FPV GT to be killed off early

[HEMI POWER]

Originally Posted by P6LTD351

The people with the money in the next 10 - 40 years won't give two hoots about Bathurst or any racing pedigree. I love Phase 3s but I've never been one to watch cars go around a track - I love driving. Still love Phase 3s, XAs, XBs. But definitely not because they went around a track. Those days are gone. Welcome to the new world.

Cars with racing heritage will always have there place in years to come.

[fgpsi]

I was really hoping for FPV to stay on till 2016.

One more fresh F6 and GT would've been epic :( and lol at the poll.. Who the hell would vote no?

[krypto71]

If Ford don't release a 2014 GT, there always the aftermarket body kit companies. A factory quality kit to match the GT hardware under the XR8 body. Adapt the current GT kit or maybe a kit based on the final Falcon V8 Supercar might be cool.

I wonder if a G8E might become a reality?

[Express]

Originally Posted by krypto71

If Ford don't release a 2014 GT, there always the aftermarket body kit companies. A factory quality kit to match the GT hardware under the XR8 body. Adapt the current GT kit or maybe a kit based on the final Falcon V8 Supercar might be cool.

I wonder if a G8E might become a reality?

Why ruin a perfectly good Falcon with an aftermarket kit?

Originally Posted by mcnews

R Spec owners will be the winners out of this. They will eventually be the most collectible Falcon ever one would expect.

Maybe it would be better to start filling up your shed now with all the genuine FPV bodykits and specific parts you can afford.

One day your grandkids will make a killing selling NOS at a 1000% mark up.


.

[krypto71]

Previous posters seemed concerned about Ford not releasing a unique body kit for the V8, but keeping the GT running gear.

Oh, and if ford were not getting rid of the perfectly good Falcon GT we wouldn't even be discussing this.

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by zx10

Would be interesting to survey high school kids and see what cars they aspire to own.

Today's generation is not comprised of motoring enthusiasts, so your response will look like this.

1. Prius
2. Fiesta
3. Escape/Kuga
4. CRV
5. Fiat 500 (because they think the Beats audio is cooool maaaan!)


etc etc..

[Express]

Originally Posted by krypto71

Previous posters seemed concerned about Ford not releasing a unique body kit for the V8, but keeping the GT running gear.

Oh, and if ford were not getting rid of the perfectly good Falcon GT we wouldn't even be discussing this.

Fair call, we all have our own taste. I’m a fan of the clean lines over bodykits.

GT’s sold in big numbers for years without bodykits or the need for Tickford or FPV for that matter.

Holden also did well with their GTS and SS models before HDT or HSV.

Kits became the norm when outside companies like FPV & HSV took to modding the cars to differentiate the vehicles from the offerings of the donor company and in doing so, added a big premium price.

Give me upgraded mechanicals, brakes and bigger engines, stick a GT badge on and leave the rest as it is as far as I’m concerned. It might even make the cars cheaper to buy.


.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by P6LTD351

The people with the money in the next 10 - 40 years won't give two hoots about Bathurst or any racing pedigree. I love Phase 3s but I've never been one to watch cars go around a track - I love driving. Still love Phase 3s, XAs, XBs. But definitely not because they went around a track. Those days are gone. Welcome to the new world.

Nothing...your missing nothing. But the blind followers will stand up and protect the brand for all its downfalls and say "oh its ok", we can badge it a Sprint and make a car that only hardcore Ford fans will give a stuff about (and even then not) or have any idea exists...hang on, sounds like the philosophy that the entire Falcon brand has been sold by for the last 10 years and look where we are...

Nah all is good mate, Fords got this. They just killed alot of interest in the Falcons final hour...cheers for the memories Detroit...ill hold onto the fact that the EB and LILPG FH is a fine car and it was supported until the end.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by LeadFoot81

Mate, they've blown more than enough cash already.

I'm sure the FH XR8 will be a pearler, and closer in spirit to the original GTs.

Ok so look how the US's bottom line is at the moment.....I cant believe for the sake of another few million they couldnt let it go out with a bang...it pails into insignificance with the financial and brand equity damage thats coming for them.

