

Me.

Ford Australia are really up-staging their parents, Ford Motor Company when it comes to turbo sixes.

Bavarian Missile

Hey ,there is a link to the story on the Forum ,I will try and find it.

Bavarian Missile

Ok have found the link

I have cut and pasted from Top Gear Mag

“Norm Maclean leans forward on his bar stool, rolls a cigarette and says: “We know we don’t usually travel at more than 130kmh, Clare, but who the hell are you to tell us that we can’t?”

It’s late, after 11pm, and if we aren’t in the middle of nowhere right now, then we must be close. The crickets outside are loud and constant, and the road is quiet. Norm is in charge here at Dunmarra Station, some 400 miles south of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

I am three quarters of the way through a 1,864 mile journey from Adelaide to Darwin, straight up the centre of Australia from south to north along the Stuart Highway, and this is the last overnight stop before the final day.

So, we’re starting in the middle, but this is a story that was always going to start in the middle. The middle is what it’s all about. The Northern Territory is the desert state, where the sand is as red as the evening sky, and the Milky Way shines so brightly at night it almost hurts your eyes.

Norm, a big-hearted, sharp-speaking, true-blue Ocker who traces his roots back to Stornaway, has lived in the Territory for many years – his ciggy now burning brightly, his eyes alive over a full goatee beard and a chin that could break bricks, MacLean warms to his theme:

“The people who live in the Territory are aware of the dangers. We drive to suit the conditions, so that means 130kmh is about as fast as we want to go, even in broad daylight. But turning us into criminals for going faster than that isn’t right. The opposition party has made the speed limit an election issue, saying they’ll abolish it again if they get into power, so it might be goodbye Clare.”

‘Our satnav read 34 hours, 36 mins and 3,024km to Darwin. Drives don’t get more epic than this’

‘Clare’ is the Right Honourable Clare Martin, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Government. It was her decision to slap a blanket speed limit of 110-130kmh on the Stuart Highway, the first out-of-town speed limit in the Territory’s 96-year history, and it’s a decision that hasn’t gone down well with Territorians.

It smacks of revenue-raising and do-gooder political idiocy, the need to be seen to be doing something, while more expensive and complicated issues – driver training, driver awareness, driver fatigue, vehicle roadworthiness – are buried.

The same sort of thinking has turned the rest of Australia into a police state, with robotic draconian cops targeted to write as many speeding tickets as they can. No concrete figures have been produced to prove the benefit of stricter speed limits in this country and it’s likely they never will be, and while the debate rages on websites like no-speedlimit.com, Norm’s take on it is clear enough.

“Territorians are easy-going people,” he says. “But force them into a corner and they’ll bite.”

The new Stuart Highway speed limit came into force on 1 January 2007 and it’s been big news in Australia. Big enough for Holden, the country’s arm of GM, to refuse to lend Top Gear a car for this journey. Holden, it would seem, saw it as ‘one last run’ for a couple of foreigners who would probably break the speed limit and crash.

Despite my assurances that it was nothing of the sort, and despite stressing that photographer Bramley and I are Australian and understand the issues, Holden wouldn’t budge.

So, the slightly more switched-on people at Ford stepped up to the plate with an FPV F6 Tornado, a four-litre straight six, turbocharged, 360bhp Falcon ute, tweaked and tuned by the boffins at Ford Performance Vehicles. Should get us there alright. Ripper, etcetera.

When we set off from Glenelg in Adelaide on the Southern Ocean coast, our satnav read 34 hours 36 minutes and 3,024km to run to Darwin. No worries. The aim was Coober Pedy by the end of this first day, Alice Springs by the end of day two, via Uluru, a day of shooting in Alice and a bit of a rest, Dunmarra the next night, then a plane out of Darwin the day after, once we’d gazed out over the Timor Sea. Drives don’t get more epic than this.

Look closely and you’ll notice a very thin aerial stuck to the top of the Tornado’s roof. This two-way radio is a key part of this story, and if you’re thinking of driving the Stuart Highway, you should spend a few quid on a basic radio like this.

