Well, thanks to (somewhat ironically) our favourite Holden forums, some pricing for the new Ford FG series including XR6 Turbo, XR8, G6E, G6E Turbos and XT is now available.
Pricing for some options can also be found below, although it does not appear to be the full options list.

FG Sedans
XT five-speed auto $36,490
G6 five-speed auto $39,990
G6E six-speed auto $46,990
G6E Turbo six-speed auto $54,990
XR6 six-speed manual $39,990
XR6 five-speed auto $39,990
XR6 Turbo six-speed manual $45,490
XR6 Turbo six-speed auto $46,990
XR8 six-speed manual $45,490
XR8 six-speed auto $46,990

FG Commercials
Falcon Ute Cab Chassis six-speed manual $27,795
Falcon Ute Styleside Box six-speed manual $28,195
R6 Cab Chassis six-speed manual $29,795
R6 Styleside Box six-speed manual $30,195
XR6 Cab Chassis six-speed manual $34,090
XR6 Styleside Box six-speed manual $34,490
XR6 Turbo Styleside Box six-speed manual $38,490
XR8 Styleside Box six-speed manual $38,490

BF III Wagon
BF Falcon Wagon MkIII $37,720

Options (sedans)
ZF six-speed auto $1500
E-Gas (with four-speed auto) $1400
16-inch alloy wheels (XT) $500
17-inch alloy wheels (XT) $1000
18-inch alloy wheels: G6 & G6E / XR6 $1000
19-inch alloy wheels: G6 & G6E / XR6 $2400
19-inch alloy wheels: G6ET / XR6T & XR8 $2000
Full size steel spare wheel $100
Full size alloy spare wheel $250
Reverse sensing system $500
Reverse camera $500
Curtain & side thorax airbags $300
Leather seat trim $2100
Premium sound $1100
Satellite navigation $2000
Prestige paint $400
Tow pack (1600kg) $495
Technology Pack $450
Safety Pack $600
XR Luxury Pack: XR6 $5400
XR Luxury Pack: XR6T & XR8 $5000

Options (Commercials)
Automatic trans. in lieu of manual $1000
E-Gas (with four-speed auto) $2400
16-inch one-tonne alloy wheels $1000
17-inch alloy wheels $1000
19-inch alloy wheels $2400
Automatic climate control $2295
Traction control $750
Leather seat trim $1100
Prestige sound $700
Satellite navigation $2000
Prestige paint $400
one-tonne suspension $495
Tow pack (1600kg) $495
Tonneau cover (Styleside Box) $270
Aluminium tray (Cab Chassis) $1460
Technology Pack $450
Safety Pack $600
XR Sports Pack $1000
XR Luxury Pack $4000

Options (wagon)
E-Gas (with four-speed auto) $1400
16-inch alloy wheels $500
Heavy duty suspension $350
Full size alloy spare wheel $250
Side head/thorax airbags $300
Prestige sound $700
Rear power windows $470
Cargo blind $150
Prestige paint $400
Tow pack (1600kg) $495

It will be very interesting indeed to read the initial reviews of the new XR6Turbo.

In addition to a turbo that spools up significantly faster than the current XR6 Turbo, and boost increased from 6psi to 10psi, a much improved intercooler is provided, with significant increases in volume and reduced flow restriction.

But that’s nothing compared to two other features which now have more detail available:

1) Overboost: the T will allow overboost of approximately 10% for a few seconds, likely under high load wide-open-throttle conditions. This, assuming the power figures don’t take this into account, could mean brief peak output much nearer to 300kW.

2) More detail on launch control: when the clutch is engaged and sufficient accelerator depression made to allow the engine to reach the new 3500rpm clutch-in (stationary) limit, after three seconds the turbo will be spooled up using exhaust mixed with air that’s been pumped into the cylinders deactivated as part of the launch control process. When the clutch is released the cylinders are brought back online, and the car is able to take off with the turbo already partially spooled up. This is potentially significantly closer to genuine launch control than the simple 3500rpm clutch-in rev limit that was initially revealed.

Its refreshing to see Ford looking outside the square for ideas that will help give a competitive edge against competitors like the Holden VE-SS, and the more detail that comes to hand, the more it sounds like the new GF XR6Turbo will be a large change - large enough to help stop declining sales of what is a great but until now ageing car.

