2009 FPV F6 E: Fast Car History Lesson

BMW’s M5 has long stood as the benchmark executive-express sedan. But the problem, for you and me, is it has always cost as much as one.

This is where the boys from Broadmeadows stepped in back in 2009 with the Ford Performance Vehicles F6 E. Much like the badge suggested, FPV took the $66,990 FG-series F6 and applied a much sleeker exterior and interior. The result was a damn handsome jigger.

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Gone were the regular F6’s ‘raccoon eyes’ and rear spoiler, while the front grille elements were now in black. Its wheels were finished in silver, and chrome adorned the front air inlets, foggies and window trim.

Inside was similarly slick, with most of the regular F6 option boxes ticked. There were leather luxury seats, adjustable pedals, a reversing camera, floor mats and front-door courtesy lights. Woodgrain even featured on the dash.

Mechanically it was largely the same as its donor, except for Brembo brakes that were made standard on the E, with its Barra turbo inline-six (pumping out 310kW and 565Nm) driving through the brilliant six-speed ZF automatic.

As you can imagine, performance was fairly rapid. It was good for mid five-second sprints to 100km/h from rest and mid-to-high 13s down the strip. Its boost-happy engine was a lot louder than expected while its turbo whooshed and sneezed, and the exhaust bellowed on upshifts.

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Taking the F6 upmarket also put new expectations on its driving experience. The slightly laggy yet energetic power delivery lacked refinement and its handling didn’t deliver the poise you would want from a true sporting luxury sedan, although it sure was comfy enough.

But the real problem was the price. At $79K it was 12 grand above an F6, and that hurt sales. FPV only sold 85 over its whole life, making it one of FPV’s ultimate sleepers, something you’d be lucky to get your hands on today.

2009 FPV F6 E SPECS
Engine: 3984cc inline-6, DOHC, 24v, turbo
Power: 310kW @ 5500rpm
Torque: 565Nm @ 1950-5200rpm
0-100km/h: 5.5sec (est)
Price: AUD$79,740