It allows you to talk to Road Train drivers, and despite what you might think, these blokes want you to talk to them. Not because they’re lonely, but because any sort of mishap involving a car holds them up. They, more than anyone, want people to understand how to drive this road properly and not get into trouble.

“Copy southbound,” said Bramley into the handset once we’d cleared the Adelaide area and got into open country. A big Road Train had just blown past in the opposite direction, the blast from its passing knocking the car sideways. The trucker was straight back to us.

“G’day mate,” he said.

“Anything happening up north?”

“Nah mate, nothing, just a few head of stray cattle a couple of clicks north of Glendambo. You go over a ridge then down through a couple of corners and they’re near the second corner.”

We chatted to him while he stayed in range, and he was like every trucker we spoke to over the next few days: friendly, well-spoken, bright and helpful. Every piece of advice we received was useful, sightings of cattle were accurate and the truckers were mildly surprised to be speaking to someone in a car.

Travelling in Australia is all about vast distances, of course, but you soon get into a rhythm. Adelaide to Coober Pedy is 520 miles, so it’s London to Glasgow plus a hundred. Cooper Pedy is a beautiful old opal mining town with a classic Aussie main street. The outskirts are packed with clapped-out old mining rigs straight from Mad Max. Tough work, prospecting.

‘To watch Uluru at sunset on a clear evening is one
of the most moving experiences imaginable’

The first highway patrol copper we met was the only female one in South Australia. Constable Denise Case, a beautiful name for a police officer, pulled me over because she thought I had a radar detector, which are illegal in this state. No, I explained, I had braked from 145kmh to 110kmh because I’d seen her early and didn’t want her to lock her radar on. We ended up talking for half-an-hour, mostly about cars, and especially hers, a Commodore with a six-litre V8 engine.

These are due to be replaced soon with V6-engined cars, and she wasn’t happy about it. When we asked her to do a burnout for us in this, the last of the V8 interceptors, she said that she’d love to. But, er, it’d be more than her job’s worth. I’ve never seen a copper more keen to do something unlawful.

The South Australian leg of the trip passed without incident – though it’s an epic journey in itself, it isn’t until you reach the Northern Territory that you start to see the red dust and get a proper flavour of the Outback.

Best to let Mark Bramley’s photographs tell the story of this magnificent country – my piffling scribbles can’t hope to do them justice. The old indigenous bloke on the first page was on his way to a settlement about 500 miles away from Uluru.

We destroyed an alloy wheel doing the high speed dirt road shots with the helicopter, but boy, was it worth it. And then there was Uluru. Majestic Uluru, the red heart of Australia. We timed our arrival perfectly at sunset, and just stood and watched in awe as the sky darkened and the rock changed colour.

If the 24-hour flight is putting you off visiting Oz, get a grip, cobber. Buy some sleeping tablets, set a date – and be sure to visit this magical place. To stand and watch Uluru at sunset on a clear evening is one of the most moving experiences imaginable, particularly so for me, because, despite being an Aussie, I’d never seen it. Typical that the peace of the moment was wrecked by a couple of tourist helicopters, but that’s progress.

Uluru was called Ayers Rock until recently, named after a chubby South Australian politician with a bad beard. Now it’s part of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and is run by the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara landowners, commonly known as the Anangu. They urge you not to climb it, though it’s not against the law.

“Climbing is not the real thing about this place. The real thing is listening to everything,” say the Anangu. In a scant hour here, I learned what the real Australia is all about. I will never call it Ayers Rock again.

That night, we slept in the open desert a hundred miles from Uluru and looked at the sky. No light pollution out here, of course, and when your eyes adjust, the stars are utterly jaw-dropping. It was a new moon, too, which made the Milky Way even more spectacular. A tip: look at the moon phases and make sure you get a darker sky.

