Premcar has launched its ‘Holy Grail’ website today to begin the process of turning 100 of the last Ford Falcon GTs into their vision of the ultimate Ford muscle car, the GT Holy Grail.
Separate from Premcar’s main site, the Holy Grail website features pages for specifications, descriptions of what Premcar does, and videos of the GT Holy Grail in action.
Of course, there’s also a way to register interest and begin the process of turning your Falcon into a GT Holy Grail.
If you need a refresher on what Premcar is, who better to explain than the team itself:
“Premcar morphed from Prodrive Engineering after a Management buyout in 2012.
“The directors and key staff remained from the halcyon days of FPV design, engineering and the build/production of Ford Performance Vehicles.
“This is the team who were the core key people who developed the legendary FPV Miami V8 engine program. “
As for the GT Holy Grail itself, we’ve written a detailed article with information direct from Premcar engineering director Bernie Quinn.
He told us how the outfit has managed to extract 483kW and 753Nm from Ford’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8.
“It’s about having cool enough combustion,” explains Quinn, “which allows you to have more boost and more advanced spark timing to get more power and torque.
“We haven’t just pushed the boost up, we’ve done a lot of work on optimising cam timing to get the most power and torque out of it, whilst maintaining the original engine’s durability and driveability.”
Each of the 100 GT Holy Grail upgrades carried our will cost $24,885, with several instalments at various points of the process. An upfront payment attracts a discount.
A car completed by Premcar will make its public debut at All Ford Day in Geelong on February 17.
Stay tuned for more.
Ford Australia has introduced a couple of small changes to the Ford Mustang for 2019, including new colours and some features from the American specification.
The most obvious to those who’ve followed the Mustang’s recent colour palette is the addition of two rather eye-catching hues, Need for Green and Velocity Blue, which are pictured here on a Mustang GT and EcoBoost respectively.
Need for Green was introduced in the US in March 2018 in coincidence with St Patrick’s day, and has been anticipated in Australia for a short while now. Need for Green also comes with black OTT Stripes (OTT for over the top… of the car).
Velocity Blue is a smaller step away from the current colour range, but is brighter than the previously offered blues and is arguably a good fit for Ford Performance’s branding.
Additionally, rev-matching is now included for MY19 Mustang GTs fitted with the 6-speed manual gearbox, and a Bang & Olufsen ‘B&O Play’ 12-speaker system replaces the Shaker 12-speaker system previously used in the Mustang.
Ford Australia product communication manager Damion Smy tells MOTOR Ford Australia took into account feedback from customers when deciding which features to add for the 2019 car.
“Mustang now gives Australians more content, greater choice and individualisation to build on the significant changes, based on customer feedback from Australian owners.
“We’re fortunate that given the popularity of Mustang here, with both the turbocharged and GT models, Australian customers’ input proved invaluable in delivering what we think is an even better Mustang for our customers.”
The Bend Motorsport Park has launched its Drive Experience Program, allowing punters to drive a variety of different cars on both tarmac and gravel.
Having run a trial day in December 2018, The Bend has now launched the program to the public and intends to initially run one per month, as well as private bookings. A minimum of 12 people are required to make the day viable but there is capacity for up to 48 participants.
Six vehicles make up the standard Drive Experience fleet, with participants driving each vehicle throughout the day. To add a level of competition, each activity is scored, with a trophy provided to the winner of each discipline, as well as a Driver of the Day award.
A number of circuit configurations are used to suit the characteristics of each vehicle. Go Karts run on The Bend’s international-standard go kart track, Herrod-prepared 2018 Ford Mustangs can be driven on the East Circuit, Clubman-style cars and V8 Race Cars use the West Circuit, there’s a 4WD loop and the chance to drive a rally-spec Subaru Impreza RS on the gravel circuit.
Thrillseekers can experience a Superbike pillion ride, provided they meet height and weight critera, while the chance to either drive the Formula Toyota single seater or passenger in The Bend’s custom two-seater version is also available as an added extra. Race suit and helmet are provided and the experience includes coaching from a professional instructor, all meals and USB onboard footage from the V8 Race Car.
