Ford Australia's path toward a dedicated performance arm began in 1991 through a partnership with Tickford, a British automotive engineering company, under the Tickford Vehicle Engineering joint venture. When Prodrive purchased Tickford in 2002, Ford Performance Vehicles was established as a new joint venture between Ford Australia and Prodrive.
FPV's first models arrived in 2003: the GT, the GT-P, and the Pursuit utility. All three were powered by a unique 5.4-litre V8 Ford named the Boss 290, producing 290 kW, with DOHC four-valve cylinder heads derived from the Mustang Cobra R engine. The GT was based on the BA Falcon, the GT-P on the BA Fairmont, and the Pursuit on the BA Falcon coupe utility.
The range expanded in late 2004 with the introduction of the F6 Typhoon sedan and F6 Tornado utility, each powered by a turbocharged 4.0-litre straight-six Barra engine producing 270 kW. BF Falcon-based models followed in 2005 with outputs unchanged, and the BF MkII update in late 2006 added the luxury-oriented Force 6 and Force 8 to compete with Holden Special Vehicles.
In January 2008 FPV unveiled the F6X, a Ford Territory-based SUV and the first non-Falcon model the brand had produced. It was discontinued in 2009.
The FG Falcon generation, also launched in 2008, brought revised outputs, with the GT producing 315 kW from its Boss V8 and the F6 reaching 310 kW from its turbocharged Barra in FG specification.
In 2010 the 5.4-litre Boss V8 was retired in favour of a supercharged 5.0-litre unit developed under the internal codename Miami, based on the Coyote V8. The GT producing the Boss 335 engine developed 335 kW. A track-focused R-spec version released in 2012 was described at the time as Australia's fastest-accelerating production car.
The final model was the GT-F 351, presented in June 2014. Its supercharged 5.0-litre V8 produced a minimum of 351 kW, with a transient overboost function capable of exceeding 400 kW for short periods. Production was limited to 500 units for Australia and 50 for New Zealand, priced at A$77,990. The designation referenced both the final output in kilowatts and the historic 351 cubic inch Cleveland engines of 1970s Falcon GTs. The FPV brand was discontinued in 2014 in preparation for Ford Australia's manufacturing shutdown.
Prodrive's ownership of FPV carried a direct link to competition through the creation of Ford Performance Racing (FPR) in 2003, which fielded Ford Falcon V8 Supercars and acted as the factory-backed racing arm for the brand. FPR achieved its first Bathurst 1000 victory in 2013 with Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards in a Falcon FG. Winterbottom had also placed second in the Drivers' Championship in 2008. In January 2013 the team was sold to Rusty French and Rod Nash. Ford's gradual withdrawal of V8 Supercars support led to the team being renamed Prodrive Racing Australia in 2015. Drivers over the years included Craig Lowndes, Glenn Seton, David Brabham, Mark Winterbottom, Will Davison, and Steven Richards.
FPV also created a dedicated drift show car, the DRIF6, based on a modified F6 Typhoon, which competed in the national-level Drift Australia Series in 2006 with the aim of reaching a younger audience beyond FPV's traditional V8-driving customer base.
In August 2012, Ford Australia purchased the FPV assets to manage the brand independently through to its closure. Over twelve years FPV served as the performance counterpoint to the standard Ford Falcon lineup, competing directly with Holden Special Vehicles in the high-performance Australian market segment.
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