There once was a time, when Mel Gibson was mad only on screen and drove a modified black Ford Falcon Interceptor in a movie called Mad Max.

The movie is full of high speed chases and destruction in typical 1980′s fashion. You’d either love this movie or think it is one of the biggest time wasters ever invented.

Some of its supporters seem to be Ford of Australia and the team behind Top Gear Australia and they have pooled their talents together bring a modern version of the Mad Max car.

Out of the many designs penned, two designs have been picked as the finalists, one penned by Nima Nourian and the other by Simon Brook.

Ford Australia’s Melbourne based  Design Director Chris Svensson said, “Our entire team was very excited to be involved in this after-hours project and they approached it with a great deal of enthusiasm – even those that were too young to remember the first Mad Max movie. We had a special screening of the original movie so they could understand it.”

These two final designs will be voted on by readers of Top Gear Australia, and the winning design will be turned into a full-scale model. Since a Mad Max 4 is being planned, the winning car could end up in the new movie.

[Source: Carscoop]

Fans of rear-drive domestic performance sedans suffered a blow when General Motors decided to close the Pontiac brand and cease importing the rebadged Holden Commodore as the G8. While rumors continue to suggest GM will bring back a rear-drive Australian-sourced performance machine, they may have to act fast as a recent report suggests Ford may look to imitate the Holden/Pontiac strategy.

According to one Australian outlet, the Blue Oval may look ‘down under’ to its Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) division in order to source a version of the rear-drive Falcon GT – complete with a new supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that makes 449-hp and 420 ft-lbs of torque.

FPV is eager to expand its offerings and former Ford Australian president Bill Osborne already admitted a plan was underway to export the cars to China and the Middle East. For Ford of Australia the rewards could be huge, with Holden’s sale of the Pontiac G8 in the U.S. doubling production of the car globally.

Ford is currently promoting a global vehicle strategy that will not only see mainstream cars like the Fiesta and Focus created to be sold in all markets, but will also focus on utilizing the company’s performance vehicles in regional markets. Ford’s VP of global marketing, Jim Farley, recently commented that the automaker intends to put a focus on rear-drive models for the U.S. market.

Farley recently told AutoGuide that more special ‘regional’ performance vehicles are set to debut in the U.S. in the near future.

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Ford Australia has just officially launched its high-performance 2010 FPV F6 E; a car with even more punch under the hood that the new 2010 SHO.

But how can that be? The SHO uses a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 to make 365hp.

Well, the Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) version of the Australian-market F6 E saloon out muscles the SHO with a 4.0-liter turbocharged straight-six making no less than 415hp and 417 ft-lbs of torque.

The conservatively styled sedan is aimed at attracting buyers of European luxury/performance sedans (a la Audi S4 and BMW M5). It’s main competitor, however, is the Holden Commodore SS, sold in the U.K. as the Vauxhall VXR8 and in North America as the Pontiac G8 GXP.

Along with a nicely styled interior the FPV F6 E gets a big set of wheels and tires and some massive Brembo brakes. Full details aren’t yet available but this four-door Australian muscle car is expected to hit 60 mph in less than 5 seconds.

GALLERY: Ford FPV FE 6

[Source: Top Gear]

When Ford launched it’s all-new retro-inspired Mustang in 2005, the car received plenty of improvements, but according to a recent report in Motor Trend it could have been even better. The chassis, the S197, was originally scheduled to have a fully-independent rear end which would have provided superior performance and comfort, but that plan was scrapped late in development so Ford could save $100 a car.

When the car was first introduced in 2004 the automotive press (and enthusiasts)  almost assumed that Ford would do away with the live rear axle in favor of the more modern independent setup and when that never happened questions were asked. Back then we were all told that it would have cost Ford thousands to go this route.

Now, that story appears to be exaggerated. Originally the S197 chassis Mustang was supposed to get a fully-independent setup that was to be shared with the Ford Falcon in Australia. The problems with that setup stemmed from the very different purposes that both cars were designed for, with the Mustang needing just two seats and not much rear space, while the Falcon needed three seats and usable passenger room. Eventually the engineering teams in both Australia and the U.S. came up with their own separate designs.

That U.S. plan for an independent rear-end was, however, scrapped when project boss Phil Martens convinced Ford execs that the company could save $100 per car if they went with a solid rear axle. And so the retro looking Stang got a genuinely old school piece of equipment out back.

The Motor Trend report also points out the eventual irony of the decision to stick with old technology, claiming that it actually ended up costing Ford $98 extra per vehicle due to all the engineering required to make the setup livable by modern standards.

[Source: MotorTrend]

Few engines have received the iconic status of the Ford Mustang’s 5.0. The motor disappeared in 1996 but now appears to be ready to make a comeback.

News of the return comes out of Australia where Ford Australia product development boss Russell Christophers has confirmed a new 5.0-liter V8 is currently undergoing development in the U.S.

In Australia the new engine, code named “Coyote,”  will replace a larger 5.4-liter unit in the Falcon, but it could likely be used in an upcoming Mustang.

With new emissions regulations in 2010, we aren’t likely to see the the engine before that. Most likely it would debut in the next Mustang several years from now, but Ford did set a precedent in ’96 when they replace the 5.0 with the 4.6-liter block mid-cycle.

The engine is rumored to make 402hp and 398 ft-lbs of torque.

[Source: Drive]

Ahead of the Melbourne Auto Show in Australia, Ford has released details of a concept car based on its FPV rear-wheel drive sedan. Called the F6 E, this concept car take the performance of the FPV F6 GT and the luxury and refinement of the FPV FE… hence the name F6 E.

Don’t follow? We don’t blame you.

All you really need to know is that this sedate looking sedan is powered by a turbocharged version of  a 4.0-liter Ford inline-six that makes 421hp and 417 ft-lbs of torque. And we thought the SHO was cool… well, apart from its outrageous asking price.

The F6 E isn’t cheap either, however, with a proposed price of $78,190 Australian (roughly $50,000 U.S.) for the concept.

And in case the rest of the press release doesn’t tip you off, when a company mentions pricing, it usually means a “concept” car will see production.

Other highlights in the car include 19-inch wheels and Brembo six-piston front calipers with 355mm rotors and Brembo four-piston rear calipers with 330mm rotors.

“The F6 E has been designed to satisfy calls from the market for more performance based executive vehicles,” said Ford Australia’s Performance Vehicles General Manager Rod Barrett.

“With the success of the new F6 and GT E, it was a natural progression to couple the performance and dynamics of F6 with the more subtle executive styling, luxury and comforts of the GT E.”

As for the design of the car it will feature more normal colors, rather than the shocking colors offered for the GT and will make use of chrome accents and a small spoiler rather than large rear wings and the GT’s infamous “racoon-eye” headlights.

Official release after the jump:

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