Some new information on the 2008 FG Series XR6 Turbo

Now Updated! Click here for latest info on launch control and overboost system!

Changes to the turbo:

The engine now puts out 270kW, and 533Nm from 2000-4750rpm. Effectively the specs from the outgoing F6 Typhoon.

Aside from apparently using the stronger LPG conrods, the other internal engine changes are not known at this stage.

However, Ford has made some changes to the turbo itself.

The turbo is still a Garrett turbo, but now has a smaller compressor wheel. While this will mean faster spool-up when the engine is off the boil - rumoured to be 30% faster spool up which will mean less lag - it will also likely limit the ability of the turbo to cope with larger boost. In other words while it will be possible to increase boost via editing of the ECU software, you may not be able to increase boost as far as you can with the existing turbo.

Whether this is an actual problem for tuners remains to be seen - the existing turbo has a very high capacity for increased boost which may not be pushed to its limits anyway in normal tuning. The upper limits of the new turbo setup should be able to be calculated once the new compressor wheel has been properly identified.

Launch control:

Rumours of launch control in the manual XR6 Turbo may be exaggerated. Proper launch control involves the ECU taking control of some aspects of the car (clutch, ignition or similar depending on how they choose to implement it), and has the aim of producing searing take-offs where in wet or dry the car will take off pretty much as fast as possible - without the normal complexity of balancing clutch use with power application to avoid either bogging down or spinning the wheels.

In the FG Series XR6 Turbo, the launch control is said to consist of a ~3500rpm rev limiter which applies when the clutch is depressed. What this means is that you cant rev the car higher before you release the clutch even if you floor it. If true, this seems more aimed at reducing driveline damage and abuse than as a launch control, as even in the BA or BF XR6Turbo 3500rpm will tend to smoke the tyres if launched quickly at that many revs (with no traction control engaged). Add the extra torque and power of the FG series, and it will likely do so even more easily.

Editing the software to increase boost:

The BF introduced a flag in the ECU which is tripped when any calibration has been over-written. This means that despite efforts to reflash the “standard” tune back to the ECU before servicing the car, Ford can tell that at some stage the ECU was reflashed. This will then void aspects of the warrantee related to the impacts of reflashing the ECU (ie engine, potentially powertrain etc).

This flag is also present in the FG series, so it is important that people editing/flashing the ECU know that they are voiding parts of their warrantee - and that even if Ford dont say anything to you, it is very likely if you ruin a relevant part of the car and try to claim it on warrantee that you will be (rightfully) declined at that stage.

No additional protections to stop flashing the ECU have been introduced - but people should be aware of the possible consequences and lack of warrantee support if something goes wrong.

iPod:

The Optional Technology Pack inlcudes iPod and Bluetooth integration. iPods are connected to an interface box in the centre console and it feeds directly into the car’s entertainment system. This interface is much more complex than the current audio-only interface: it means all the relevant information from the iPod (song titles etc) can be displayed on the centre display, and via the car’s controls the driver can control the ipod (select different tracks etc).

The FG Series XR6 Turbo is available starting May 2008.

Click here for update: More detail on launch control, and turbo over-boost will be available! WooHoo!

Where I live, they are paranoid about speed and spend a lot of time trying to brainwash people into thinking that it is the cause of all road deaths.

Conveniently they also generate massive revenues per year from speed cameras. $700M or so just in my state. You can get fined around $150 for being 1.875mph over the limit. Seriously.

Below is what is envizaged as the ultimate solution for speeders - a radar speed camera with an in-built belt-fed machine gun. When it detects you speeding, it simply blows you to pieces.

I have no doubt they will evaluate it and look at implementing it….as soon as they can work out a way to take your money before you are killed…

Well, as we all know after seeing the video of the policeman doing circlework in Western Australia, the police arent beyond bending the occasional law one moment, then booking the public for doing even less.

At approximately 9.33am in Melbourne this morning, near Casseldon Place at the corner of Spring and Lonsdale Streets, a Police car appeared to miss its intended stopping point. So, rather than do a U-turn at one of the frequent locations where they can be done, the policeman decided that in the middle of early morning peak hour and with many pedestrians walking to work from nearby Parliament Station, that he would engage reverse, and then reverse backwards, at speed, up Lonsdale street at 30-40kmh over a distance of approximately 30 metres, piling into a woman who was crossing the road.

