IN A FRANK EXCHANGE yesterday, FPV Boss Rod Barrett said that the possibility of FPV producing a GTHO was “so far from reality, it’s off the table”.
However, he also conceded that the “GTHO is a dream of mine”.
“You’ve got to be a brave man to go back to GTHO,” Mr Barrett said. “We’re not prepared to think about it until we’ve got all the hardware required, the financial backing and we’re ready to go..
“It would have to be something entirely unique. The original (Phase 3) was the fastest four-door sedan in the world at that time.”
Mr Barrett said that FPV had learned a lot by watching the fortunes of Holden’s exclusive W427 supercar which has fallen short of sales expectations.
This year being the 40th anniversary of the original XW GTHO (which rolled out of Broadmeadows in June 1969 with a 225kW 351 Cleveland engine under the bonnet), Ford performance fans who may have been hoping for an anniversary special ‘HO’ will be disappointed.
Where there’s light however, there’s hope. With a boss in the chair who has the GTHO as a personal “dream”, and with FPV’s performance car sales holding up well in the current climate, being “off the table” may only be a temporary condition.
FPV sales this year are expected to come in at slightly under 2000 units. This compares favourably with the years 2006, 2007 and 2008, which saw sales of 2144, 2127 and 2035 FPVs respectively.
“To date, we’re only three percent down on last year, compared to large sedan sales across the market being down 18 percent,” Dave Harding, Communications Manager for Ford Performance Vehicles told TMR.
“We (expected) a tough year, but it has been better than we envisaged,” Mr Barrett said.
“People are still out there to buy fast Fords. There is always going to be a market for Ford Performance Vehicles.”
Click here to see TMR’s review of the FPV 5th Anniversary GT.
Click here to see TMR’s review of the FPV F6 310.
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Build it and they(buyers) will come.
I know a guy who worked for FPV, he told me that the Supercharged V8 [same engine as in the GT40 rebirth] was tested and approved for use in a Falcon, he was involved with certification of this.
This was near 10 years ago, so i don’t know what they are waiting for?
Just build 500 *Limited Edition* GTHO Phase5 and they will sell them easy enough, its not even 2/pcs per each Ford dealership.
I would/nt want one, but am sure 500 would be ok to sell [even though HSV struggled with selling the 427]
Just get the dealership salesman to mention ‘”Look at the prices the GTHOP3 are selling for” and the wood-ducks will snap them up!
Job Done!
Kip
Will they? It would all depend on the price, because to have a car worthy of the GTHO name you would have to have the performance to back it up, and performance and reliability above that of the current FPV cars would not come cheap. Look at the W427, HSV only made 137 of those at 155K a pop.
“Mr Barrett said that FPV had learned a lot by watching the fortunes of Holden’s exclusive W427 supercar which has fallen short of sales expectations.”
No s**t Einstein. It was overpriced that’s why. HSV wanted to rip you a new one and thought they would laugh all the way to the bank with the W427. You can build a better W427 yourself using even stronger driveline parts and the same LS7 engine for under $100K. How HSV came to the $155K price tag only God will know. This is why it didn’t sell. Someone going to buy such a car knows what they’re worth and how much to build, you can’t blindly rip them off.
Ford is dropping V8’s for next year which leaves FPV the only way to get a V8 Falcon. They should go ahead with a supercharged GT-HO, just don’t price it over $100K and it will sell. They may not make a s**t load from it, but in terms of marketing and being a halo car it will be a worth while exercise.
If the Brits can take our Clubsports and sell them brand new with a supercharger and 500HP with full warranty and all the other bells and wistles for well under $80K. Then we who build the damn things can do the same. Ford need to build the HO with a supercharged V8 and 400kW. Limited numbers for under $100K and it will sell like no tomorrow.
I agree with Jess and since theres no way a new GTHO would be the fastest 4 door in the world,they could aim for the fastest 4 door in the world under the magic $100K mark but still be able to slap around higher priced Euro sedans.
“If the Brits can take our Clubsports and sell them brand new with a supercharger and 500HP with full warranty and all the other bells and wistles for well under $80K”
converting pounds to dollars doesnt work. look at the average salary in the UK, well below ours. A 911 turbo is 90k pounds over there, or roughly 200k here, yet porsche sells for 300k.
400kw in a falcon, its no knock out blow. Reality is nothing will come close to GTHO in terms of destroying the comp.