FPR Car of the Future at AIMS

SYDNEY – Sept 24, 2012: Showgoers at next month’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney will have the opportunity to check out Ford Performance Racing’s EcoBoost “Car of the Future”.

From 2013 V8 Supercar racing moves into a new era with a new generation of cars making up the grid. The FPR “Car of the Future” is one of them.

From the outside, the Falcon “Car of the Future” on the AIMS stand will look similar to the current crop of V8 Supercars. However, underneath there are a host of safety and technical improvements to the body, driver safety and a lighter, stronger chassis.

“This is very exciting for fans of V8 Supercar racing. We’re excited to be able to show off our Car of the Future,” Ford Motorsport boss, Graham Barrie said.

The “Car of the Future” signifies an important and exciting change in V8 Supercar racing in Australia.

As with today’s crop of V8 Supercars – they will feature V8 engines, rear-wheel drive and four doors. However, from 2013 a “control chassis” will be introduced to allow all V8 Supercar contenders equal footing as well as helping lower the build cost of the chassis, meaning lower repair costs.

The V8 Supercar “Car of the Future” showcases a new level of safety for drivers. In the new vehicles, the fuel tank will be moved forward from the boot to sit inside the main chassis for better crash protection.

A collapsible steering column, a new fire extinguisher system and improved side crash protection has also been added. Other measures include moving the engines 100mm further back to the firewall for added safety, windscreens will be made of high-impact polycarbonate and 18-inch tyres will be introduced.

Independent Rear Suspension and a transaxle gearbox are part of the technical innovations for the COTF.

The Ford COTF featured on the Ford stand at AIMS is one of two prototypes that will be tested on a variety of circuits ahead of the 2013 rollout.

Ford’s COTF Falcon is running in Ford’s EcoBoost motorsport livery during testing, joining other Ford race squads around the world currently running the colour scheme, including teams in NASCAR and the World Rally Championship.

Barrie said EcoBoost was the future of Ford’s engine technology globally so it made sense that the COTF was used as a platform to promote it.

“This further aligns our V8 Supercar program with Ford’s global motorsport plan and places it alongside the likes of NASCAR and the World Rally Championship,” he said.

EcoBoost is Ford’s newest engine technology, which is now available in Australia in the locally-built Falcon, Mondeo and the soon to be released Focus ST.

EcoBoost engines combine direct injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing to maximise performance and torque while improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions.