Autoblog

Ford Performance Vehicles, otherwise known as FPV, is celebrating its fifth birthday as being the sharp end of Ford Australia's performance stick. FPV presented itself with a gift at this week's Australian International Motor Show in the form of a special edition FPV 5th Anniversary model. Only 200 units will be produced of the rear-wheel-drive Falcon-based birthday present, ensuring instant collector car status for the discerning Aussie buyer. The car features Alpine Silver 19-inch multi-spoke wheels, 6-piston Brembo brakes, sports seats upholstered in Nudo leather and special "5th Anniversary" decals on the trunk, ahead of the rear wheels, embossed on the front headrests and on the floormats. The FPV 5th Anniversary model will be available in Lightning Strike or Silhouette, both with striping, and starts at $71,890 in Australian dollars, which FPV says equates to $9,600 worth of extra goodies for only $5,300 more than the FPV GT sedan. So happy birthday to FPV, and we hope that Ford invites us to your rear-wheel-drive performance sedan party some time soon.


[Source: FPV]

It's anniversary time in Oz for HSV, Holden's high-performance division. That means stripes, stickers, commemorative badges and a pair of new unveilings at the Sydney Motor Show. In HSV's case, at least, the extra pieces of flair go on fire-breathing, tire-shredding LS3-powered monsters, so the usual lameness attached to these sorts of things goes right out the window. The 40th anniversary of the GTS nameplate's first appearance (on the '68 Monaro) means we get a special HSV GTS 40th Anniversary model. And since 20 years have passed since the original SV88 appeared, a special edition HSV Senator Signature dubbed SV08 has also been unveiled. HSV will build 100 of the Anniversary GTS models and just 50 SV08s. And yes, we'd happily take one of each, thank you.



[Source: HSV]

So we've downloaded the first two episodes of Top Gear Australia, and our assessment of the series so far seems to be right in line with how Aussie nationals are receiving their own home brew version of the wildly popular Brit-based car show. Viewership for the first episode that aired September 29th was estimated to be around 925,000 blokes, and while producers were hoping to crack the 1 million mark with episode two, viewership for the show last Sunday actually fell to 674,000. For those averse to bittorrenting, we can tell you that while episode two was a big improvement over the series premier, it was still very awkward to watch these Australian impersonators of Jezza, Hampster and Captain Slow recite their poorly written scripts for an audience that didn't know when to laugh.

Episode two does have a segment comparing the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon, but while you would think that match up is important enough to devote a 13-part mini-series to, Top Gear Australia's coverage is no longer than a quick bathroom break and not very insightful. In fact, after drag racing and brake testing both cars side-by-side, for some reason they decide to lap the track with just the Falcon and never hands either of them over to the Stig.

Speaking of which, while a Stig is a Stig is a Stig when they're all wearing white suits, the Top Gear Australia test track on which the great one drives is a poor substitute for the original. It's got too many long straights and not enough turns, and the show's camera placement that should show off how a car moves is not flattering at all.

We give the show a C so far and will continue watching (err, downloading) to see if it gets better. We hope it does, otherwise we won't have much to look forward to when our own Top Gear USA airs.

[Source: AdAge via Jalopnik]

Click above for more images of the Track Tvan

If you're one of those take-no-prisoners off-road types, then we've found the perfect camper trailer for you. It's called the Tvan, and it's made by Track Trailer. The company, Australian-based and located outside Melbourne, has been in business since 1982. Their Tvan model is specially engineered to eliminate the problems found with conventional flip-over type campers (which stow the tent on the bed). With the Tvan, the tent is stowed in the rear hatch allowing your bed to be kept clean and dry. Even better, a hard roof over your head ensures a better night sleep.

As Track is experienced building military trailers, much of their heavy-duty technology finds its way into the Tvan. Features such as an asymmetric link suspension with Koni shock absorbers, 10 inches of wheel travel, and a 30-degree departure angle allow the trailer to follow the tow vehicle over nearly every terrain. With a hot dip galvanized steel frame, it is also built to take abuse and last. Of course, the kitchen appointments are stainless steel with abundant power outlets, lights, and ventilation to take the edge off of roughing it. It even comes with a 70-liter "food grade" water tank as standard equipment. Now, we found you the camper, you just have to figure out how to get it here... unfortunately, the Australian company isn't shipping to the States.

[Source: Squob]

The Ford Falcon is all Australian. It has always been driven by the rear wheels, and it has always been designed, engineered, and built Down Under. The automotive world is rapidly changing, though, and Ford is one of many OEMs that are driving towards global vehicle architectures and a less diversified corporate parts bin. What does that mean for the Falcon? Nothing for quite a while, as the once hot-selling Aussie special just received major rework in April, and another redesign is many years away. When it does go under the engineering knife it will likely have more in common with the Ford Taurus than anything native to the Outback.