The Bend Drive Experience costs $2145 per person, with a Formula Toyota drive and passenger ride adding $214.50 and $104.50 respectively. The Bend’s Marketing Manager, Michael Rossi, describes it as the pinnacle experience offered by the impressive motorsport facility, which played host to 2019 Performance Car of the Year.
The MOTOR team hopes to head across to Adelaide in the near future and provide a verdict on the program!
January-February
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q; Audi RS5 Sportback; BMW i3 update; Ford Endura, Focus and Everest update; Jaguar F-Pace upgrade and SVR; Kia Cerato hatch and GT, Picanto GT; Land Rover Range Rover P400e plug-in; Lexus CT200h update and UX; Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG update and X350d; Skoda Fabia facelift; Suzuki Jimny and Vitara update
March-April
Audi A6; BMW 3 Series, 8 Series, and X7 30d and M50d; Ford Fiesta ST; Genesis G70 and G80; Hyundai i30 N Fastback; Kona EV and Veloster; Jeep Wrangler; Lamborghini Aventador SVJ; Mazda 3 hatch and sedan; Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan, GLE-Class; Porsche Macan update; Rolls-Royce Cullinan; Ssangyong Musso LWB update; Toyota RAV4 and Prius
Mercedes A-Class – Due April
The A200 will introduce Aussies to the Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan when it arrives in April. Benz’s booted baby is only expected to generate incremental sales for A-Class alongside the hatchback, and will subsequently be offered in both A180 and A250 forms, each at a premium around $2000 compared with a hatch of the same specification. The handsome A-Class sedan is built on the same 2729mm wheelbase as its sibling, but is 130mm longer overall with the addition of a boot. The A-Class features Mercedes’ voice-command MBUX infotainment and driving assistance system. The A200 comes powered by a 120kW, 250Nm 1.3-litre turbo petrol four and seven-speed dual-clutch auto combo and is expected to kick off just below $50K.
BMW 8 Series – Due March
BMW’s reborn 8 Series will be spearheaded by M850i versions in early 2019. The 390kW, 750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 will be offered in $272,900 coupe and $281,900 convertible forms, both available for order now. The Munich manufacturer claims 0-100km/h in 3.7sec for the coupe and 3.9s for the heavier drop-top. Standard features include adaptive dampers, wireless smartphone charging, and 20-inch M light alloy wheels. On the tech front, there’s BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional with 12.3in cluster, HUD and gesture control, in addition to Laserlight headlights and an active anti-roll system.
Ford Fiesta ST – Due April
Powered by a 1.5-litre turbo three-pot, Ford’s latest Fiesta ST looks set to give the likes of the Clio RS200 and the Polo GTI some serious competition when it lands in April. With 147kW, 290Nm charged with propelling just 1262kg up the road, it sounds a potent mix, the 6.5sec 0-100km/h time being not far short of something like a Hyundai i30N. Good news for three-pedallers is that a manual gearbox is offered, and a Quaife limited slip diff’ keeps things neat up front. Pricing kicks off at $27,490 for the three-door pocket rocket.
The 2019 Detroit Auto Show was the venue for the debut of Infiniti’s latest ambitious concept, and if the company’s press-release bravado is to be believed, it heralds a wave of cars that could catapault the company from also-ran status to a position of luxury car – and EV – leadership.
Due to enter showrooms in 2021, Infiniti’s all-electric SUV will compete with a range of premium rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz EQC, Jaguar I-Pace and the as-yet unrevealed Tesla Model Y.
Completely electric and built on an all-new EV-specific platform, the QX Inspiration isn’t just our first good look at Infiniti’s future styling language for its electric vehicles: in Infiniti’s own words, it’ll form “a direct precedent” for the company’s first production electric car.
That means that those hankering for a production version of the sleek Q Inspiraton sedan concept unveiled last year will have to wait a little longer, because a midsize SUV based on the QX Inspiration you see here will beat it to market.
Even though specific performance numbers weren’t announced at Detroit – where, somewhat embarrassingly, the show car broke down before it could be driven on stage – Infiniti describes the QX Inspiration, and by extension the production car it will spawn, as “a high-performance SUV offering range confidence”.
