Gtho Dream List

[OwnaXR6T]

I really doubt if anyone will buy a $250,000 GTHO. HRT couldn't make the HRT 427 work financially. Anyone whos got 250k for car isnt going to buy a Falcon regardless how good you make it. For that kind of money I will have a new BMW M5 v10 thanks......

Whilst the car needs to be linked to racing, The WRX proves it can be done as they sell thier cars off their rally sucess. there are less than 10 parts in a WRC subaru that are the same as the road car!

Racing back in phase 111 days was production based. As we dont really have that form of racing as our premier formula, we need to base the car off what looks like a V8 supercar.

There is a lot ford can do to make it look good , driveable and saleable. They have just got to find the time to do it. They also need a lot more racing sucess to help sell it

my $2.20 worth inc GST!

't

V10, now now that's a idea for the GTHO

[HSE2]

My 2 cents

Simply not to go backwards.

Over the last 10 years we have taken so many backwards steps it isn't funny and that is just in the Tickford name.

We have a strong performance heritage that we can call upon so why not use it. The answer to this car is not to drop ideals but to improve them to the point of being functional and dare I say useful.

At the top of the list has to be performance. Don't dance around the topic, bench mark a product and beat it.

I spent some time last year behind the wheel of an AMG E55. 350 kws and 700nm of torque. This experience forms the foundation of what I think the new HO should try to achieve.

My GTHO range would be

Performance in the high 12 second range for the quarter and in the 5 second range to 100.

This would be achievable to the punter not the experts. By this I mean the times can’t be question, not like the fiasco that has surrounded the XR8 and current GT range.

Past signatures would be restored. I would not delete the Starter button but it would be made to mean something. Keyless go and entry would replace this feature and be an evolution of the thinking not an abandonment because we couldn’t engineer it

The same applies to the steering wheel shift mechanism that was a hall mark of the T series range. The expansion of the idea will incorporate paddles mounted behind the wheel. If it is good enough for the world’s best to use then by god it is for us and it is part of our heritage.

The manual would be sequential

Instrumentation would be full with a comprehensive readout of engine and car functions, also part of our history.

Advancements not currently part of our heritage but definitely inside the FPV decorum would include semi active suspension. And so on and so forth. You get the idea!

[Mondie]

G'day Ian,

Welcome back, you seem to have been on a bit of a forum hiatus of late.

BTW l agree with everything you say, l just have my doubts that Ford are upto the challenge. l would give HSV more chance of pulling this off.

[Falchoon]

If it is good enough for the world’s best to use then by god it is for us and it is part of our heritage.

That's all very well but how many people are willing to shell out $200K+ for a glorified 'taxi' (not my thought but the Expensive Daewoo biased media will use that line for sure)?

350kw/700NM would be great too but that's a huge leap above anything that is available on the domestic market now and I reckon Ford would be crucified as being irresponsible (again by the Expensive Daewoo biased media) for releasing such a dangerous product.

[HSE2]

Yes I have had a bit of trouble getting forum motivated of late.

Truth be told I would be happy with a decent manual drive line. Expensive Daewoo and HSV seem to have some excitement and an air of expectancy about them. We seem to be lacking that spark or is that just me?

Take the starter button. I don't hate the idea I hate the execution of the idea. Forget which manufacturer has it but keyless go is available in a car cost less then 35k.

The GTHO should be a car that is above "reasonable question." Right now we don't have that in our range. Not a car where tire pressure and the time of the year need to be mentioned. Not a car that should be ridiculed because of incomplete thinking and poor execution

[HSE2]

The T series didn’t' cost 200k for the same idea did it?