As Bramley set up his six-hour exposure shot of the stars, I looked at the ute-shape silhouette of the F6. There’s something charming about the way cars wait to do your bidding. There it was, ready to go again, get us back to civilization. It is a fantastic car, like a big coupe, Aussie-style. Ford worldwide should fit this engine to more of its cars. The Tornado was smooth, quiet, quick, and never missed a beat, averaging 29mpg to boot.

And when the car rolled into Dunmarra Station at night, its headlights sprayed with a multi-coloured vomit of bugs that looked like an abstract work of art, Victorian plates on full display, Norm MacLean wasn’t impressed. He didn’t seem too impressed when he first saw us, and he told us later that he wasn’t impressed. But at least we were staying – he cooked us a couple of superb steaks, then we got talking and found out more about the real Stuart Highway and how to approach it.

‘I talked to one trucker who said he’d hit a roo that was big enough to make his truck shudder’

The thing is, he hates seeing people arrive at Dunmarra after nightfall, because he’s worried about the risks they face out on the road. The cattle are bad, but the roos are the biggest menace – there are literally millions of them, all migrating in the cooler night-time atmosphere. To give myself even a slight chance of missing any high-speed roo that might enter the picture from stage left or right, I didn’t dare travel at more than 40 to 50mph.

“Territorians very rarely drive after dark. If you see a car at night, nearly always it won’t have Territory plates on it. It’ll be New South Wales, Victorian or Queensland plates, out-of-state people who don’t know what they’re doing. The trucks are different – roos bounce off them.”

When he mentioned that, I remembered talking to one trucker who said he’d hit a roo that was big enough to make his truck shudder. A 50-metre long, 12-tonne vehicle actually shuddered. What that would have done to a normal car doesn’t bear thinking about.

“Two young couples stopped in here the other night, late, about 11pm,” says Norm. “They were in an old Toyota Tarago van. No bullbar, no spotlights. I asked them how much water they had on board, and they held up a couple of 500ml bottles. Incredible.”

Just as he finishes this sentence, a car pulls up to the petrol pumps – a Holden rental. We can see from inside the station that the plates are from NSW, and Norm gives me a knowing look before walking to the tills. It’s a family, two adults and two young children, travelling in the depths of night without a care in the world.

The bloke’s wearing shorts and sandals and he smacks at a mosquito on his leg as he fills the tank. Norm has a quiet word with him, trying to convince him to stay, but no, the fool carries on. We didn’t hear any word of a prang from the truckers the next morning, so by blind luck, they made it through unhurt.

Norm and I talk about the road for a while longer – about Falconio, the Overland Telegraph Line and The Ghan Railway, which shadows the Stuart Highway for most of its length. MacLean knows about the history of this place and tells a great story. Most of all, he hopes his message gets through: be safe. Sure, it’d be better without the speed limit, but even at 130kmh, the Stuart Highway is still the greatest road on earth. Treat it with care. ” end of story !

Me.

HOLY CRAP!!!
I need a bookmark because it will take me months to read all that.

Andrew M

yeah great story and i most of the good stories i get told do come from people who have either lived or well visited NT. (if “well visited” makes sence he he)

but i was hoping for a bit more of a story on the tornado

watto_cobra

Yes, top story, I enjoyed it. But they barely mentioned the Tornado.

I don’t see TV guides and such. When is Top Gear back on SBS? When is the Aussie episode on? Is this story from the Oz episode?

Bavarian Missile

The other half down loaded the {new series} UK episode last night,no havent seen it yet!

http://Toyota Blue Blood

How ironic that he should suggest fitting the I6 to more ford vehicles word wide when we are scrapping it for the V6.

I predict the last of the turbo I6′s in Orion will be instant classics.

Me.

I Hope Ford are planing on a V6 turbo for the Huntsmen after the orion in 2010. The Motor mag says Ford are scapping the F6 because of no I6, Hope they wrong!!

watto_cobra

I must have missed something. Who is suggesting ??

QOUTE “fitting the I6 to more ford vehicles world
wide when we are scrapping it for the V6.” ??

I have my heart set on an Orion F6 Typhoon now, I hope they become classics.