Accordingly, we can expect a sizable battery capacity, along with a dual-motor configuration, all-wheel drive and brisk straight-line performance for Infiniti’s first EV. In fact, the company puts particular emphasis on performance credentials, saying the dual-motor AWD will deliver “blistering” acceleration and boast handling enhanced by its low centre of gravity.
That will put Infiniti’s EVs in direct competition with their Tesla-branded counterparts, given the American brand’s preoccupation with performance. We won’t know whether Infiniti’s electric SUV will have the right numbers to challenge the Tesla Model Y until both cars enter the market, however the language from Infiniti suggests that Nissan’s luxury offshoot is certainly aiming high.
It’s definitely treading adventurously on the design front too, with the QX Inspiration’s edgy exterior styling pasting the sporty turret profile of a Nissan GT-R over a blunt-nosed, big-wheeled and origami-inspired SUV lower half.
Suicide doors, a show-car staple, open up to an opulent cabin furnished with Japanese-style timber louvres in the sunroof, geometric suede ‘tiles’ in lieu of conventional carpet, an electronic display stretching from A-pillar to A-pillar, and a marble-topped centre console that extends over the sofa-like second row seating. Do NOT expect any of the concept’s interior features to survive the productionising process.
The QX Inspiration-based SUV won’t be the only Infiniti EV. Far from it. The company has pledged to begin offering fully electric as well as partially electrified powertrains from 2021 onward, with more than half of its global sales expected to be for electrically-enhanced vehicles by 2025.
Range-extender hybrids and pure electric vehicles will make up that mix – but curiously plug-in hybrids don’t appear to be part of its strategy for now.
Yesterday’s Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 reveal was a rollercoaster.
Check out our 44 picture gallery at the top of this page!
It seemed the car would be mostly irrelevant to Australia, and then Ford’s official reveal did little more than prove the rumours and leaked information to be true – we didn’t learn much.
Though the car will arrive locally in very limited numbers and at what’s likely to be a rather hefty premium, it means those with the means to own one can.
MOTOR news: 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 coming to Oz!
This is possible due to the new legislation passed by the government late last year, replacing the Motor Vehicle Standards Act with the Road Vehicle Standards Act, which allows the importation of vehicles not made available by an official importer.
The previous rules made cars like the GT350 and GT500 out-of-bounds as they were still ‘Mustangs’, which is available in Australia.
The Road Vehicle Standards Act instead recognises that the cars like the GT500 are different enough in their performance that bringing one to Australia isn’t the same as bypassing Ford Australia to import something already offered locally.
In this case, the performance difference will be huge.
While the standard Mustang GT’s naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 produces a healthy 339kW and 556Nm, the Shelby GT500 runs on supercharged 5.2-litre V8 power and makes “more than 522kW” according to Ford Performance.
Theoretically, this could mean its power figure is even higher if Ford is playing the same game as Dodge did with the “more than 600hp Hellcat” which turned out to produce 707hp – or 527kW up from a promise of 447kW.
UPDATE (25th June 2019) : Ford has confirmed that the GT500’s 5.2-litre supercharged V8 will produce 567kW and 847NM of torque, and claims that the GT500 will be the most powerful Ford road car ever.
With a specific output of 109kW per litre, the GT500 outguns the Dodge Challenger Demon‘s 626kW engine of 101kW per litre.
Subaru of America has announced it is bringing back the iconic blue and gold livery for its 2019 motorsport season.
Made famous by Subaru’s rally success in the 1990s and 2000s – and by the likes of Colin McRae, Petter Solberg, and Chris Atkinson – the blue and gold has become instantly recognisable as a Subaru staple.
In addition, Subaru announced its US-based motorsport activities will all come under the Subaru Motorsports banner, a new branding exercise to bring rally, rallycross, record attempts, off-road racing, and circuit racing under the same ‘brand’.
The ‘new’ livery is primarily influenced by the later versions of the design, after sponsorship from British American Tobacco brand State Express 555 was dropped due to tobacco ad bans.
Subaru continued to use the theme of the original 555 design, replacing the logo with its own stars and ‘sweeps’.
Though Subaru hasn’t contested the World Rally Championship for more than a decade after dropping out once the 2008 season had wrapped up, Subaru still competes in lower-tier events.
