Ford is giving its New Zealand customers going-away presents in the form of limited-edition XR6 and XR8 Falcon Sprint sedans.
Ford Australia will build 1400, a final Falcon fling before its Melbourne factory shuts its doors for the last time next year. The company will thereafter rebadge vehicles from Ford plants overseas.
New Zealand will get 150 Sprint models – 50 XR6s and 100 XR8s – when the cars go on sale in May. The auto-only XR6 will cost $66,340 and the XR8 $74,990. The XR8 comes with a choice of six-speed automatic or manual gearboxes.
“We’re excited to be able to offer our Falcon enthusiasts a car that truly represents the performance DNA of Ford,” said Graeme Whickman, Ford Australia President and CEO.
“Our product development engineers have taken the opportunity to further hone the Falcon’s dynamic package – ride, body control and performance.”
The last time the Sprint name appeared on a Falcon was with ED and AU editions. Visually, the new Sprint series will pick up exterior design cues to mark their exclusivity, including badges, 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. The XR8 Sprint adds a Silhouette Black painted roof and black wing mirrors.
Inside, the series receives signature Sprint seats in leather/lux suede, chromatic mirror, dual-zone climate control, Sprint logo on the instrument cluster. The manual shifter on the XR8 Sprint gains a “Sprint” labelled shifter.
The XR6 Sprint gets Ford’s turbocharged 4.0-litre straight-six engine, good for 325kW at 6000rpm and 576Nm at 2750rpm. A 10-second overboost function – helping urgent overtaking, for example – pushes output to 370kW/650Nm.
To handle the XR6 Sprint’s power Ford engineers added a larger intercooler, borrowed the turbo and injectors from the F6, recalibrated the transmission and engine, installed a new lower airbox and new larger air intake system.
The XR8 uses a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 generating 345kW at 5750rpm and 575Nm between 2220-6250rpm. Overboost delivers 400kW/650Nm. The XR8 Sprint’s automatic transmission uses the Falcon GT-F calibration.