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Ford Formula 1 News

You can take the boy out of Queanbeyan…

Webber drives Aussie muscle car

…but you can’t take the Queanbeyan out of the boy. No doubt, recent access to a high powered Aussie muscle car brought back plenty of Monaro Street memories from Mark Webber’s youth. Imagine if he had the keys to FPV F6 back in the day, he would have been the biggest show in town. Yes, even bigger than Barnsey performing at the Raiders Leagues Club.

Webber handed back the F6 to Ford Australia this morning, and says there are some things from home he always misses, “What a great car … this is what I miss in Europe … awesome Aussie muscle cars.”

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DR TV – Hot hatch test

Drivers Republic hot hatch test

Six of the best hot hatches. An empty aerodrome all to yourself. How could you say no? Chris Harris from Drivers Republic certainly couldn’t, and he took the opportunity to see what’s what in the world of hot hatchery. The car’s on offer were impressive—Honda Civic Type R, Renault Megane R26.R, Ford Focus ST (XR5), Subaru Impreza WRX S, Vauxhall Astra VXR Triple Eight and a MINI Cooper S JCW.

So, which car came up trumps? The cars were taken to Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome to find out. You can watch video footage after the jump, or read the article in full HERE.

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Fifth Gear Ford

Fifth Gear drives 2009 Ford Focus RS

Jason Plato from Fifth Gear has been handed a set of keys to the new Focus RS. It’s a pretty wild looking thing, and with 300bhp (225kW) powering the front wheels it sounds like a recipe for disaster. However, thanks to its tricky RevoKnuckle suspension system, which maximises grip, Ford seems to think everything will be okay.

So, it loses marks for lime green paint. It loses marks for hamfisted naming of its technology. But does the Focus RS lose any marks for the driving experience? Not on Jason Plato’s shift, it doesn’t.

Find out more about the Focus RS by downloading this PDF (724kb) or by checking our the Ford.co.uk website.

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Ford

1970s Ford GT stash uncovered in South Africa

Ford Fairmont GT stash in South Africa

Many readers will have great memories of the Australian muscle car era. The best years were the 1970s and one of the best examples of the age is the XW/XY Ford Falcon GT. Not as many of you will remember that during that era a whole bunch of Falcon GT parts were exported to South Africa where they were assembled into Fairmont GTs. Recently (or perhaps not), a large haul of Fairmont GTs was unearthed making Ford enthusiasts across the country go weak at the knees.

There were a few cosmetic difference between the Fairmont and Ford GT models, but essentially they are the same car. Indeed, in the areas that matter, these were fair dinkum Falcon GTs.

There appear to be scant facts around about the way this collection was built, but interweb rumour suggests the cars were purchased individually in South Africa with the sole intention of exporting them back “home”. The idea being, of course, that the home grown collecter market would gobble these GTs up at some profit to the importer.

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Ford News

Eric Bana’s “Love the Beast” – Sydney premiere




Eric Bana’s feature length movie about his first car Love the Beast is due in cinemas on 12 March. Sydney residents, however, have the opportunity to see the movie next Thursday 26 February with a special screening at the Hayden Orpheum in Cremorne. This session will include a live presentation from Eric Bana, as well. Tickets are $20 and are now on sale through MCA-TIX.

You can see a preview of the flick above. For more information, check out the movie’s official website or YouTube channel.

(Thanks to Shaun for the tip.)

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Automotive industry supports Bushfire Appeal

Victorian Bushfires

Following the lead of Mercedes-Benz, two more manufacturers have donated cash towards the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

Honda Australia, through its Honda Foundation, has pledged $200,000 to the cause. Joining Honda in today’s announcement is Nissan Australia and Nissan Motor Co. in Japan who will be offering a combined donation of $100,000.

Nissan Australia will also match donations made by its employees to the Australian Red Cross or Salvation Army. The company has also committed to a 100 vehicle loan fleet, allowing affected members of the public to apply for a free loan car, for a period of up to six months.

These announcements are a fantastic show of support and one would expect more manufacturers to follow in these very generous footsteps.