Ford product chief Derrick Kuzak is working towards what the Blue Oval calls "One Ford." That means, for example, that there will be only one C-segment platform for like-sized crossovers, wagons, hatchbacks, coupes, and sedans, and that platform would be used in all regions around the globe. Ford will still have a rear-drive platform for performance vehicles, but the rabid push for fuel efficiency and weight reductions means that the chance of future Falcons being motivated by the rear wheels is slim. Plenty can change between now and 2015, so we'll keep our dimming hopes for a RWD Falcon for all alive, but the prospects look less rosy by the day.

[Source: Drive]

Top Gear has become a world-wide phenomenon over the years, and the U.S. isn't the only country that has a local spin-off on the way. Australia boasts one million Top Gear viewers, and show producers are hoping their locally produced version of the iconic BBC show translates into just as many fans.

Top Gear Australia is gearing up for its inaugural show next Monday, and judging from the promo clip after the jump, it looks like the blokes down under have some interesting ideas to keep us entertained. How about driving an aqua car into shark-invested waters? Sounds like fun. Australia picked three car-loving guys from Down Under to host the show, and from the clips we've seen so far, it looks like they have some chemistry. We're looking forward to seeing the finished product, but for a taste of what is to come, hit the jump. Thanks for the tip, Andrew!

Source: YouTube]

Marketers have been known to make claims that test our good sense, our gullibility and our patience. But in a field in which it's often the best story -- not the best product -- that wins, some of the more unsightly details can get left out when making a pitch. Nevertheless, there is still, as Pinocchio's nose would tell you, a line between a tall tale and what's commonly referred to as a lie.

Saab Australia drove its entire model range over that line when it claimed in a campaign last year that "Every Saab is green, with carbon emissions neutral across the entire Saab range." The ads also said Saab would plant 17 native trees to offset the CO2 emissions for the lifespan of each car it sold. Turns out that 17 trees only offsets the carbon produced in the first year of a car's life. Saab left that part out when they lied added the small print.

Australia's competition watchdog took Saab's parent company, GM Holden, to court, and in a verdict for truth and the environment, Saab's claims were declared, ahem, "misleading". GM has pledged to "retrain its marketing staff in relation to making green claims," and plant a forest of 12,500 trees to cover the lifetime emissions of all the cars sold during the campaign.

[Source: Drive]

Question: What's more intimidating than a group of Australian Police roaming the streets in search of drunken party-goers? Answer: Aussie Police driving Hummer H3s with the same intent... supposedly. The Hummers in question were provided by the General in all-black before getting custom livery from the authorities, complete with a blue-and-red flashing light bar on top. Police hope to be a bit more conspicuous in the SUVs, which will be prowling the nightclub districts in Melbourne. There may be a few problems with this scheme, as there will only be five such vehicles making the rounds and they are only equipped with the standard five-cylinder powerplant.

We think the Police should have visited another side of the General and raided the Holden parts bin for flat-black Mad Max-style Police cars made from the HSV W427. For added attention, a straight-through set of true duals with Cherry Bombs would surely make these mean machines stand out from the crowd much more than a few Hummers with their measly inline-five engines. Seriously, which would you rather meet in a drunken state after a night out partying?

[Source: Drive.com.au via Next Autos]

Going through Top Gear withdrawals? It's understandable. In lieu of mind-altering drugs, may we suggest watching a video of the new Australian crew doing their best Clarkson, May and Hammond impressions? All right, what do we see here? There's a bright yellow Lotus, a ridiculously long Hummer limo, supercars galore and plenty of smoking tires. Of course, the three hosts, Charlie Cox, Warren Brown, and Steve Pizzati, are present and accounted for as well, as is The Stig's Australian clone. Looks like fun, though there's something not quite right about those accents.

If this video was enough to whet your appetite, there's good news. The first episode will debut on Monday September 29 -- right around the corner. For those of us who don't get Australian television channels, the interwebs are sure to come to the rescue in no time flat. Let the countdown commence.
[Source: SBS via Jalopnik]

FPV vs. HSV is basically Australian for "Ford vs. Chevy," but on steroids. The two performance divisions have elevated the production of the muscle sedan to an art form, with audacious looks and big power ruling the day. It's as if the original American muscle car era never ended, but got a passport and moved Down Under. Granted, we in the States don't have much to complain about lately, with Aussie muscle now available in a Pontiac wrapper, as well as the 21st century editions of Camaro, Challenger and Mustang waiting to wreak havoc at stoplights.

Still, the sweetest fruit is that which is forbidden, so you might be interested in the Motoring Channel's super acronym showdown: FPV GT-P vs. HSV GTS. The FPV is based on the new Ford FG Falcon, which arrived earlier this year, while the HSV's Holden Zeta platform underpinnings are now a couple years old. Both have V8s, both look evil, and tires break into cold sweats at the mere thought of being mounted on either machine's rear axle. With these two rides, the differences are such that picking a winner is akin to choosing between porterhouse and prime rib. It's not as if you're going to be disappointed either way, but deep down, you do have a preference. Click here to read which menu item the Motoring Channel likes best. Thanks for the tip, Torrent!



[Source: Web Wombat/Motoring Channel]