I haven’t seen the latest Motor mag.

QUOTE “The Motor mag says Ford are scrapping the
F6 because of no I6, Hope they wrong!!”

THAT WOULD BE F**KED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t vent too often but that crosses the line. Surely this is crap, heard heaps of other talk about the Duratec V6 being twin turbo.

watto_cobra

Where is this news coming from all of a sudden??????

Bavarian Missile

Hey Blue Blood I would agree with you there,there not meant to be stopping production till 2010 so of course there will be no more AFTER 2010 !

jbot

Me, there is talk of a bi-turbo V6 when the I6 is replaced. Wheels or Motor said it would go in the XR6T, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

jbot

me, search for the “ford twinforce” on wikipedia for more info.

Me.

Ford have to do what Daewoo are doing with alloy blocks. Now the daewoo fans will be blaming Ford for copying them, oh well sh!t happens!!

Some daewoo fan told me today that daewoo makes engines for Ford, what a dumb arse, I bet more of that sh!t for the Huntsmen Falcon in 2010!!

http://Toyota Blue Blood

Sorry Watto Cobra.

I was refering to the Top Gear article posted by Bavarian Missile.

Quote:
“It is a fantastic car, like a big coupe, Aussie-style. Ford worldwide should fit this engine to more of its cars. The Tornado was smooth, quiet, quick, and never missed a beat, averaging 29mpg to boot.”

watto_cobra

Thanks. Thought I’d completely missed something.

So the reviewer suggested more I6′s after experiencing the Tornado.

Is that what you mean Blue Blood?

Andrew M

will the orion only last for 2 years? or will the second series have a different motor?
the orion sounds like it will be a short lived model very unlike ford to turn a model so quick.

nah they cant lose the F6. they cant even change the name “Typhoon”. the phoon has made quite a mark as far as performance cars go in OZ especially if these rumours become true.
losing the name “typhoon” even if it becomes the twin force motor would leave ford the hard job of building up recognition of another name plate

Me.

There has been alot of Falcons that have only lasted 2 years, Just look at the XK Falcon, the Falcons though the 90s (etc)

Me.

I wonder will the Duratec Turbo inspire a turbo Mustang for the US?

Bavarian Missile

Andrew I would think the Phoon will cease once the I6 stops in 2010! Yep I am sure they will make another fast V6 something
But it wouldn’t be the same to put the V6 turbo in after the I6 ,but hey look what BMW have just done with the M3 ?
Hey
I understand where your coming from with the name it certainly has some credibility out there in the world.

In regard to the Orion ,why ,what makes you think that! Did you get my email from Monday!

Me.

OH, if the Orion Falcon is going to the USA next year…

It would have a chrome grill, not that it will be like that here (it’ll look good for the Fairmont & Fairlane here), it’s just because all the American Fords are going that way.

Andrew M

Me,
yeah ford has had models run longer than 2 years but as of recent trends they seem to run for ever. i see that as fords only downfall in terms of sales.
AU ran for 5 years
BA/BF ran for 6 years

in certain months ford was beating the commy for sales with the BA. then holden refreshed their car to the VZ which gave them a spur along (even though they only chopped the fog light off the centre of the headlight)
but point is if people upgrade in the typical 3yr cycle if they bought fords they would buy the exact same model twice.

i reckon it would be great if ford turned over models a bit quicker cause it would give me a reason to upgrade more often too

Andrew M

ah yes missile i see your point too maybe the typhoon name should die with the I6 heart.
just to ensure the car as a whole remains together in the history books

Me.

I don’t think the Orion has to out sell the VE Dunnydore to be a success, it just needs to be just under to a good new car, anyway just because the VE out sells the Falcon now does not mean its a better car.

