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Ford Australia invented the luxury sports sedan in 1970 with its awesome range of XY-XB Fairmont sedans optioned-up with the K-code 351/5.8-litre engine and GS pack. The XC Fairmont GXL and a special range of XD-XE Fairmont Ghia ESP models with 5.8-litres options that followed had no factory rival.
When the new FG Falcon range appears to deliver the best top shelf Falcon model and the most powerful mainstream V8 factory option ever, why aren't they combined in a range-topping G8E that could have been the best luxury sports Ford V8 ever?
The official reason makes no sense. Ford claims that the new FG G6E Turbo offers so much torque and performance with superior fuel economy, a G8E would not deliver any real advantages.
For this argument to be consistent, the XR8 should not be in the new Ford line-up either. Ford claims that the new FG range consists of a V with the XT at the base while the XR6, XR6 Turbo and the XR8 make up the "overt sports" branch, leaving the G6, G6E/G6E Turbo to generate the "luxury sports" line.
However, the V is looking a little lopsided. Why hasn't Ford shot a 290kW cannon across the bow of Holden's top-selling Calais V 6.0-litre, especially now that the Fairlane has gone?
Following Ford's FG design briefing, it was obvious that this V range philosophy where the G6E Turbo takes over from the XR series as the new hero model is a relatively last minute development when the concepts for the top FG models were still wearing Fairmont and Ghia badges.
CN was told by Ford insiders that the new G6E range with its more extensive body changes and equipment was fast-tracked to meet the market shift that sees large cars becoming more of a discretionary luxury purchase, less of a bottom line pragmatic one.
In other words, Ford could not ignore the record sales that Holden is enjoying with the Calais V when optioned-up with Holden's 6-litre V8. This boom is also reflected in record top shelf Statesman/Caprice sales, for which Ford now has no rival.
Over at HSV, the latest E-series Senator is enjoying unprecedented demand after HSV gave its poor-selling luxury sports model a fresh new identity of its own, totally separate to the performance range. The same approach has boosted sales of the new HSV Grange by up to 400 per cent!
Why has Ford suddenly decided not to front at the starting line when it could easily field a G8E entry that is 110 per cent race fit and potentially an absolute winner?
The answer is three letters: FPV.
FPV's untidy new FG range provides confirmation.
The Force 6 and Force 8 are gone. FPV's two new luxury sports models launched late in 2006 attempted to fill the luxury sports gap in both the Ford and FPV ranges. Unlike the latest HSV Senator and Grange, which have a prestige look that links them to Holden's own Statesman/Caprice, FPV's Force models were a cheap and cheerful tweak of an existing body kit, an all too common FPV theme these days.
They have now been dropped from FPV's new FG range. The Force 6 has not been replaced at all. The Force 8 has been replaced by a new GT-E model wearing a more subtle variation of the FG GT body kit minus the "raccoon eye patches" at the front and a lower rear spoiler. This means it is not an extension of Ford's new top shelf G6E Turbo look.
Why isn't there a matching F6E to replace the Force 6? For the same reason, there is no Ford G8E.
The relationship between the Ford and FPV ranges was changed fundamentally on the arrival of Ford's G6E Turbo, exactly as it needed to be if either entity is going to challenge Holden/HSV domination.
The GT and F6 Typhoon were always an extension of Ford's "overt sports" range in DNA and appearance and still need to be when they remain the hero models for XR buyers. Creating an expedient Force 6 and Force 8 luxury sports range from this sports stream could never be any more successful than previous HSV Senator efforts. Both needed to disappear at the launch of FG.
If there wasn't time to develop a new FPV "luxury sports" stream that extended the sharp new appearance and cabin of the G6E Turbo, the F6 E could only be based on a plainer version of the latest F6 sports body kit. Because it would have looked irrelevant, even embarrassing, against Ford's G6E Turbo, it was thankfully dropped.
CN has been told by insiders that the compromise was for Ford to delete the G8E so that it wouldn't expose FPV's new GT-E as an equally irrelevant and underdone model that the F6 E would have been.
During a period when the sales of Ford's mainstream models are critical to the survival of the Falcon as well as FPV, it appears to be total folly to rob the Ford range of its best hero V8 model in its local history to protect a new FPV GT-E variation that can't take the battle to its HSV Senator rival anyway.
The new G6E Turbo is the best news in a new local Ford range since the first XR6 Turbo was announced in 2002.
And a G8E with 290kW, a bonnet bulge and the G6E Turbo's extra body tweaks would have been even better for the army of mature Ford traditionalists who want to drive a Ford V8, not a turbo nor an FPV.
Ford's heartland luxury V8 buyers have been shortchanged for too long with previous uncompetitive Fairlane and Fairmont Ghia V8 models compared to those luxury Holden models which the share the SS V8. The FG range has nothing for them -- even at FPV level -- because the new GT-E is not an extension of Ford's luxury sports stream.
As for the argument that a G8E would not be as efficient as the G6E Turbo, Ford would do well to look at the ballistic demand for the Boss 302 Cobra and then chart the rise in values of their own Falcon GT-HO Phase III from $60,000 to $700,000 in less than five years.
None of this is logical against any assessment that says a turbo six is better but in the emotional context, having a G8E in the garage for Sunday drives makes far more sense than any G6E Turbo.
At a time when the heart needs to rule over the head in more big car purchases, why delete Ford's top of the range V8 default emotional choice?
As for FPV, if now is not the right time to present a slap-up F6 E then it is not right for the GT-E either, when a proper Senator rival is required. If the G6E Turbo is the new Ford benchmark, then FPV must extend it by another 20 per cent in all areas, just as HSV was forced to do with the Calais V.
Nobbling Ford's best range in decades by deleting the V8 hero luxury model that Ford first defined, is a case of two wrongs not making a right. It is a strategy that robs the Ford range of a true G8E hero model at a time when FPV has yet to develop a proper luxury sports range worthy of its V8 and turbo six powertrains.
In today's unforgiving market, that must qualify as some form of self-harm.
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