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From http://carsguide.news.com.au/story/0,20384,22067503-5003140,00.html
Unleashing the 2008 Ford Falcon Orion
13 July 2007
Neil McDonald
No longer top secret. Take a sneak peak at the new Falcon for 2008 with its more refined style.
The cover is blown on the best-kept automotive secret of the year — the 2008 Ford Falcon. Heavily camouflaged photos and artist's impressions of Ford's next Falcon, codenamed Orion, might be popping up as the launch date nears, but these photos obtained by CARSguide reveal exactly what the newcomer looks like.
These top-secret photos of Ford's high-performance vehicles show it clearly has Holden Special Vehicles in its sights with these aggressively styled FPV sedans, the F6, GT and GT-P. The FPV cars also give a strong indication of the overall styling direction for the bread-and-butter Falcons.
Regular Orions will have the same shape and style, only missing the performance trimmings seen on the FPV cars.
The look is sharper, more contemporary and significantly more refined than the almost 10-year-old current design, which started life in the 1998 AU Falcon.
Orion will get a new body on proven mechanicals, meaning the existing six-cylinder and V8 engines will carry over with improved fuel economy. The suspensions, too, are expected to be retained, but with improvements in ride and handling. It's clear though, the FPV cars are designed to shock. They have deep front bumpers and aggressive grille treatments, but the standard car will also get similar 'eyebrow' headlights that flow into a rising wedge-like shoulder line just below the window line, which in turn flows into the car's boot.
The front is also designed to be more pedestrian-friendly and the angular headlights look similar to the new Mondeo, due out later this year. The FPV cars will get distinctive blacked-out headlight surrounds that arch down to the below-bumper foglights.
The cars are set off by body kits, big 19-inch wheels and pronounced bonnet bulges to hide the powerful V8s on the GT and GT-P.
Performance for the FPV V8s is also believed to have been increased to more than 300kW.
To contain that power, some FPV models could sport cross-drilled high-performance Brembo brakes, normally the domain of more expensive European sportscars.
High-end models are expected to get xenon headlights. Matching the contemporary looks are new pull-style door handles that replace the recessed handles of the current Falcons.
Following a European trend, the rear-view mirrors will now feature indicator lights.
As expected, some of the key problem areas of the BF Falcon have been addressed.
The current car's narrow rear-door opening, long criticised by fleet operators, is now more curved and appears to be longer.
This will allow for a wider opening door for rear-seat passengers. Like the current Falcon, the boot is flat and the thinner tail-lights now wrap around the rear end like an Audi.
The FPV cars sport dual and quad exhausts, an under-bumper diffuser and rear spoilers.
The flared “venturi-effect” venting at the side of the rear bumpers is a styling point.
Underneath the Falcon is said to adopt the Territory's virtual pivot control link front suspension, which ensures crisper turn-in and more precision.
The interior, already a strong point with the current car, has also come in for a makeover.
There will be more a pronounced console separating the front-seat passenger and driver and a reworked dashboard and gauges that, like the VE Commodore, will also include an LED speedo readout.
FPV models are also likely to carry over the high-set gauges on top of the dashboard, but they will be better integrated in the same way as the gauges in the Focus XR5. Quality, safety and equipment levels have also moved up-market. Ford is expected to offer curtain airbags, electronic-stability control and a substantially stronger body. The company is said to have been benchmarking Audi interior quality levels.
In an effort to trim weight, Ford is believed to have been trialling a space-saver spare for the car, in a similar fashion to the VE Commodore, which has made a spacesaver standard and full-size spare a $100 option.
Apart from what we know about the FPV cars, Ford has also registered the names R6, G and G6, which could point to new models.
However, it is not uncommon for car companies to register a whole batch of new names, then not use them.
But given the axing of the long-wheelbase Fairlane range, there is a possibility Ford may introduce a higher-level luxury car above the Fairmont Ghia, which could utilise the G model name. This could then fill the gap left by the outgoing Fairlane.
The current 5.4-litre Fairlane G8 is the long-wheelbase range-topper.
The trickle of information on the Orion has just turned into an avalanche. When it is eventually launched next year, the Falcon nameplate will be reaching the ripe old age of 48.
It has become an Australian icon and in recent years has been revered as one of the best-handling, locally-built large cars available.
The Falcon debuted with the XK in September 1960. The car and its successor, the XL, were based on a Canadian design, with some minor modifications for our conditions.
Early examples were not tough enough for our roads and needed substantial beefing up.
It took until the launch of the XM in 1964 for the Falcon to have more serious claims to being a car designed and engineered by Australians for Australian conditions.
In 1965 the Falcon was named car of the year, a title it won again in 1966 with the XR Falcon and again in 2002 with the BA Falcon.
2008 FPV F6
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