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SPECIAL

Ford Territory

SPECIAL

Ford Territory

2005 Australian International Motor Show: Safety ? A Key to Improving Performance

Staff, Thursday October 13, 2005.

Page 1 of 1

Ford Performance Vehicles set new benchmarks in the Australian-built high-performance segment when it introduced the BA GT in March 2003 with its sophisticated Control Blade independent rear suspension system, double-wishbone front suspension system, high-performance brakes and fly-by-wire throttle and traction control system.

Ford Performance Vehicles has made a number of significant improvements to these areas of safety and performance in its new BF model range, with revised Brembo brakes now standard on all vehicles - including ultra high-performance six-piston front callipers on the range topping GT-P and Super Pursuit models - and the addition of traction control as a standard feature on all Ute variants.

?A genuine high-performance car offers more than just straight line acceleration,? said David Flint, Managing Director of Ford Performance Vehicles.

?It is equally important to balance the performance of our Boss 290 V8 or F6 270 Turbo engines with ride and handling characteristics that offer great road holding ability and stopping power and are not only enjoyable, but also predictable and safe to drive.

?Our engineering partners at Prodrive Asia-Pacific have developed a range of Total Performance vehicles utilising systems developed by some of the world?s leading manufacturers of high-performance components.?

RIDE AND HANDLING

All Boss 290 V8-powered models are now fitted with 19-inch wheels with 245/35 Dunlop SP9000 tyres as standard equipment. F6 Typhoon and F6 Tornado are equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels and 245/40 Dunlop SP9000 tyres as original equipment, with a 19-inch wheel and tyre combination available for the first time as an option.

BRAKES

Ford Performance Vehicles has improved the braking packages on its entire vehicle lineup with the introduction of the new BF model.

A revised version of the Brembo brakes available previously as standard equipment on the range-topping GT-P and Super Pursuit, and as an option on all other FPV models, is now standard fitment on the FPV GT, Pursuit, F6 Typhoon and F6 Tornado.

The system has a four-piston front Brembo calliper and a single-piston rear calliper. The front calliper has revised piston sizes to improve performance and comfort, with a 36mm leading-edge piston and a 40mm trailing-edge piston. This variable piston size arrangement reduces taper wear and provides consistent clamp loading across the face of the brake pad for better performance and long-term durability.

The front callipers are mounted along the neutral axis, the optimum position to minimise pad deflection through the movement of the suspension and high cornering loads, thereby generating more consistent stopping performance under all driving conditions.

The front brake pad is a Textar T4000 while the rear is a JBI NF85FF. Both pads have high-performance friction material for greater stopping power but also generate significantly less brake residue than similar high-performance brake pads.

The cross-drilled and pillar-ventilated rotors measure 355mm x 32mm at the front and 328mm x 26mm at the rear. The unique pillar venting provides greater heat extraction from the inner portion of the rotor for better braking performance during enthusiastic driving.

The flagship GT-P and Super Pursuit models step up a notch with ultra-high-performance Brembo six-piston front callipers. These callipers provide improved stopping power, better resistance to brake fade and improved pedal feel and effort. The monoblock construction is significantly stiffer than conventional two-piece callipers, generating better braking response and improving long-term durability and performance.

The six-piston front calliper, which is used in numerous ultra-high performance vehicles from Mercedes-Benz? flagship performance arm AMG, features 30mm leading-edge pistons, 34mm middle pistons and 38mm trailing-edge pistons and has a JURID 673 high-performance brake pad.

Both flagship models have the 355mm x 32mm cross-drilled and pillar-ventilated front rotor. The GT-P has a unique four-piston rear calliper with a 330mm x 28mm rear rotor while the Super Pursuit has the same single-piston rear calliper and rotor as the GT, Pursuit, F6 Typhoon and F6 Tornado.

The six-piston brake package is available as an option on F6 Typhoon and GT with the four-piston rear caliper and 330mm rear disc with a recommended retail price of $3800 and on the F6 Tornado and Pursuit with the single-piston rear caliper with an RRP of $2950.

All Brembo brakes are fitted with low expansion rubber hoses that help provide consistent performance, pedal feel and effort under all driving conditions.

TRACTION CONTROL

As part of the improvements introduced with the new BF range, Ford Performance Vehicles will adopt traction control as a standard feature on all Ute variants for the first time.

Exploiting the benefits offered with the electronic fly-by-wire throttle system on both the Boss 290 V8 and F6 270 Turbo engines and the introduction of four-channel anti-skid brakes on all Ute models, the sophisticated traction control system has been specifically tuned for sports-oriented drivers.

The improvements introduced in the BF lineup build on the already extensive list of active and passive safety features featured in all FPV models, including standard four-channel anti-skid brakes (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), dual stage driver and front passenger airbags in all models and side airbags in sedans, front seatbelt pretensioners, crash severity sensor and driver?s seat sensor.

Further emphasising Ford Performance Vehicles? commitment to driver safety, FPV will continue to offer a complimentary full day professional driver training course with every new vehicle purchase.

For further information, please contact:
Andrew MacLean
Ford Performance Vehicles
Phone: 03-9300 7260
Fax: 03-9357 0174
Web: www.fpv.com.au

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