Mechanically the car will be good because it is good now...its issue at the moment is exactly what they wont be spending money on now.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Ok so look how the US's bottom line is at the moment.....I cant believe for the sake of another few million they couldnt let it go out with a bang...it pails into insignificance with the financial and brand equity damage thats coming for them.

Mechanically the car will be good because it is good now...its issue at the moment is exactly what they wont be spending money on now.

Are you actually in the market for a new GT, would you go buy one?

If so, maybe you and the rest of the Ford hardcore should send a petition to Ford
along with a $10,000 cash deposit for a 2014 GT to show conviction...

And me personally,
I would be happy to see GT remain but built to order with unique nose cone and wing..
Sounds like the main difference with the 2014 cars over FGII is appearance, so why not include a GT.

[GTP534]

Originally Posted by 290GTP

Damn shame but not surprising. If the rumours are true & they really are losing money on every Falcon sold why would they keep the GT any longer than they have too. Every Falcon sold just means more & more money lost so lets not sell any at all. Sad.

Will my BA GTP ever be a collectors item? Probably not but its never leaving my garage that's for sure.

She is a beauty! (If I say so myself!) Still miss the old girl. I remember sitting on a kerb and just admiring the muscular look of the first series. The R-Spec is great but the front is a bit feminine!

All the best Steve.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by flappist

If racing heritage is the primary concern then the GTHO Phase 3 is LONG way from the top.

It won at Bathurst ONCE.

XA won twice and Cortina GT won 3 times.
Not to mention the multiple wins by the red team.

Of course only a few really care about the Cortina GT as compared to the later XY Falcon it was quite slow, possibly even slower than a 6 cylinder Falcon.

Rather like the FG XT vs Phase 3 time trial on Top Gear really.

What is collectible and valuable in the future will be determined by the future as the people of that time look back.

[GTP534]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Are you actually in the market for a new GT, would you go buy one?

If so, maybe you and the rest of the Ford hardcore should send a petition to Ford
along with a $10,000 cash deposit for a 2014 GT to show conviction...

And me personally,
I would be happy to see GT remain but built to order with unique nose cone and wing..
Sounds like the main difference with the 2014 cars over FGII is appearance, so why not include a GT.

I'm just adopting a wait and see stance on this until some definitive announcement comes from Ford, hopefully next month.

Even then it's best to wait and see what Ford do release in 2014 as it's not good to bite your nose off just to spite your face, to coin a phrase. I would hope they'll drip feed details like they did with BA, that was a great campaign.

I'm fairly sure a lot of dealers won't take deposits at this stage due to the uncertainty.

[GQ_Smooth]

Hopefully they have

XR6T and XR6T F6
XR8 and XR8 GT

To differentiate the 2 models.

Alternatively, we may be getting F6's and GT's at XR6T / XR8 prices (less the body kit). What do people think has better model recognition?

XR6T or F6
XR8 or GT

I can't see Ford dumping the XR branding, but I can also see them charging a premium for F6, GT model designation. I really really really want my next purchase to be a Ford V8, with just 2 letters in it's model designation (GT). When my little boy gets older, he and his friends can GOOGLE "Falcon GT" and look at it's history, and that history uniquely Australian (I wasn't even born here for god sake, yet I still want to preserve and pass a bit of it down the line).

Please FORD, find a way to keep the GT badge, I don't care about sticker packs or body kits, but in the last phases of production, please have your high performance Falcon a GT, please!

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Are you actually in the market for a new GT, would you go buy one?

If so, maybe you and the rest of the Ford hardcore should send a petition to Ford
along with a $10,000 cash deposit for a 2014 GT to show conviction...

And me personally,
I would be happy to see GT remain but built to order with unique nose cone and wing..
Sounds like the main difference with the 2014 cars over FGII is appearance, so why not include a GT.

Oh dont you start with this "are you going to buy one and if not shutup" rubbish.

Show me your invoice for a deposit and maybe that mantra holds some creditability..and even then the forum is about open discussion, not open checkbooks.

