Ford Australia Revives Sprint Badge For Final Falcon

8 years, 9 months ago - 17 March 2016, Autoblog
Ford Australia Revives Sprint Badge For Final Falcon
Oh, Australia, don't ever change. This is, of course, a futile hope on our part, because one of the most iconic things about the Australian auto industry is going to change: The big, dumb, rear-drive sedan is on its way out.

Recognizing that this is the end of an era, the Aussies are making sure their car goes out with a bang.

For the Ford Falcon, that means the limited-edition Sprint. Ford Australia will only build 850 Falcon Sprints with a 5.0-liter, supercharged V8 and 550 versions with a 4.0-liter, turbocharged straight-six, all of which will probably sell quickly. That's partially because it's the last time Australians will see a big, brash new vehicle with the Falcon badge, and partially because of the power on offer.

The XR6 – the smaller of the two engines – will outgun a Mustang GT, with 436 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque. And if you need a smidge more scoot, the blown V8 pumps out 462 hp, but just 424 lb-ft of torque. Really get on the loud pedal, though, and the engines will go into an overboost mode. Both cars are good for 479 lb-ft when in overboost, but the XR6 turns the wick up to 479 hp and the XR8 is good for 536. Regardless of which car you go with, you'll have a seriously impressive sounding sedan.

Check out the video of the two cars revving, courtesy of Australia's Motor Magazine. The Aussie pub also has prototype drives of both the XR6 and XR8, if you want to see what things are like behind the wheel.