Right before production ends on Australia’s Ford Falcon in 2016, major updates are in store for the beefy rear-wheel-drive muscle sedan. The first Falcon to proudly wear the GT badge was the 1967 Falcon XR GT, and wrapping up the Falcon GT-era is this 2014 351 GT F. FPV performance division currently builds these Falcons. FPV won’t operate with the updated and rumored front wheel drive Falcon to be revealed later this year, making this the last GT-badged Falcon.
This new Falcon 351 GT F was just shown for the first time in Victoria, Australia. What does the fancy name stand for? The “F” stands for the final Falcon while the “351” represents the 351 cubic-inch V8 powering the Falcon GT cars from the early 1970s seen on race tracks everywhere around Australia, but as well as the car’s power in kilowatts equaling out to 470 horses.
Powering the Falcon 351 GT F is a supercharged 5.0L Coyote, the same engine stuffed inside modern Mustangs. It is also the engine of choice for other Falcon GT models and has an output of 450 hp. The 351 GT F gets bumped to 20 extra horses due to some added modifications to the ECU and an overboost function. This hearty Falcon 351 GT F may generate up to 563 hp and 479 ft-lbs on a cold morning at a low altitude when the air tends to be denser.
The sporty suspension on the 351 GT F is carried over from the GT R-Spec model which includes stiffer springs, bushings and strut mounts, retuned dampers and sturdier anti-roll bars. Other options include 19-inch wheels wrapped with 275/35 Dunlop Sport Maxx tires hiding big Brembo brakes that provide stopping power. All 351 GT F models come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, although a six-speed automatic is optional, with both offering launch control mode . The auto-equipped Falcon 361 F GT is said to go 0-60 mph in about 4.5 seconds.
Open the door to highlighted special badges, instrument dials, seat stitching, start-up screen and many other options decked in orange. Digital gauges appear on a touchscreen in the center of the dash with easy access to vitals such as boost, engine temperature and oil pressure.
With just 550 examples of this FPV 351 GT F to be built, pricing starts at 77,990 in Aussie dollars, making it approximately $72,900 in American dollars. A rougher utility version, Ute, will be offered, but only 120 units with a cap of 422 horsepower.
To be clear, this won’t be Ford’s final Falcon and production won’t cease with the 351 GT F. The newest and most recent Falcon will be unveiled later this year and will wear the XR8 badge previously used in the Outback. The upgraded Falcon model will likely feature the same 5.0L Coyote V8, but numbers aren’t final.