If your saying its not such a bad thing that the main distinguishing feature between a XR and a GT is some wheels and badges then great. Id say the market says BS. If the ED Sprint was such a success with its low profile styling then why one one run? Look at the T series, sales disaster and their excuse at the time was a " changing market". No its that they simply didnt have a good enough engine to match the looks needed. Fixed it ith the T3 and then bounced back with the mechanically inferior BA GT which low and be hold had the looks....

So forgive me for thinking people spending $60k on a falcon might want something a bit more than a XR.

Like I said, Ford know what they are doing. I believe...I believe

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by ivorya

Is this article written just to take the heat out of Holden's Woes??

No there is plenty to go around in the Australian car industry at the moment,. Toyota have come out today and said their and Holdens sales could be gutted by the new emissions trading scheme.

http://www.news.com.au/national-news...-1226680379610

The whole industry in Australia is in serious trouble. Ford calling it quits was the tipping point.

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Are you actually in the market for a new GT, would you go buy one?

If so, maybe you and the rest of the Ford hardcore should send a petition to Ford
along with a $10,000 cash deposit for a 2014 GT to show conviction...

And me personally,
I would be happy to see GT remain but built to order with unique nose cone and wing..
Sounds like the main difference with the 2014 cars over FGII is appearance, so why not include a GT.

Polyal mentioned brand equity which you have conveniently ignored. The damage to the brand will happen irrespective of who or how many buyers were actually out there. This is a car with fifty years of history in this country.

Personally I can understand Fords situation, but given that the media will print any rumour or leak, once the decision had been made or at least rumours had started to spring up, Ford should have held a press conference this week and put an end to the speculation and simply told outright what is going to happen and why. Complete and full transparency was their best PR option.

Similarly that useless PR side of Ford should have been on here with the same information.

But they don't. They never have. They let this stuff cause maximum damage and then when its too late, try and do something.

[CyberWasp]

There is no reason why there can't be an XR8 and a GT Model.
The GT Model can still have the same front and rear and be differentiated by Stripes / Wheels ect.

The new model has to base its styling on one of the following.
Fusion, Taurus, or Mustang.
If Mustang is to be the successor, then does this not mean that the last Falcon will be a transition to the Mustang in appearance.
I think we will find that the XR8 / GT or whatever else they are going to call it will be an aggressive good looking machine. Something the new Commodore is not.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

He's just cut, because if the XR8 returns he will look like a fool for constantly bagging people who claimed it was coming back.

Possibility of an XR8 and an XR8 Sprint. That would be some cold comfort.

No I would be happy about it, in fact so happy I will start a thread just for all the usual suspects to post pics of their brand new XR8s they purchased.

[AU Mont]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Oh dont you start with this "are you going to buy one and if not shutup" rubbish.

Show me your invoice for a deposit and maybe that mantra holds some creditability..and even then the forum is about open discussion, not open checkbooks.

the thing is, its the opinions & mindset of the people who actually can afford, & do intend on spending that much on a performance car that actually matters/counts in the real world.

the rest of the dreamers like you & me, dont have any credible advice to give.

[au2000]

Originally Posted by AU Mont

the thing is, its the opinions & mindset of the people who actually can afford, & do intend on spending that much on a performance car that actually matters/counts in the real world.

the rest of the dreamers like you & me, dont have any credible advice to give.

true in part, however the real issue is not if the people who have or are going to buy one when the fh is released can have an actual opinion & that opinion being taken on board, its the fact that ford has made the announcement now, & its in care taker mode until 2016 & im afraid to say that in my opinion only that this is the time that the accountants really come out to play & say, what a new front bumper at a cost of $$$ per vehicle on top of the cost of a fh bumper? nah, a sticker at $ will do..
at this point there is no one be it a dreamer or buyer who can influence the decisions that are coming, its the bean counters & management.
this was the concern i had re the fh, would i be able to buy a gt in the format im used to seeing them in? the answer no, i'd have to take what comes so to speak, those on here who have better info than me would know if the actual plan for the fh is still true to the original concept or if now management is looking to scrap the "extras" to consolidate its losses.
most of us would have seen that fpv as a brand was to be eroded or removed all together once it moved in house, this was highlighted once fpv model's began to drop off the list bit by bit.
i'll be suprised if there is even such as thing as fpv in 2014.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by AU Mont

the thing is, its the opinions & mindset of the people who actually can afford, & do intend on spending that much on a performance car that actually matters/counts in the real world.

the rest of the dreamers like you & me, dont have any credible advice to give.

