kinda off the topic but lets go back 18 years and pretend we are in a Ford marketing/production meeting......
''V8s are on the way out and our greenies want fuel efficient cars....lets drop the V8 from the line up and lose a generation of car lovers and pretend that a 250 xflow with efi will be fast enough for our loyal and rich V8 following and they will not care a shit if we drop the whole program"
Believe me it isn''t and lead to 10 years of derision and heart ache for all ford fans....for christ sake Dick Johnson raced a 4wd turbo!!!!
THe XR6t is great and will alwasy be great but lets please stop this hero talk before Uncle Geoff hears.
"Ford says the GT has the same 56/44 front/rear weight distribution as the XR6 Turbo and, though understeer is the overriding theme at the limit, there's a feeling of balance and neutralness similar to that found in more expensive European sports sedans."
from: http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/NT01A84E8A
Now the XR8 has more weight up front, but same suspension as XR6. hmmm
I6;
Dual VCT boosts torque at any rpm position. Camshaft variation of 60-degrees allows the four-valve engine to provide plenty of low down torque. At cruise speed on the highway, the system is able to retard the timing by as much as 50 degrees. At idle, the camshaft is advanced by 10 degrees for smoother running.
This is a great feature, and one that has been around for decades.
Boss260, Boss290 = no VCT
The Boss260 and Boss290 have lucked out on VCT. IMO that's one step forward and 2 steps back.
Don't know about hero but XR6T is certainly bang for your bucks. V8 performance without the cost. Cheaper car, cheaper insurance, cheaper on petrol and just as fast as XR8. The XR6T seems to have almost a cult following, due largely to the rave reviews in all the motoring magazines and also because turbos are "in" at the moment with the perfomance car crowd. This is not to say XR8s are crap, it's just the XR6T seems to represent better value for the money spent. I know I've always yearned after XR8s but couldn't justify to myself spending the extra $4-5K just for a bulge in the bonnet and a nicer exhaust note.
The only problem is that Fords marketing department, the dinosaurs that they are, are always going to pump the V8 to the Aussie public. It’s the aftermarket guys that will first get Ford to stand up and notice.
Martin from Zoom is getting flat 13sec out of his ute with minor mods. And going for mid 12’s.
When the day comes that a BA XR8 is pulling those times, it will be with forced induction. If you can’t beat them, join them. And the cost of an XR8 to get those times, big $$$.
kinda off the topic but lets go back 18 years and pretend we are in a Ford marketing/production meeting......
''V8s are on the way out and our greenies want fuel efficient cars....lets drop the V8 from the line up and lose a generation of car lovers and pretend that a 250 xflow with efi will be fast enough for our loyal and rich V8 following and they will not care a shit if we drop the whole program"
Actually I think you will find the V8 was dropped due to the impending change to unleaded in 86. USA dropped the Clevo for this reason and Ford USA didn't have a decent viable alternative unleaded V8 at the time. Much cheaper to build on the existing 6 pot donk with injection + giving it a nice marketing angle.
You have to remember, back in the 80's Ford Aus was doing very well without a hero model. This backfired in the 90's as those 80's youngsters largely became Holden fans.
Geoff knows this all to well and its the reason why he has turned up the wick in V8 Supercars, employeed young drivers like Lowndes etc.
The XR6T is a marketing master stroke, its got to bollocks to knock off the arch enemy, its technically savvy and was virtually inviting the turbo aftermarket fraternity to tinker with it.
All of which will appeal to the young bloke of today who will become the car buyer (and hopefully Ford fan) of tomorrow.
they were not doing well, holden were getting the reputation as the Performace brand which they kept until now, and Ford have helped HOlden create an ethos. It seemed like a godo idea at the time with the fuel crisis. AS for the hero car thing, Id really like to see an AWD turbo six with more boost for just over 50 grand( with 27o kW) now that would be a return to form for Ford. Its feasible too with the TErritory front end.
Falcon IV, Ford Australia were doing very well in the 80's, iirc they were the number 1 car manufacturer in Aus from mid 80's right up to mid 90's, Falcon was biggest seller, Laser was biggest seller in its segment.
The fuel crisis was late 70's early 80's. Holden release the 4 pot Commie, Ford introduced an econy pack XD, 3.3 manual with vacuum gauge on the dash. Holden nearly went bankrupt and it was Brockie who was pumping out the hero stuff for them until TWR took over in the late 80's.
Ford in the 80's were still living of the 70's fans, it was the 90's when the started to faulter as they ignored the hero stuff in the 80's
A 6 in the range that is truly competitive against an 8 .... that's a 'hero' in my eyes!! Time will tell, but I definately feel the XRT will gain a cult status - good one Ford!!
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