Where available, press statements from manufacturers are included after the jump.

UPDATE: Audi has made a “significant contribution” towards the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation which made a $1,000,000 donation earlier today.

Toyota has donated $100,000 to the Cricket Australia Bushfire Appeal. Ford also donated a Mondeo XR5 Turbo for auction, with all proceeds going to the appeal.

UPDATE 11 Feb: V8 Supercars have donated $100,000. (Source: The Australian)

BMW Group Australia has chipped in $100,000 plus other support.

UPDATE 12 Feb: News just in that Mitsubishi have donated $100,000 to the Appeal.

Holden has also come forward with a $152,000 (US$100,000) donation, via its GM Foundation, and a fleet of 300 loan cars available to bushfire victims for periods of 3-12 months. In addition to these pledges, Holden dealers nationawide have raised a further $200,000. (Source: news.com.au)

Update 13 Feb: The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group announced last night that it is donating $300,000 towards the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Fund to assist individuals and communities affected by the devastating fires.

Image: sourced from The Boston Globe

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Ford News

Ford names Geelong local Marin Burela as new President and CEO

Ford CEO Martin BurelaFord today announced Marin Burela its new President and CEO. The appointment comes after the shock resignation last month of former president Bill Osborne. Raised in Geelong, Burela started working with Ford Australia in 1984. An engineering graduate of Ford of Australia’s graduate program, he has held positions in Manufacturing, Sales and Marketing, and Product Development areas.

His time with the Ford Motor Company has taken him around the globe, with stints in Asia, Europe and North America, including senior management and board level roles within Land Rover and Jaguar. Most recently he has been working with Ford Europe and he will commence his new role on 1 October. As head of Ford Australia Burela will report directly to John Parker, Executive Vice President, Asia Pacific and Africa.

“Burela’s strong leadership and broad experience within Ford Motor Company will be vital to driving the successful future of Ford Australia’s operations. As a Geelong native, his return to Ford Australia allows him to lead not only one of Ford’s more strategic global markets, but one for which he has such a strong affinity,” said Parker.

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Carmageddon Ford Holden News Toyota

Discussion on Australia’s car industry

ABC Radio - Australia Talks on Radio National

On my drive home from work the other day I caught the start of Paul Barclay’s Australia Talks program on Radio National. The focus of discussion was on Australia’s car industry, with topics canvassed including:

  • Ford’s decision to cut 350 jobs and the broader impact that will have on local employment
  • The planned cut in tariffs from 10% down to 5%
  • How effective are the Holden and Toyota export programs?
  • Should the Australian car manufacturing industry be protected, and why has it been protected in the past?
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Ford News

Ford Australia boss resigns

Ford Australia boss Bill Osborne resignsFord Australia has been shocked by President Bill Osborne’s sudden resignation. He will leave the company in September. See GoAuto for more detail.

Ford Australia Statement

John Parker, Ford Motor Company Executive Vice President of Asia Pacific and Africa, today announced that Ford Australia President Bill Osborne has elected to leave the company, effective September.

Osborne will relocate back to North America to take up a position outside the automotive industry. His replacement will be announced in due course.

“Bill has made significant contributions during his career with Ford Motor Company, and we wish him and his family all the best with his future endeavour,” said Parker.

“Ford Australia will continue to play a vital role in the future success of Ford Motor Company and within the Asia Pacific and Africa region, with greater input and alignment across all areas of the business, particularly product development, information technology, purchasing and marketing and sales,” added Parker.

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Ford

Focus XR5 facelift seen in Melbourne

The new and updated Ford Focus has not yet been released, but it has been spotted and photographed on Melbourne’s streets. See Car Advice for more.

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High resolution Ford FG01 V8 Supercar images

Ford FG01 V8 Supercar

Ford has released images of its new Falcon-based FG01 V8 Supercar ahead of the car’s track debut. Craig Lowndes will drive the only FG01 in the field in this weekend’s Sandown 400. There are five images in all, simply click on an image for a high resolution download (all images 3800px wide, approx 1.5mb).

Ford’s press release and additional high resolution images can be seen below.