The Fpv Gt-ho

[Mondie]

After all the talk at that other Ford forum about the GT-HO and a few members there having placed deposits on such a car, it got the better of me today. l called the salesman l have bought our last 3 Fords from at New Oak in Melbourne. Told him l wanted to place a deposit on the upcoming GT-HO. The phone went dead for a few seconds. Right he said, let me call you back.

Called back 2hrs later and said that all the FPV dealer princiiples had a meeting out at FPV HQ last Thursday and the question was asked re; release of a GT-HO. David Flint said there will not be one, too expensive, too small a market etc etc. The DP at New Oak is the President of the FPV dealers association (or whatever its called) and he was adamant that there wont be one and that they wouldnt take my money................ :banghead:

Now l can understand why they would deny the cars existance but New Oak were adamant l was wasting my time. Could Ford really keep something that secret?

[aniken]

The performance division hopes to revive the 1970s muscle car, reports TOBY HAGON.

The legendary Falcon GT HO – the car that epitomised Australian performance cars in the 1970s – could be reborn if Ford Performance Vehicles gets it way.

David Flint, the managing director of the fledgling performance division of Ford, believes a modern-day GT HO is the key to outselling the more established Expensive Daewoo Special Vehicles brand.

"Our customers are continually asking for a repeat of the GT HO ... We're hearing every day that they want one and we've got to listen to that," he says.

Flint believes it is crucial – and inevitable – that FPV will reinvent what he describes as "probably the most important vehicle ever made in Australia".

"We've really got to address it and it deserves to be addressed," Flint says. "GT HO deserves to have life breathed into it so it can come out and live again. But it's got to be really, really, really special ... [and] it's got to be at the right time. We'd like to get back to the pinnacle that Ford enjoyed back in the 1970s. But we haven't found a way to do that yet."

The original 1969 GT HO was powered by a 5.8-litre V8 and was claimed to reach 100kmh in just 6.4 seconds, making it the most potent Australian-made muscle car of its time. However, by 1972, controversy about road-going race cars killed the GT HO Phase IV program before it hit dealerships.

The desire to revive the GT HO is vital to FPV's plan to overtake sales of the local performance car leader, HSV. "It's our ambition to beat HSV," Flint says. "And you can't go in with half a challenge, you've got to go in with the full challenge."

He says FPV has outsold HSV's Commodore-based sedans during the past four months. "For a company that was written off by our competitor we reckon, that's pretty good," he says.

But HSV says it has been struggling to meet demand since the arrival of its 6.0-litre V8 engine and that Ford simply copied HSV's successful formula.

"I welcome that news and congratulate them because at the end of the day it means the HSV business formula works," says HSV sales and marketing director Chris Payne.

"FPV, after many years of not being able to get a performance car business working, copied everything that HSV did." Payne says HSV is far more advanced, though, with a broader model range, an export program and 50,000 cars on the road.

"If you were going to the FPV barbecue that's great if you like burnt sausages," he says. "If you go to the HSV barbecue there's some variety and it's a delicatessen. It's not about volumes for us ... it's about niche.

In our case, the customers want exclusivity and individuality and we offer them that."

[ZAP]

They should do a detuned v8 supercar for a HO, just like to old days :banghead: .

400kw, 6 speed holinger, ford solid 9" with a cut down aero package, I bet you would have no problem selling 100 of them for $120-140k.

Get the roll cage and race seat option...now I am just dreaming, FPV are TOO SOFT

[Buf-Phoon]

They should do a detuned v8 supercar for a HO, just like to old days :banghead: .

400kw, 6 speed holinger, ford solid 9" with a cut down aero package, I bet you would have no problem selling 100 of them for $120-140k. 

Get the roll cage and race seat option...now I am just dreaming, FPV are TOO SOFT 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wet dreams aren't all bad Zap At least they have a happy ending

[Mondie]

They should do a detuned v8 supercar for a HO, just like to old days :banghead: .

400kw, 6 speed holinger, ford solid 9" with a cut down aero package, I bet you would have no problem selling 100 of them for $120-140k. 

Get the roll cage and race seat option...now I am just dreaming, FPV are TOO SOFT 

That will never happen Mal and if it did l wouldnt buy one. l dont want something that hard. It will be a daily driver and needs to have some level of comfort and all the fruit.

[theeone]

What they need is a track pack, minus all the fruit with no options, Brembo's, Alloy Block, Lightweight Rim's and Sticky Tyres all standard.

You could chop 300 kg out of a GT, and that would do alot more for its performance than adding another 40 kw!

[Falchoon]

Things have changed a lot since the 1970s and I think people in general have different expectations for what they expect in a car, especially one that costs $100K+. People want and expect a lot of the creature comforts like a/c, power windows, CD player etc. Then there is the power thing, not to many people want a lumpy, grumpy 500kw racer that gets 5 mpg. Then there are the authorities that want a 500kw car even less. Remember how much negative press the F6 got when it fist came out for being too powerfull and fast, imagine the reaction for a car with say half that much power again!

Ford FPV would be best to leave the legend of the GTHO to rest. If they want to do a more hipo version of GT call it something else, not GTHO.

[ktford]

Um Simon,

why don't you build your own, cost wouldn't be much different depending on what $$$ car you started with, buy a series 2 V8 Fairmont Ghia or whatever a few months old, chuck on the lumpy bonnet or the McShaker, blo the V8, put in the Manual you want & get the DJR custon independant rear end, add big brakes & wella a 600hp monster V8.

[Guest]

Why not just strip down a GT, dust it up by adding one or two bits and 600kw, give it a never heard of price tag (but never tell'em what it'd really cost) and then wack it in a 24 hour race so it can put sh*t on the worlds best (road) cars. Then at the last minute feed everyone a good helping of Bull sh*t about cost and never produce one for anyone.

Hell it worked for Expensive Daewoo and they already think FPVs just a copy anyway, so do it.

More over theres money to be made from this half baked idear,

The good old HO gets all the rep it wants, the HO dream goes on for years to come. And with a limited run, capped at only 15000 vehicles, the GT HO look a likes smashes all sales records over night.

How about that job now Mr Flint, I could use the money.

Edited 10/05/05 03:48 AM by NOS XR

[EVLKNEVL]

Maybe the HO should be a turbo 6