Andrew M

oh course it doesnt need to outsell the VE.
top of the charts in sales means nothing.

im just saying from a business point of view i think fords sales would increase quite a bit if they turned their models over a little quicker.
but in saying that if you do turn them over quicker you then MUST get a lot more sales out of it as you would also invest more money

Mitchell

There are infinite opportunities to chase more sales if they can speed up production. I would recommend they chase the taxi fleets again; this can be done delicately enough without downgrading the range; a really spartan $25k large car would be awesome! Give it a small diesel (boosted hard for max. accel.) so it can do the speed limits and nothing more; to score browny points with the government, while they release an immortal GTHO amidst the best Bathurst for Ford in decades.
If it all goes belly up, Ford could manufacture a range of Falcon sized utes and plead for protectionism to come back; not sell the Courier and devote all volume to Oz production. but thats a drastic measure if Ford goes back to the brink… Focus plan, V6 is a good start.

Me.

Thats right Mitchell about the Taxis, in Brisbane near where I live it was 100% Falcon taxis a few years ago, now it’s down to 50% maybe because they sick of the same looking car and also the high fuel prices.

When I went to Sydney earler this year, i was expecting the city to be full of Camry taxis, but no, the whole streets were like New York only Falcons insted of Crown-Victorias, so when you see photos of the Orion Falcon on
http://www.cgiautomotive.com/gallery/Ford_OrionFalcon.htm Think about what The Main citys of Australia will look like in a few years.

Bavarian Missile

Think about how this car will affect the performance car series racing next year,will be real interesting if this does do a lap 6 sec faster.I know the new EVO is coming but it would have to be real good to beat this if the times are correct!!!!!!!!! Oh and the new M3 will be in it too.Will be a great series to see next year!

Bavarian Missile

Thanks for that Alborz I know your busy!

Andrew M

Me, what do you mean by they might have been sick of the high fuel prices?
taxis all run on gas

Missile,
yes i was thinking about the performance car series too. if it is 6secs i guess they all will be running them.
ah but if it is 6secs quicker im sure others will complain like they did when John bowe ran a Mustang that blew them away (then they made him limit it)

Me.

LPG has gone up abit and a Falcons use more fuel than Camrys.
Andrew M, I said sick of the same looking car not fuel prices, but even thought the Crown Victoria has been the same for a long time, still being used as Police, Taxi and now disscontinued.

Andrew M

Me,
check what you wrote….
you said sick of the same looking car ##AND## high fuel prices.

yes i know LPG has gone up too but petrol has gone up a hell of a lot more.
also falcons dont use that much more than camrys and falcons are a bit cheaper to service/repair too

Andrew M

oh and what do you mean sick of the same looking car???
they are taxis. why would they care what they look like as long as they spin a dollar.
hell they are all painted the same too???
i dont get what you are trying to say

Me.

Look, the Falcon Taxis are going down in Brisbane where I live, even though they are still buying some for their fleets, there are now more Toyota Taxis in Brisbane now then ever and does not look good for Australia.

Ford should chase the Taxi fleets when the Orion comes out and have more new Ford taxis than Toyotas, also get rid of the last AU Falcons they have.

AUs still do a good job though, its just they’re getting old.

Andrew M

Me,
i am in brisbane too and i agree they have gone down a bit too.
i actually think it is from toyota offering good discounts to gain fleet advantage

Bavarian Missile

Does everyone live in Brisbane…….ggggggg

Andrew M

Yep its all happening in Brizzy he he he he

we are a little quicker than you guys in the west he he he

(all in good fun) (talking about time delay)

Bavarian Missile

Hahahaha,,very funny! I thought we were 10 years and 2 hours behind the East ,but not QLD.lol We at least now have come out of the cave and have daylight saving! hahaha You already know Andrew what state I was born! Not here!

Andrew M

why would we want daylight saving?

it it like an exclusive club or something?
sorry i just dont see the point of it

Andrew M

hey im not really bagging the west it is actually on my next holiday list.

Andrew M

sadly ive only seen 3 of our great states here in OZ yet more countries than i have fingers

B

I’ve just spent the last 45 minutes reading all the comments under this article… you’ve all made my boring day very interesting… keep up the good work

Bavarian Missile

I guess you have to grow up with day light savings to appreciate it ………W.A is next on your list? Cool!