The car pictured with the new livery is a WRX STI open class rally car with which Subaru Rally Team USA contests the American Rally Association.
For 2018 the car was based on the original road car, and heavily modified so that the turbocharged 2.0-litre flat four puts out about 246kW and 569Nm via a Sadev 6-speed sequential ‘box.
Little of the original car is left once the interior has been stripped and fitted with a cage and racing seats, while the chassis and suspension is all refitted with custom rally-spec equipment from Reiger and Vermont SportsCar.
Subaru America marketing VP Alan Bethke says the blue and gold livery is an integral part of Subaru’s motorsporting identity.
“These colours are part of our brand’s history, and beloved by our enthusiasts,” Bethke says.
“For a generation of rally fans, Subaru is synonymous with blue cars, gold wheels and the iconic star cluster.
“This new design pays tribute to that heritage, while looking ahead to future success under the Subaru Motorsports name.”
Subaru says the new livery will debut at the 100 Acre Rally in Missouri over March 15 and 16.
BENTLEY, it would appear, is a licence to print money.
The formula seems foolproof. Take the best of the Volkswagen Group’s sunk engineering costs and intellectual property, integrate it in a broadly cohesive fashion, dress it in agreeably bespoke clothing and then virtually name your price.
Therefore it seems almost inconceivable that Bentley is on the nose financially. And Volkswagen Group’s main shareholders, the Piech and Porsche families, have issued Bentley an ultimatum to become profitable within two years.
As recently as 2016, Bentley was a good news story. The marque shipped 6.4 percent more vehicles than it did the previous year, and even when accounting for the costs involved in launching the Bentayga, profits were still €112 million (A$178 million).
This ought to have been Bentley’s ‘Porsche Cayenne moment’ when sales volumes went berserk, paymasters Volkswagen gaped in awe and the team in Crewe could roll around in varied states of undress in bottomless baths of £50 notes.
Torque converters are better than DCTs
It didn’t pan out that way. The spectre of a no-deal Brexit has haunted the company for the past couple of years. According to World Trade Organisation terms, imports to the UK from the EU will be subject to a 10 percent tariff should Britain fail to agree a deal for post-Brexit trade.
CEO Adrian Hallmark is fully aware of the implications of crashing out of Europe. “Best case, it’s an annoying impact on our annual profitability,” Hallmark said.
“Worst case, it’s quite damaging on our annual profitability so a full no-deal Brexit would hurt us as a company, it would limit ability to invest.”
Exchange rate fluctuations due to Brexit have also contributed to Bentley’s 2018 woes, there have been issues with WLTP emissions testing and also a problem integrating some of the gearbox calibration software in the new Continental GT, which delayed its launch significantly
Volkswagen isn’t buying excuses though. German newspaper Handelsblatt claimed VW insiders said the recent Continental GT launch was the “worst production ramp-up of all time.”
“The important thing is for every [VW Group] brand to generate a reasonable contribution margin,” Wolfgang Porsche, head of the families, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
“That is not currently the case at Bentley, and we are not satisfied.”
“It can only be one to two years,” said Hans Michel Piech, outlining the limits of the company’s patience.
Bentley lost €137 million (A$218 million) in the first nine months of 2018 against a small profit in the same period in 2017, according to the latest Volkswagen Group reports.
Returning Bentley to profitability should be relatively straightforward. It’s merely a case of cutting back on marginal investments, streamlining production of Continental GT, and accelerating launch dates for V8 Conti GT variant, with priority on the Chinese and US markets.
Hallmark, who was once in charge at Porsche UK, needs to borrow from Porsche’s expertise at creating high-margin special editions.
He’s also looking to the Germans to share expertise in electric vehicles gained from the Taycan development. One thing’s for sure, though. Bentley must direct its available resources towards effortlessly luxurious sedans and GT cars rather than more overtly sporting models.
Volkswagen may well have put Bentley on probation, but we’re not pessimistic about its chances. The product is too good for it to fail.
What is it?
Peugeot’s welcome replacement to the dour 5008 people mover is a stretched version of the stylish Peugeot 3008 medium SUV, with a 165mm longer wheelbase that accommodates a third row of seats. The 5008 GT-Line is the mid-spec version featuring similar styling to the range-topping GT, but without that variant’s gutsy turbo-diesel power.