Mate with all due respect I do understand where that comment is coming from, what I detest is the way in which it is used on these forums.

Thats not to say that I dont understand the industry, or the market, and there are PLENTY of people who work for Ford that dont own new Fords, does that make their opinion null and void?

To be fair I have no intention, for a very long time, of buying anything new to be honest as I dont see the value in it and its not because I dont have the means; its just a personal choice.

There was perhaps sarcasm in the post too, but its something thats crept into these forums for a while now and I dont think its in the spirit of things.

My anger is that while the decision on cancelling the Falcon is fair enough, atleast let it go with some dignity. All I ask is that the Falcon be gievn the means to spread to other people who otherwise mightn't buy one, thats how you grow a product, not by satisfying a small band of diehards.

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by flappist

No I would be happy about it, in fact so happy I will start a thread just for all the usual suspects to post pics of their brand new XR8s they purchased.

I assume you will start the thread for all the people that said I'm buying a GT before the end of the Falcon first?

I'd say FPV will be receiving a marked rise in orders today if all of those forum goers were also kept to their word..

[tweeked]

Why would you even bother with the XR8. If it is just a GT but in an XR body kit, call it a GT. For the sake of developing a front and rear bar????

Something doesn't add up. Why drop a model that has the highest RRP, requires no mechanical engineering, has the greatest possibility of being sold without discounting and so return the highest margin? I mean, they are selling heaps of EB's, LPI's and NA 6's aren't they?

I would have bought a final model GT in the new shape. I will not by an XR8. Why not an FG? Looks to much like the B series - I like the idea of a GT in the new design language.

It makes no sense, although down the track with hindsight it would make perfect sense, if the 2014 Falcon as a model never eventuated.

[Gadgetman]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Keep selling your focus' bro... Leave FPV's for the big boys...

Have another VB and a Zinger burger will ya

[Gadgetman]

The GT is a really good high performance sedan. No doubt. I know we are all different. But for sheer driving pleasure, a Focus ST for mine is Ford's Halo car atm.

[BlueOvalPrint]

Hate to add to the negativity, but given Ford has been umming and ahhing about supporting FPR in the V8*'s next year, the rumoured end of FPV could add to their case to end funding...

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by BlueOvalPrint

Hate to add to the negativity, but given Ford has been umming and ahhing about supporting FPR in the V8*'s next year, the rumoured end of FPV could add to their case to end funding...

Would be happy for them to pull out of the V8 circus so the GT could at least stay till the end.

[Alan D Segal]

Originally Posted by fgpsi

and lol at the poll.. Who the hell would vote no?

image

When I voted yesterday it was mostly 'Yes' so the haters have been out overnight, I'd say.

I'd prefer Ford stay a sponsor in V8 Supercars and lose the GT/FPV if they are mutually exclusive, by the way.

With COTF I'd say they can put any sedan/large coupe body panels on there and I can't imagine they'd want to be out of it alltogether. EDIT: But I also couldn't imagine not having Falcon anymore this time a couple years ago so who knows?

[Shonky.]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

The earlier they can shut it, the cheaper it will be. They probably have a plan to force buyers away so they can blame poor sales for an early closure.

I used to defend Ford and tell people they were conspiracy theorists when they said this, but in retrospect I believe this is what has been happening in a step by step approach for years.

They have been managing Australian's expectations and scuttling locally produced cars from within the whole time.

Australia has such little history as it is, it is truly sad on every level.

While I in part agree with the sentiment that we should still support imported Fords I can't help but think that bad things happen when good people do nothing. It's difficult to support something when you know it is flawed