BrentS

Hi all. This has probably been mentioned in another thread, but in case it hasn't, I've just read that the last bastion of de-restricted speed zones will be no longer from January 2007. Yep, that's it folks.......the Northern Territory is introducing 130kph maximum speed limits across what are currently its de-restricted roads. So, there we go. Another win for political correctness; for big brother mentality; for money hungry local/state government; for the "nanny state". I've driven on the autobahns in Germany and have witnessed how well open limits can work, if administered and implemented properly. So, Australia's answer: do we teach better driving skills? Nope. Invest in upgrading the roads? Nup. All we do instead is simply scrap the only open space where a good car can have its legs stretched a bit. Fantastic. Whilst this will no doubt appease the "speed kills" zealots who view anything more powerful than a 25cc 2 stroke scooter as a weapon of mass destruction, it'll do stuff all for road safety IMO. The only casualties out there now will be what they've always been out on those big, flat and straight roads......accidents caused by inattention and people falling asleep at the wheel. My money will be that sadly, the first fatality post 31 January 2007 out there will be the diesel Volvo with bald tyres towing an overloaded Jayco caravan that careers off the road after the driver falls asleep after doing 90kph for the last 12 hours, rather than somebody in a Typhoon getting it wrong at 190kph or whatever. Same old story ladies & gents. Slowly, but ever so surely, inch by inch, we're being legislated out of existence. My humble 20c worth. Brent.

Hmmm. Well, it seems like there's some variations on the theme. I just thought I'd ask anyway. Thanks to all for your responses. Brent.

Hi guys. Have had my BF GT for a few days now. No problems so far. However, I have noticed that the red light around the starter button stays on permanently after I start the engine, until I turn the ignition off again. Is this supposed to happen, or is it supposed to turn off after the engine starts? Thanks, Brent.

Replicant, I'm 100% with you regarding your post. I'd like to think that maturity has something to do with the fact that I don't engage in that many traffic light derbys anymore, but also I know its for reasons of mechanical sympathy and desire to keep my licence that you mentioned as well. As you point out, its hard enough launching a manual rear wheel drive car off the line at maximum performance, let alone a 4WD. I wonder how many Subaru WRX owners have the talent or the willingness to thrash their cars in the way that a maximum performance takeoff demands? 5,000rpm and drop the clutch? Not in my car thanks. Brent.

Congrats on your purchase. The sound of the 8s is awesome. The XR8 will be a great car. PS. Are those burnout marks on the road in the photo yours???

Well, given that I've just purchased a BF I GT, I'm sort of glad that BF II doesn't mean any big changes. Bodes well for the resale values of the current BF FPV range. However, that's just being selfish from a current model owner's viewpoint. Being totally objective, I think that BF II is a disappointment for performance car enthusiasts like us. Arguably the XR6T was a good thing to begin with, so a sharper price is probably good. However, Ford have erred badly if they think that they can sell XR8s with just a price cut and nothing else, and surely PFV could have done a little bit of tweaking to the range (a few extra kws for the V8s, or Bilstein shockers for all FPV cars, or a ZF diff etc). Its only October 2006 and already there's heaps of evidence around of discounting etc by Ford to keep the sales ticking over. It'll be a long, long year 2007 for Ford as it battles the VE whilst waiting for Orion. Brent.

Thanks guys. Yeah, I'm pretty stoked about it. Bought it off the lot, so it was a case of take it or leave it when it came to colour and stripe package etc. I'll see if the gold stripes grow on me or not, then decide what to do from there. Yes, I'll get the windows tinted guys. I just didn't want to be ripped off by paying Ford to do it! FYI the car itself was $57K on the road. I knew if I waited for BF Series II it would be a struggle to replicate that price, so I took the plunge. PS. I know she's not as fast as some others, but its my first V8........and a pretty handy upgrade from the 1994 ED XR6 that I'm currently driving. Brent.

Thanks mate. I pick it up on Wednesday. Can hardly wait. Gee, the engines feel damned tight (the test car I drove only had 30kms on it). Not all that loud in terms of the exhaust until you give 'em a poke either. Still, I fell in love almost immediately. Brent.

Pfffffttttt!!! You turbo boys are easy to pass.....you're usually too busy playing with your boost control to see us coming!

Thanks. Hardest part was getting my wife comfortable with the stripe package, particularly as I only afforded the car because I traded her beloved Expensive Daewoo Vectra in!

Hi all. Well, I finally yielded to temptation. Saw a brand new BF GT auto at a price too good to be true at a Melbourne dealer. Auto, black, stripes, leather, sports steering wheel, reverse sensors, FPV floors mats. I've never attached pics before, but I'll try here:

Sure, they could have but the odds are slim and none because supercharged V8s aren't street legal in all states if memory serves. ← You mean that in some states its illegal to drive a Mercedes V8 Compressor or an XJR Jaguar? Hmmm. Not sure about that.

Rather than cut $6-7K off the price of the XR8, for that amount of coin, they could have put the BOSS 290 engine in it, whacked bilsteins in all round, and still had $$$ left over to give a couple of grand discount to the list price. FPV could then have supercharged the BOSS 290 to say 320kw and we'd all be leaping for joy. Alas, no cigar.

Andrew, you've hit (at least one of the nails!) squarely on the head. That's probably a big bit of the problem for FPV........they're trying to run their business on a shoestring. Corners get cut, quality issues creep in, development work gets cut. As many car companies can attest from around the world, it costs big $$$ to design and develop cars, even if you're not building the things from scratch. If you don't have the coin, you're stuffed, or soon will be. As an aside thought, why the do we "need" FPV? Why shouldn't Ford Aus have its own 100% owned and operated performance division, thereby giving its performance arm access to the much larger financial resources that Ford has access to? I mean, we have this Tom Gorman clown (CEO Ford Aust) carrying on how Ford MUST win Bathurst this year, yada, yada yada. If he's serious about Ford winning races, building better cars, and getting more "credibility", then maybe HE should put his money where his mouth is and develop a fully fledged performance arm of Ford. No, the money certainly isn't endless, but it may be a lot better than the financial handcuffs that FPV find themselves shackled with. I'm sure 100 people will come back and say to me its been tried before etc and I'll look like a goose, but gee, there has to be a better way than the current situation? Is there?

Jonom, Agree that the big $$$ development items will be held until Orion arrives, but FPV have to sell cars between now and late 2007/early 2008 when Orion arrives. A company can't just pull down the shutters and say "stuff it, we'll just wait until the new model comes and go and play cards until then..." The model cycle of Australian cars is a bit weird in that way. Ford (and also Holden) do stuff all for ages, maybe adding a new pinstrip here, or a coffee cup holder there and call it Series II or Series III, then they'll come out with an all new car that has massive changes to sheetmetal, interior, mechanicals etc. Simultaneously, such big changes mean that resale values of the 'old' model go into freefall. At the same time, the the all-new models inevitably have quality control issues for the first 12-18 months or so until the myriad of production line and component bugs are sorted out. Maybe a few more meaningful, incremental changes are a better option? Suppose that was what I was trying to say. I'm certainly NOT advocating that FPV scrap the BOSS engine and go through the massive expense of developing a whole new engine for the 18 months until Orion arrives, but maybe just some smaller things to keep the pace. If I'm shelling out for $65K for a GT, or more for a GT-P, then I'm already heavily invested in the car.....another $1-2K for a better diff, or different cam or whatever really isn't going to make me not buy the car. Probably the opposite in fact. I'd happily pay a few $ more for a better "stock"car than go through the hassle and risks of after market mods, with all the insurance implications etc. Brent.