How much is the Peugeot 5008 GT-Line?
Priced at $46,990 before on-road costs, the Peugeot 5008 GT-Line sits between the entry-level 5008 Allure ($42,990) and turbo-diesel-powered 5008 GT ($52,990) in the local range.
It’s very well appointed and represents the sweet spot in terms of equipment and pricing, if not performance.
Who is it for?
Anyone looking for a spacious European medium SUV with a mainstream price tag.
The third row is a little tight to regularly cart a family of seven, but it is handy for smaller families who may have to carry a couple of guests from time to time.
Is the Peugeot 5008 GT-Line easy to live with?
The Peugeot 5008 GT-Line has an elegant interior design finished with attractive woven fabric, soft touch plastics, and classy metallic bright points.
Seats are stylishly trimmed with a cloth and faux-leather upholstery, and are comfortable despite the basic manual adjustments. The roomy second row’s three seats slide and recline independently and can quickly fold forward for access to the third row, whose small seats cleverly pop up from the boot floor.
It’s also big on function with good driver ergonomics including intuitively laid out switches, and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster that sits above the petite steering wheel. An 8.0-inch infotainment screen displays dual-zone climate control settings, satellite navigation, while also incorporating a digital radio tuner and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring.
Storage is plentiful and includes deep door bins, a cavernous centre console tub and underfloor compartments.
With the third row seats folded down, the cargo area holds up to 952-litres, and you can easily remove them out all together to carry 1060 litres.
How well does the Peugeot 5008 GT-Line drive?
The Peugeot 5008 GT-Line’s modern aesthetics aren’t quite echoed under the bonnet, with an ageing powertrain featuring a tame 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission.
While it’s not as refined as some of its competitors, it’s still more than adequate for driving around town. A Dynamic mode alters the rev mapping to get up to speed quicker on highways.
It’s reasonably economical, with a 7.0L/100km combined fuel consumption rating.
The ride on the 18-inch wheels is firm but comfortable, though the ride does get a little busy on rougher surfaces.
The Peugeot 5008 comes standard with active safety features including adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, driver attention alert, and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection.
Verdict
The Peugeot 5008 GT-Line is an excellent choice for anyone seeking a practical but stylish SUV that stands out from the crowd. The entry-level 5008 Allure also offers this, but the GT-Line’s additional kit, including GT sports bumper and grill, ‘Diamond black roof’ and matching mirrors, LED headlights justifies the extra $4000.
It’s pricier than key mid-sized seven-seat rivals, such as the Honda CR-V VTi-L, Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed and Nissan X-Trail ST-L, however neither of these match its premium feel or standard features list.
AS A brand, Mercedes-Benz is responsible for the introduction of more current safety technology than any other, but its head of group research and development, Ola Källenius, believes that there is a lot more to come.
The introduction of anti-lock brakes, adaptive cruise control and even four-wheel disc brakes can be attributed to Mercedes engineers, while even the smallest of its current cars – like the just-released CLA – can read terrain up to 500m ahead to help it avoid an accident.
Källenius is unequivocal about the brand’s place in the road safety spectrum. “That game never ends,” he told Australian journalists at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
“Safety is part of the core DNA of Mercedes, and of course the ultimate goal is zero accidents in traffic. And things like autonomous drive and more sophisticated driver systems are all enablers to reduce traffic accidents, because virtually all traffic accidents are human error.”
He did confirm, however, that the company would soon show off a new generation of safety technology – likely as part of its journey towards the introduction of the next-generation S-Class, which is due on sale in 2021.
“We’re going to show a demonstrator later this year, like a Vision car if you will, with how we envision safety taken to the next level, even though we’re very high-level as it is,” Källenius confirmed.
“So watch this space. When that comes out, it’s going to be an interesting thing to take a look at.”
Källenius declined to divulge details, but suggested that while some features to be shown will make it into production sooner rather than later, there are “some things that are a little bit more freakish”.
“Having been in engineering now for a couple of years, I’m absolutely amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of the engineers,” he exclaimed. “It never stops!”
