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Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) has spent more than two years and 29,000 engineering hours on its new generation F6 and V8 engines - the turbocharged 4-litre straight-six and 5.4-litre Boss under the bonnets of the new FG range.
"For the first time in the history of our company, the turbo six and V8 engines were designed in parallel," says FPV general manager Rod Barrett.
"Power and torque have increased across both engines, while improvements to engine refinement and fuel efficiency are also key components of the new FG range."
FPV describes its F6 engine as the best in-line turbo six-cylinder package yet.
Maximum power has increased by 40kW to 310kW at 5500 rpm and is matched by a peak torque of 565Nm at 1950-5200 rpm, up 15Nm from the previous F6 engine.
Key changes include reworked inlet and exhaust systems, revised camshaft timing, increased turbocharger boost pressure and a bigger intercooler.
The compression ratio has been reduced from 8.7:1 to 8.47:1 to allow optimum compromise between turbo boost and spark timing, resulting in improved overall engine efficiency and driveability, says FPV.
Powertrain engineering boss Bernie Quinn says: "The intercooler remains in the existing position, chassis-mounted in front of the radiator. But it has better airflow because we have removed the grill in front of it.
"We have re-tuned the wastegate to allow us to reliably achieve 310kW without any unwanted surges due to variation in boost pressure.
"The improvements made to the intake system, particularly the intercooler, have allowed us to maintain high levels of performance even in high ambient conditions."
The 5.4-litre Boss V8 also gets a workover, including a new camshaft profile and an increase in compression ratio from 10.5:1 to 11:1 for improved engine response and overall efficiency. Peak output is now 315kW at 6500 rpm and 551Nm of torque at 4750 rpm.
The engine has also been equipped with a new oil pan, which has been designed to suit the new front structure design in the FG Falcon, along with new exhaust manifolds to suit the new body structure.
FPV says the changes provide a 7 per cent improvement in fuel consumption with 14litres/100km for the automatic transmission, down from 15.1litres/100km in the previous BF-model MkII.
"It was always part of our brief to increase power and improve fuel efficiency and, by reducing losses and freeing the engine up, we have increased the engine speed range from 6000 to 6500rpm. This means we're able to get more air into the engine and that's where we gain the extra power," says Quinn.
The star of the latest FPV show is the $78,990 GT E sports sedan, powered by the Boss V8 mated to a six-speed ZF sequential transmission.
"The GT E is a combination of luxury V8 and executive racer. It's for those who want the power and sound of a high-performance vehicle without the overt styling and bright colours," says Barrett.
Also in the range are three editions of the ute: F6 Ute, Pursuit and Super Pursuit. The F6 gets the 4-litre engine and the Pursuit and Super Pursuit pick up the V8.
