Ford is drawing on its performance heritage to launch the limited-edition, high-performance Falcon Sprint series, which goes on sale in May.
A total of just 1,400 limited edition Falcon Sprints will be built with 550 being XR6 Sprints and 850 XR8 Sprints. New Zealand will be allocated 150 cars – 50 XR6 Sprints and 100 XR8 Sprints. Each will receive numbered build plates for each model – located on the engine.
“We’re excited to be able to offer our Falcon enthusiasts a car that truly represents the performance DNA of Ford,” according to Graeme Whickman, Ford’s president and CEO for Australia and New Zealand.
“The Falcon chassis is recognised for its refined ride and fantastic balance but our dedicated product development engineers have taken the opportunity to further hone the Falcon’s dynamic package – ride, body control and performance of the six cylinder turbo and V8.
“We think customers will really appreciate the amount of dedication and work that’s gone into this limited-edition series.”
Visually, the Sprint series will receive subtle exterior design cues to mark their exclusivity, including 19-inch black wheels, upgraded Brembo brake package in gold, black headlamp bezels, a distinctive black rear deck spoiler and new front fog lamp surrounds.
To provide further distinction, the XR8 Sprint adds a silhouette black painted roof and black wing mirrors.
Inside, the Falcon Sprint series receives a unique interior featuring Sprint seats in leather/lux suede, chromatic mirror, dual zone climate control with high-series audio, unique shifter assembly and surround and unique gauge cluster with “Sprint” logo. The manual shifter on the XR8 Sprint gains a “Sprint” labelled shifter.
Fundamental to the Sprint development programme was designing and building a performance Falcon with the dynamic attributes expected by Falcon enthusiasts.
At the core of the Sprint are two proven engines, Ford’s turbocharged 4-litre in-line six cylinder and supercharged 5-litre V8.
The XR8 Sprint will be powered by a bespoke Sprint calibrated version of Ford’s 5-litre supercharged V8 that develops 345kW at 5,750 rpm and 575Nm at 2,220-6,250rpm. The XR6 Sprint is also a performance powerhouse, developing 325kW at 6,000rpm and 576Nm at 2,750rpm.
Both engines benefit from a transient overboost function that provides extra performance for up to 10 seconds if conditions allow, specifically intake air temperature under normal operation.
In the case of the XR6 Sprint, performance can lift from 325 kW/576 Nm to an overboost of up to 370 kW/650 Nm. In the XR8 Sprint, the transient overboost function briefly lifts power and torque of up to 400kW and 650Nm.
In the XR6 Sprint Ford engineers have added a larger intercooler, sourced the turbo and injectors from the F6, unique Sprint transmission calibration, new lower air box, bespoke engine calibration and new larger air intake system.
The in-line six-cylinder turbo engine is considered by many enthusiasts to be one of Ford’s iconic performance engines. It represents phenomenal performance in a high efficiency design.
The Falcon XR Sprint series will be available as an automatic turbocharged six-cylinder, while the Supercharged V8 will be available with either a manual and automatic transmission.
In the XR6 Sprint, the automatic transmission calibration was revised to take advantage of the increased power and extended torque levels that are available with the revised turbocharged engine. The automatic transmission in the XR8 Sprint uses the Falcon GT-F transmission calibration to ensure durable shift performance.
Exterior design features:
- New front fog lamp surround, with cut out vent in bumper
- New stripe decal in signature hockey stick style
- New Sprint badge (rear)
- New Sprint mudguard badge (side)
- Indicator moved to wing mirror – body coloured for XR6
- ‘Sprint’ scuff-plates
- Black headlamp bezels
- Body coloured deck-lid applique
- Staggered 19-inch alloy wheels in black
- Premium 6-piston (front), 4-piston (rear) Brembo brakes in unique gold colour
- Numbered build plates for each model – both located on the engine
- Rear deck spoiler in black
The XR8 Sprint adds silhouette black painted roof and black wing mirrors.
Interior design features:
- Unique Sprint interior – featuring sprint seat package of leather/lux suede trim
- Interior electro-chromatic mirror
- Interior command Centre, including dual zone climate control and high-series audio
- Unique shifter assembly and surround
- Manual shifter for V8 gets “Sprint” labelled shifter
- Unique gauge cluster with “Sprint” logo
- Sync 2 with satellite navigation and Bluetooth connectivity
There’s a choice of six colours, with the “hero” colours b Victory Gold for the XR8 and Smoke for the XR6.
Prices:
XR6 Sprint (auto only) $66,340.
XR8 Sprint (man. or auto.) $74,990.
