Ford Falcon GT-HO tuner aims big

The hot tuners behind a generation of fast Ford Falcons and a new GT-HO tribute model are planning to renew their rivalry with HSV and the Walkinshaw Group by converting vehicles locally from left- to right-hand drive.

Premcar, which emerged from a management buy-out of Ford Performance Vehicles’ engineering division from Prodrive and Ford, has been around since 2012.

It has recently made headlines for developing what it calls the Holy Grail package for supercharged ‘Miami’ V8-powered FPV and Falcon XR8 models.

Also including a chassis modification kit and exhaust package, Holy Grail is the basis for what would have been a reborn Falcon GT-HO -- a project axed when Ford decided to end Australian vehicle assembly.

We’ll be driving the 483kW/753Nm Holy Grail Falcon soon, so keep an eye out for the story and video.

Up until now Premcar has been almost entirely a ‘below the line’ engineering consultant, supplying its expert resources to various vehicle development projects for brands here and overseas.

But Premcar chief engineer Bernie Quinn made it clear that while Holy Grail is an endpoint for Falcon, it was only a starting point for the company’s ambitious push into aftermarket tuning and conversion.

“This is 100 per cent the beginning of our new strategy for getting into the aftermarket -- secondary manufacturing if you like,” he said.

“We see this as the next big chance for us to increase the revenue into the business, to create a new income stream into the business.

“We have got projects in the pipeline beyond this, but this is our entry into the market.”

Becoming a converter would ape HSV, which used to offer a line-up of high-performance Holden Commodores but now converts the imported Chevrolet Camaro and Silverado to right-hand drive.

Quinn revealed he had toured the Walkinshaw Park facility with Walkinshaw Group chairman Ryan Walkinshaw and had been inspired by what he saw.

“Re-manufacturing definitely appeals to us,” Quinn said. “I look at what Ryan has done down there. He took me for a tour and it’s bit inspirational to be honest.

“We used to be competitors, but what he has done – wow -- is really, really impressive.

“What it told me was let’s not hold back on this, don’t be shy on this, don’t be conservative. Let’s put our balls on the line, which we have done by making the investment [in Holy Grail]. Hopefully we reap the reward.”

Quinn’s only rider was the financial success of Holy Grail would play a role in how aggressively Premcar pursues this new strategy. There are 100 Holy Grail engine kits on offer at $24,885 each, the chassis option and exhaust packages add another $19,920.

Despite Premcar’s Blue Oval history, Quinn revealed other brands could be the subject of its tuning skills.

“There are definitely other people we are speaking to,” he confirmed.

If Premcar does press on successfully, it will become yet another Ford-related company to get involved in the high-performance turning field.

Tickford Racing, the former factory Ford Supercar team, offers cosmetic and performance enhancements for Ford models, while renowned Ford tuner Rob Herrod is up to his elbows in Ford Performance projects including a limited-edition supercharged Mustang that will be sold through Ford dealers.