FPV F6 at Performance Car Of The Year 2008: Classic MOTOR

WHILE the HSV was airstrip hero, the FPV F6 was, to all intents and purposes, just as eye-bleedingly rapid.

This Performance Car Of The Year article was first published in MOTOR Magazine November 2008.

It missed out on matching the GTS' 400m time by just a single tenth (13.5) and it was just two tenths off the HSV's 0-100km/h time. The reason for that is simple, and it wasn't a lack of grunt. Nope, the F6 lost time in those crucial first few metres because it was wheel-spinning all the way through first second gears.

The F6’s potential against the HSV is borne out by its trap time through the quarter (179.6km/h versus the GTS’ 173.8) and in the way the Henry bashed the standing klik in an all-but identical 24.1 seconds (in fact, it was one km/h faster at 224.7). So don’t let anybody tell you the F6 ain’t as blistering as HSV’s finest.

On the racetrack, the Ford opened up a small gap, lapping 1:09.9 (two tenths faster) than the HSV mainly because it was just that little bit sharper where it mattered. The front end has a more eager turn-in and the whole shebang seems to stay flatter on the track.

Like the HSV, the Ford’s gearbox gets better the harder you use it, although it’s fair to say it’s probably a better shifter in the first place. The brakes kick ass, too, with none of the dead feeling that came through the GTS’ middle pedal. The catch is that to drive the F6 at such speeds, you really have to be on your game.

Pumping the four-litre six up to 310kW has certainly given the thing bigger lungs, but it’s also made the power delivery a little more laggy and a fraction more rushy when it does arrive. So, if it all comes on boost when you're not expecting it to, you can find yourself with a real handful.

Your options then are to wave bye-bye to the apex (if you’ve clogged on early) hold it sideways in a big drift (fun, but not the quickest way round the island) or roll out of the gas a tad (not so much fun, eh?). On the road, it’s true that the way the urge comes on is less of a problem (although it might be interesting in the wet) just as it’s also true that the F6’s stomp is pretty intoxicating.

While atmo cars tend to build up to things, the F6 is all hot breath on the back of your neck and a mighty boot to the freckle region. And it happens fast. Those who love turbo-motors will absolutely lerv the F6. The rest is ace, too; big interior space, better-than-average on-road ride, good noise levels and five-star safety.

There’s a decent stereo, too, but we’re betting you’ll be listening to that afterburner soundtrack from the exhaust before Billy Joel gets a look-in. And. bless my soul, the F6 is a tenner under $67,000. Mercy me.