FPV GT 40TH ANNIVERSARY
THIS COMMEMORATIVE SPECIAL SOLD LIKE HOTCAKES, AND MIGHT BE ONE OF FPV'S MOST LIKELY MODERN CLASSICS.
Ford has a bit of history with Limited Editions intended to commemorate the arrival of its very first Falcon GT. Mostly it would have been watching them go belly up in a market that saw these releases as too expensive and a bit irrelevant.
It must therefore have come as a shock to long-term FPV staff and some owners as well when the 40th Anniversary model announced in 2007 rushed off showroom floors and immediately began resisting the temptation to depreciate.
In common with Ford’s original GT from way back when, the BFII version was finished in a combination of black and gold, however this time the darker colour (Silhouette Black) was dominant.
Other features of the 200 cars produced include body stripes and monogrammed floor mats, 19-inch alloys, a purpose-designed sound system with iPod and MP3 connections and - of course - a numbered plaque. Local sales accounted for 175 cars, with the other 25 sold to New Zealand.
Under the gold-emblazoned bonnet was a 290kW Boss version of FPV’s 5.4-litre V8, with six-speed Tremec manual transmission or a six-speed ZF automatic. More manual cars were made (111) than autos, which totalled 89.
Appropriate for a model with a reputation for brake issues, Anniversary editions of the GT could be specified with a set of utterly excellent Brembo brakes; these adding a hefty $7000 to the $65,110 base price.
Trim and fixtures were predominantly standard GT fare but the unique additions did enough to justify the sticker price. A few cars were also produced in R Spec, which delivered recalibrated dampers with matching springs.
Scarcity accounts to some extent for the Anniversary model’s success, but so does commonsense marketing. While $65K was in 2007 still a decent hit to anyone’s pocket it demonstrably represented value when compared with preceding commemorative GTs.
Way back in 1992 when the 25th Anniversary model appeared right in the midst of a recession, the asking price for these 5.0-litre cars was $62,500. Five years later, the cost of a 30th Anniversary EL had climbed to $69,500, which at the time would buy a decent house on the outskirts of most capital cities.
Little wonder that dealers had no trouble moving Anniversary BFIIs or that these cars when offered on the used market don’t remain there for long. Recently advertised examples included one showing barely 1000 kilometres whose vendor was asking a very achievable $80,000.
A word of caution though when arranging insurance for your Anniversary GT and similar limited editions. Price guides used by some insurance companies react slowly when later-model vehicles are subject to rapidly increasing values and a market value policy can leave the car insured for a lot less than replacement cost. Placing your cover with one of the specialist insurers which offer agreed value and other benefits is wise.