Performance COTY
Gallery 1
WHILE the HSV was airstrip hero, the FPV F6 was, to all intents and purposes, just as eye-bleedingly rapid.
This Performance Car Of The Year article was first published in MOTOR Magazine November 2008.
It missed out on matching the GTS’ 400m time by just a single tenth (13.5) and it was just two tenths off the HSV’s 0-100km/h time. The reason for that is simple, and it wasn’t a lack of grunt. Nope, the F6 lost time in those crucial first few metres because it was wheel-spinning all the way through first second gears.
On the racetrack, the Ford opened up a small gap, lapping 1:09.9 (two tenths faster) than the HSV mainly because it was just that little bit sharper where it mattered. The front end has a more eager turn-in and the whole shebang seems to stay flatter on the track.
Pumping the four-litre six up to 310kW has certainly given the thing bigger lungs, but it’s also made the power delivery a little more laggy and a fraction more rushy when it does arrive. So, if it all comes on boost when you’re not expecting it to, you can find yourself with a real handful.
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Classic MOTOR
While atmo cars tend to build up to things, the F6 is all hot breath on the back of your neck and a mighty boot to the freckle region. And it happens fast. Those who love turbo-motors will absolutely lerv the F6. The rest is ace, too; big interior space, better-than-average on-road ride, good noise levels and five-star safety.
There’s a decent stereo, too, but we’re betting you’ll be listening to that afterburner soundtrack from the exhaust before Billy Joel gets a look-in. And. bless my soul, the F6 is a tenner under $67,000. Mercy me.
