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Driven: Ford Falcon FGX XR8 Sprint

Unique Cars' senior designer and Ford fan Loupetis, Angelo Loupetis gives his first impression in the driver's seat of a new Falcon FGX XR8 Sprint

 

Ford Falcon FGX XR8 Sprint

I should say up front that by sheer coincidence my car ownership to date has been limited to the “blue oval” family – all vastly different products from around the globe: Laser TX3, ’63 T-Bird and a BA XR6 Turbo.

Now I’ll admit that the announcement of the FGX Sprint didn’t excite me that much. I had felt that the only Falcon Sprint worth getting excited over was the US model from ’63. Boy, that turned out to be wrong.

With the upcoming end of local production in this, a country full of car crazy people, Ford no doubt saw that the FXG Sprint would be snapped up pretty quickly by enthusiasts as a potential instant collectable. It makes sense because we all know of FPVs and HSVs kept in sheds in the hope that one day they will reach ‘gold’ status like their predecessors.

To meet this market niche Ford is building 750 XR8s and 500 XR6 Sprints.

Ford -Falcon -FGX-XR8-Sprint -rear

Now to driving it – having sampled a few FPVs powered by the mighty 5.0-litre supercharged ‘Miami’ engine I was ready for the start-up sensation. It’s all big-block muscle-car feel. After a moment’s hesitation it’s pure V8 rumble. The driving position was comfortably familiar, with the most notable change being the refined and firmer ride. And its torque and accompanying sound track would have any enthusiast grinning broadly.

Ideally I would use ‘my Sprint’ as a special-occasion driver only, keeping it hidden safely away the rest of the time. I would also be buying and putting away stocks of genuine consumable spares like floor mats and boot surrounds while they’re available so that I wouldn’t need to trawl the web when they wear out in a decade’s time!

2016 Ford Falcon FGX XR8 Sprint

ENGINE 4951cc V8, four-valve
DOHC 32v supercharged
MAX POWER 345kW @ 5750rpm
MAX TORQUE 575Nm @ 2300-6200rpm
TRANSMISSION Six-speed man/auto
WEIGHT 1869/1872kg (man/auto)
0-100KMH 4.6sec (est)
PRICE $59,990/62,190 (man/auto)

 

Photography: Nathan Jacobs/Ford

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