Funny how some Australians see the rest of the world before their own,I was blessed with parents that showed me most of Aus before I was 13 years old !Australia is STILL the best place to live in the world even after seeing some of it,what do you think Andrew?

Hey B glad you like our work!!

Andrew M

oh yeah its good to see the world but there is still an awesome feeling when you are coming home no doubt about it

NZ would have to be 2nd choice as far as living goes but the fact that even they come here to stay means even they must get sick of it he he he he

lolFord

How about all you ford loving @#$%heads wait for your precious ‘Orion’ Falcon to be released then start the slanging match >.^ It seems a bit silly to slang off at Holden until Ford has their cards on the table.

As history stands, Holden always release first – Ford then play copy and catch up. A decent business attitude in theory – Ford Australia just lack the ability to actually maintain model consistency. AU, had one… worst car ever.

And yes, I love my Holwoo. I own a VE SS-V. Now remind me what part Daewoo cars had in the new Commodore? None.

Now before you all get your panties in a knot, I also own a Holden Barina (the Daewoo monster) and yes its a bit shit… but for the money and what you get (excluding the bad crash rating, but i attempt to avoid crashing my cars) its a passable car.

Also, as for the idiots and cubes don’t always equal power… lol. Bolting a turbo on a motor isn’t exactly rocket science… Any car company can do it.

@#$% it I should turbo my Daewoo Barina and get it going quicker than most FPV cars just to make you Ford fools realise… there is… MORE to LIFE than wanking your penis over a car not yet released.

Jealousy is a curse they say.

Holden, Austraia’s “first” car, and surely will be our last as everyone knows a car makers future is governed by its parent company. Holden is not going anywhere, Ford US could always pull the pin on Aust. manufactured vehicles as our market isnt really one worth counting.

>.^ Lot’s of love a devoted Holwoo-Daeden fan :]]]

tony gbanga

i have spent the last hour reading all the stuff you guys talk about. veery interesting stuff. i cant wait for the new typhoon to come out gonna be a real beast i rekon. i read the article on the tornado ute being on top gear. does anybody know when it is going to air.

and do use rekon that they will bring back the HO. sound really impresive

Bavarian Missile

Will the HO happen? I strongly feel it will! Look out for 2010.

wheelnut

I agree with Andrew M: the Typhoon is an incredible car. If it ceases when the I6 is axed Ford should come up with another name for its V6 performance car.
However; like most car companies.. when they want to make a special limited edition car they often bring out an iconic name from the past – Cobra for example.
Which means it is very likely we will see the typhoon name again on some other car in the future

tony gbanga

ok thanks. do use rekon that fpv should make all their cars limited edition models????
if they do that the cars will be worth more in the future

Watto_Cobra

Sounds good, except FPV is a business like any other. They need some volume to stay afloat, as in the regular models, with the odd limited edition run.

Aston Martin are very upmarket, fantastic cars, so they can afford to hand build each car. Just look at their waiting lists.

HSV and FPV are looking to branch into other cars/nonV8s to help sales. HSV’s first attempt was pretty weak with the Astra. Top car, but too much torque steer, and the only HSV thing on it was a few stickers. FPV have come up with a winner in the F6 Typhoon and Tornado. We’ll see how the F6X Territory fares.

I don’t know what HSV will try next, but you can bet it won’t be any of Holden’s Daewoo cars. (For one thing, they can’t just buy a better crate donk from the states)

FPV are looking at doing hot versions of Fiesta XR4, Focus XR5Turbo and Mondeo XR5Turbo.

So basically HSV/FPV would never go to Ltd.Ed runs only.

tony gbanga

yea i get wat you are saying Watto_Cobra what car do you drive???

jbot

If all their cars were limited runs none of them would be worth anything because to there would be nothing special about them. Cars like the Cobra sell well and will probably hold its value quite well because FPV don’t have many limited runs, and the Cobra name is highly regarded by those interested in motoring.