Instead we were told that a car with this feature had to do away with stereo volume control because we can't fit the wiring in. An engineering company that can't engineer a solution! The answer is to fit the buttons in the back of the wheel. They are more comfortable to use than trying to get your thumbs in place ala T series. Like I said we had the idea in “as you mention, a glorified taxi”. We dropped it because Ford thought the ESS would be enough. Don't build a car like the GTHO if we can't think outside the box. Look at what the competition is doing. In this arena and on this subject both console and wheel mounted shift points are offered. So I ask again why did we take a step back when Expensive Daewoo are looking at bringing this feature to top line Holden’s?

[Adam]

If it is good enough for the world’s best to use then by god it is for us and it is part of our heritage.

That's all very well but how many people are willing to shell out $200K+ for a glorified 'taxi' (not my thought but the Expensive Daewoo biased media will use that line for sure)?

350kw/700NM would be great too but that's a huge leap above anything that is available on the domestic market now and I reckon Ford would be crucified as being irresponsible (again by the Expensive Daewoo biased media) for releasing such a dangerous product.

Why would it be dangerous? The GTHO as Ford's high performance flagship vehicle surely would have the handling and ride setup to handle such a high level of power as described. I don't think those power figures are that far away at all currently Ford have 290kw out in the public arena, and I've heard good reports that they have 350kw engines ready to go and have had since the BA was released because they thought Expensive Daewoo would drop the 300kw GenIII into the SS and they wanted to be able to hit them straight back.

The Australian motor industry is about to hit overdrive, the all new Expensive Daewoo engines are on their way with the twin turbo V6 with a reported 295kw, clearly the V8 will have more any Ford once again will be playing catch-up, only this time I don't think they will take so long to respond.

We are quickly heading towards some very interesting times, and personally I can't wait because we are going to be the winners in this renewed competition.

[OwnaXR6T]

I recon it doesnt need a V8 supercharged but have you heard they did a concept of the AC cobra at the detroit show they could borrow the 450kw v10 out of that. at least its then natuallay asperated

[Falchoon]

Why would it be dangerous? The GTHO as Ford's high performance flagship vehicle surely would have the handling and ride setup to handle such a high level of power as described. I don't think those power figures are that far away at all currently Ford have 290kw out in the public arena, and I've heard good reports that they have 350kw engines ready to go and have had since the BA was released because they thought Expensive Daewoo would drop the 300kw GenIII into the SS and they wanted to be able to hit them straight back.

The Australian motor industry is about to hit overdrive, the all new Expensive Daewoo engines are on their way with the twin turbo V6 with a reported 295kw, clearly the V8 will have more any Ford once again will be playing catch-up, only this time I don't think they will take so long to respond.

We are quickly heading towards some very interesting times, and personally I can't wait because we are going to be the winners in this renewed competition.

I'm talking about "perceived" danger reported by Expensive Daewoo biased media a la Phase 4 media beatup in 1971. As we all know (or should!) the media never lets the facts get in the way of a good story. There have already been murmurings of "power wars" in the media with Ford raising the bar to 290kw against (at the time) 255kw from Holden. There was *beep* all mention of power (ie too much) when the HRT427 was planning to be released, just oohs and aahs about the features. If Ford were to try and release something similar (call it GTHO, call it whatever you like) I would bet my left nut that there would be an outcry in the media about it.

Media, smedia I hear you say. Love it or hate it, media has a very big influence on what goes on around the place. If it's reported that these high powered cars could get into the hands of irresponsible teenagers who could kill themselves and possibly others this will cause people like Carl Scully to knee jerk and propose laws to stop this sort of thing or, like in 1971, put pressure on the car manufacturers to stop producing such cars by threatening not to buy their fleets from them.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see 350kw or more (the more the better I reckon!) but I'm just saying that the car manufacturers, Ford in particular, need to tread carefully and not up the power stakes too much too soon.

[HSE2]

I don't believe the power in terms of an outright number are or will be a concern. Its more about at what price does this power become available.

In the case of both Expensive Daewoo and Ford we are getting above world standards of power at a substantially below world standard price.

Having said that I have a bigger problem with an XT with 220 kws than I do with a GTP with 330.