Despite frantic attempts by other pedestrians to signal the police driver and passenger of the impending collision with a pedestrian, the pedestrian was struck by the back of the car and flew to the ground.

The woman is believed to have been more than 30m from the marked crossing intersection, meaning it is unlikely she can be considered to have been jay-walking and thus contributed to the event. In addition, she also could have been legally crossing from the central parking to the footpath.

itsNbits will be watching closely to see if there is any attempt to blame it on the woman, who had every right to expect to cross the road without a car reversing in to her whilst travelling the wrong way up the road at a reasonably dangerous speed for an unreasonable distance…especially a when driven by a police officer who should have known better.

Goodbye pushrods!

A leaked 149 page memorandum of understanding between GM, a union and a major parts maker in the US has provided an interesting insight into the upcoming move away from pushrods to overhead cams for the upcoming Gen V replacement for the current Gen IV engine lineup. The new Gen V engines is expected to deploy late 2010 and carry through until 2015.

Widely sold in vehicles in the US, and also in Australia under the General Motors Holden brand name, the engine will have the following features:

- 6.2L capacity

- Dual Overhead Cams

- 4 valves per cylinder

- Cylinder deactivation, starting 2011

- Cam phasing (date unknown)

- SIDI E92 Controller for engine management, starting 2010 and used through to 2016

Other indications include:
- 6 speed transmissions to continue: no sign of 7 speed such as found in some Euros.
- a Gen V 5.x litre single overhead cam variant

So much for reducing capacity so people can hug more trees! Lets hope Ford continue the same trend.

Rally champion Colin McRae is believed to have been killed in a helicopter crash near McRae’s house at Jerviswood, near the town of Lanark in southern Scotland.

McRae won the 1995 World Rally Championship and was runner-up in 1996, 1997 and 2001.

McRae and his five year old son, Johnny, are believed to have been killed. Along with them another man and his son who were also found dead in the wreckage.

The wreck of McRae’s Squirrel helicopter (pictured above) was so bad it was initially not known how many people had died in the accident.

McRae, who flew helicopters regularly, is likely to have been piloting the helicopter at the time.

McRae is survived by his wife Alison and his daughter Hollie, 9.

In July McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan was suspended from McLaren after top secret Ferrari technical documents were found in his possession after raids on his house.

The information was sufficient to allow McLaren to gain a good understanding in how to design, engineer, build, check, test, develop and run a 2007 Ferrari F1 car.

It is alleged that Couglan can be linked to Ferrari’s head of performance Nigel Stepney who was fired from Ferrari.

McLaren was initially not penalised for the documents after it was stated there was insufficient evidence that the documents were used.

Apparently suspicions were again raised after it was testified that the 780 page plus document was left with a photocopying company near McLaren’s HQ in Woking who were tasked with making a copy. An employee quickly realised that Formula 1 information of this nature would never be made available to a typical copying store, and called Police to alert them of the suspicious document they were asked to copy. Unlike the first time, this time there was more support that McLaren had used or intended to use the information.

Its likely that Police then contacted Ferrari whose name was all over the document, and Ferrari then obtained a court order to search Coughlin’s house, seizing documents and computers.

Penalty

Today the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile confirmed that after a 10 hour hearing in Paris McLaren received the following penalty:

- Stripped of all 2007 Constructors Points.
- Fined US$100,000,000 (largest sports fine in history)
- No McLaren rep on the podium should McLaren achieve a podium place for the rest of 2007.

McLaren are likely very disappointed with losing constructors points as they were well on their way to their first drivers championship since 1999. Before the loss of points McLaren lead with 166 points versus the second place Ferrari with 143.

Alonso and Hamilton have been allowed to keep their drivers points, however given an independent expert has been appointed to review the McLaren car to see if it can be proven that McLaren have actually utilised the stolen knowledge. It’s quite possible that should it be reasonably proven, both Alonso and Hamilton will be stripped of all points and further penalties may come McLaren’s way. To date McLaren have maintained that while one of thier staff did appear to have access to the illegally obtained information, the information has never been used. McLaren rolled out 140 supporting staff members including their drivers to prove it.

Potentially Ferrari, a fierce rival to McLaren, may seek criminal charges to be laid, and also sue McLaren for theft of intellectual property.