Watto_Cobra

tony gbanga

I have an AU with Cobra stripes. They were on it when I bought it, hence the blogname. I hope people who haven’t seen it don’t think I’m copying the new Cobra. I was going to upgrade to BA XR6T when they came out but I’ve hung onto it for 7 years now because it has been a great car, absolutely reliable. No probs except a slow leak in waterpump quickly replaced under warranty.

I’m aiming for an Orion Typhoon not long after they’re released.

What is your drive?

Watto_Cobra

Oh yeah, I put aftermarket (ie. good looking) tailights and headlights in it after being fixed from being rear-ended.

Bavarian Missile

Your still awake!!!!!!!!!

I bet you cant wait for the Phoon……..order your number plates now ! Then you just have to get the car! hahahah

We have personal plates for the Cobra after changing his mind about 100 times I think he decided on Cobra R 07 ? He kept the plates off the BA cause there always useable again and an un-buyable combo now! When he ordered the BAGT in Nov 2002 he ordered the plates then for it so he got a good choice …..he got GT FPV………car turned up 8 months later!

What will they call the Orion you think?

What combo can they ? If you go through combos they have used in the past

XR,XT,XW,XW,XA,XB,XC,XD,XE,XF …..EA,EB,ED,EF,EL, AU,BA BF!

Watto_Cobra

Good idea. In VIC you only have to pay for your plates once and they’re yours. I think in NSW you have to pay every year and you don’t own them?

I’ve heard some mags refer to it as BG (bloody great?) but I doubt it. Guess we’ll find out in four or five months

Bavarian Missile

Ok similar to the West ,you pay around $300 for them then you own them ! I guess without knowing what colour it makes it hard ,especialy if you want to coordinate the plate colour and the car.

BG ,never heard that said before,interesting!

wheelnut

The next non V8 project at HSV is a [twin] turbo V6 Commodore; then possibly an Enhanced Torana.

If Gubbey decides to start importing Opels again instead of Daewoos we could see some more HSV Hot hatches

Apart from that they are also looking at the idea of a small block V8 car [using the cadillac northstar V8] as well as an HSV Wagon

smokin’R32

Why would you want Ford to ditch the Typhoon badge after the I6 is gone? That was exactly fords problem prior to FPV – brand recognition, barely anyone knew what ‘fte’ was or a TS50 or even tickford itself. Finally theyve got a good formula i think they should stick to it

tony gbanga

Watto_Cobra. lol i wish i had my licence mate. im only 16. my old man has a 2006 bmw 530d. very nice car and uses shit all fuel. i like the idea of ford making a diesel motor for the taxis. i cant remember which one of u guys said it tho

tony gbanga

and does anybody know when the tornado ute will be on top gear

Bavarian Missile

Not sure it will be,It may have been just an article in the mag!

Going Ford, Is The Going Thing

XK,XL,XM,XP,XR,XT,XW,XY,XA,XB,XC,XD,XE,XF> EA,EB,ED,EF,EL,AU,BA,BF.’08 BH?

BK

Ford Typhoon is gonna continue its dominace in the muscle car war between Holden and Ford. Ford where kicking Holdens arse in from the 60s to the 80s with there BOSS V8s.
The 90s brought in Fords new 4 litre 6 cylinder that was eating Holden V8s and 6 cylinders. It took Holden a while to catch up Ford with there V8s but never there 6 cylinder to be as good as Fords 4 litre. Fords turbos come in this decade and are now easily out performing Holden V8s and 6 cylinders.
When the new 2008 falcon arrives we all know that its gonna be the best car in Oz like every other Falcon that has come out. Holden has a old and out dated car now and no money to.
They should have used there money wisely and we wont be seeing for another couple decades a decent upgrade to Comodores.Holden will now continue on with there crapy “Dunnydore” like they did in the 80s and 90s. Ford way ahead in technology and will always have something better than Holden.

tony gbanga

yea aggre with ya there BK. holden are way behind. just wait til the new ford is released at the melbourne motor show its gonna be a beauty