Sprint finish
Ford builds its finest, fastest — and final — Falcon
TALK about saving the best until last. Meet the finest — and fastest — Ford Falcons ever made in Australia.
To commemorate 91 years of manufacturing, including 56 years at Broadmeadows, Australia’s oldest car maker has built a farewell present for itself and its fans.
Ford says the XR6 Turbo Sprint and XR8 Sprint were “created by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts”. Both cars are absolutely epic.
Starting in May, Ford will build 850 examples of its flagship XR8 Sprint sedans (750 for Australia, 100 for New Zealand) and 550 XR6 Turbo Sprint sedans (500 and 50 respectively).
Prices are $54,990 for the XR6 Turbo Sprint auto, $59,990 for the XR8 Sprint manual and $62,190 for the XR8 Sprint auto.
Don’t expect any discounts. Once these cars are gone, there will be no more. The Broadmeadows factory will fall silent forever on October 7.
Not surprisingly, the Sprint editions are being snapped up by Ford fans; every XR8 Sprint and XR6 Turbo Sprint has been allocated to a dealer, and most individual cars have names on them.
If you’ve been wondering whether to buy one as a keepsake, it may already be too late. By the time the media reviews are published, there will be no doubt left in anyone’s mind that Ford has exceeded expectations.
The XR6 Turbo has the highest output from the Geelong-made six-cylinder ever: 325kW of power and 576Nm of torque in standard mode and a mind-boggling 370kW of power and 650Nm of torque in “overboost” mode, which lasts for 10 seconds at a time in ideal conditions, that is, cool weather.
The supercharged V8 in the XR8 Sprint has come in for some attention, too, with an impressive 345kW of power and 575Nm of torque in standard mode and 400kW and 650Nm in overboost.
The changes go beyond turning up the boost — the XR6 Turbo’s new hardware includes the larger turbo charger, intercooler and fuel injectors from the blistering FPV F6.
It also gets a 40 per cent larger air intake (made from carbon-fibre) to help suck in more air and a free-flowing exhaust. All combine to create a heap more power.
The XR8’s makeover included recalibrating the engine management computer to get the most urge out of each gear ratio.
Both engines have more power from lower — and for longer — in the rev range. The effect is instant acceleration as soon as you touch the go pedal.
Ford doesn’t publish an official 0-100km/h time but engineers reckon you can squeeze a 4.5 sec pass from the XR6 turbo and a 4.6 from the XR8 — we consistently clocked 4.7 secs in both cars.
In milliseconds, using various on-board computers, the XR Sprint editions calculate how much grip is available and how much power they can get to the road without frying the rear tyres. Call it the smartest Falcon ever made, too.
Ford ensured the power output of the final Falcon GT (351kW in standard mode) was not eclipsed by the XR8 Sprint but it’s a moot point. Both Sprint editions unequivocally drive better than the last ever Falcon GT.
The power and performance of this pair will get the headlines yet it’s the way they drive that impresses the most.
The previous XR8 rode like a pogo stick over bumps while the XR6 Turbo suspension was too soft and mushy.
The Sprint editions drive with a composure and sophistication the Falcon has never had before.
They are equipped with the same super-sticky Pirelli P-Zero tyres used on Porsches and Ferraris.
Race-bred Brembo brakes (six-piston calipers upfront and four-piston calipers on the rear) are fitted as standard. The disc sizes are the same as before but the larger calipers and brake pads — combined with the tyre upgrade — have reduced stopping distances by an incredible two to three metres at 100km/h.
The steering and suspension tunes on both Sprint editions are completely new and unique to each model.
During development, Ford did more than 200,000km of testing and sent cars to Detroit, Arizona and Germany for further evaluation. Thanks to this, the Sprint editions cover Australian backroads with more pace and finesse than ever before.
The engineers claim the suspension is in fact stiffer but the Sprint editions feel softer and more compliant over bumps thanks to the premium rubber. The engineers were allowed to choose the tyres that worked best, regardless of price.
They’ve never had so much freedom before. Ford finally let them build the car they always wanted to create.
The grip in high-speed corners is astounding. The chief chassis engineer reckons the gforces make him feel giddy sometimes.
Both Sprints are mindaltering in many ways. The tragedy is that such incredible improvements have come as the Falcon is about to take its last breath.
If it sounds like I’m getting emotional, it’s because I am.
On the one hand, it‘s a matter of great pride that Australian engineers created such accomplished vehicles. Rather than take it easy as the end of the line neared, Ford instead chose to dig deep and build the best Falcons of all time.
On the other hand, it’s sad to think Australia won’t realise what we’ve lost until these cars are gone.
Sure, a Mustang is fine but it’s not as quick, as capable or as affordable as these two.
Could the Ford factory have been saved had the XR Sprint editions arrived years earlier? Sadly not, because as much as we love them, performance vehicles don’t sell in large enough volumes to justify a production line.
If this is the lasting memory of the Falcon then Ford has built more than a fitting tribute — and an iconic reminder of the engineering legacy it will leave.