2016 Ford Falcon XR Sprint
Ford Motor Company is ending production
in Australia this year, which means some impressive albeit outdated cars like
the Falcon range of rear-wheel-drive sedans and pickups as well as an SUV
derivative known as a Territory will soon be phased out. Sadly, there are no
plans for any successor models.
In the lead up to the end of production,
Ford will be building a pair of performance-oriented Falcon special editions.
The Falcon already has two performance offerings that come with an “XR” badge:
the six-cylinder XR6 Turbo and eight-cylinder XR8. For their final year in
production the cars adopt an additional “Sprint” badge.
The XR6 Turbo Sprint and XR8 Sprint have
been revealed. In addition to their special badging, they come with extra
horsepower and some styling tweaks such as a black finish for the standard
19-inch wheels, a gold finish for the standard Brembo brakes, and a black wing
spoiler at the rear. The roof and side mirror caps can also be ordered in
black.
The XR6 Turbo Sprint packs the standard
XR6 Turbo’s turbocharged 4.0-liter straight-six engine, now with a rating of
435 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque. However, thanks to an overboost
function, this output can be bumped up to as much as 496 hp and 479 lb-ft for
10-second intervals. The only transmission for this model is a six-speed
automatic. The car also features a new carbon fiber intake.
The XR8 Sprint features a supercharged
version of the 5.0-liter "Coyote" V-8 common to the Mustang GT. Its
official rating here is 462 hp and 424 lb-ft but it has its own overboost
function that will turn things up to 536 hp and 479 lb-ft. This model can be
had with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.
The cars also benefit from Brembo
brakes, Pirelli P Zero tires (245/35 front and 265/35 rear) and specific
suspension tuning. The stock wheels are a 19-inch set. Performance figures
haven’t been released but expect 0-60 mph times for both to be somewhere close
to the middle of the 4.0-second bracket.
Ford is planning to build just 1,400
examples all up. This will be broken down into 550 XR6 Turbo Sprints and 850
XR8 Sprints. The bulk will go to Australian buyers though around 150 of the
cars will be sold in New Zealand where the Falcon range is also offered.
Pricing starts at AU$ 54,990 for the XR6 Turbo Sprint and at AU$ 59,990 for the XR8 Sprint.
Ford fans will recognize the Sprint name
from the original Falcon sold in North America during the 1960s. It was first
used on the Australian Falcon in 1993 on a special version of the XR8 sold at
the time. More than 300 were built and today they are among some of the more
collectible Falcons. It’s likely the same will be true for the modern Falcon XR
Sprint models one day.