Ford Tickford TS50 (AUIII)

Tickford, as you've probably already heard, is Ford's equivalent of HSV. Tickford hijacks partly-assembled Fords and adds its own special touch to them by modifying the engine, brakes, suspension, wheels, tires, interior and exterior. The 3rd generation 220kW Ford Falcon XR8, for example, is transformed into the 250kW (335 horsepower) TS50 you see here. The 5.0-litre V8 of the stock car is bored out to 5.6 litres and the exhaust manifolds, valves, camshafts and pistons are all new. The conrods are billet machined and the cylinder heads ported, while and 82mm throttle body is also new. The transmission is a Heavy Duty Tremec 5-speed manual but buyers can also opt for the automatic gearbox with Adaptive Shift and Electronic Sports Shift, which includes steering-wheel mounted buttons. Braking comes from 329mm vented and grooved front discs with twin-piston calipers and 287mm grooved rear discs, with ABS. For more spirited drivers, an optional Brembo package is available, which features 355mm front discs and 330mm rears, all cross-drilled and ventilated with four-piston calipers. In addition to the standard sports suspension package, an optional package includes Koni shock absorbers with variable rate rear springs, a retuned front stabiliser bar and a 7mm lower ride height. Footware is provided by Dunop ST9000 P245/40ZR18 tires on 18 inch wheels. The interior is based on the XR8 but is more upscale. Outside, front and rear spoilers are added to mimic Ford's XR8 V8 Supercars.

If you're wondering why this model was included as one of the World's Fastest Sedans without any actual performance figures, the answer is simple: with 335hp on tap and even more torque, the TS50 couldn't possibly be slow. Ford's own XR8 manages to reach 60mph in about 6.5 seconds, with a 40hp disadvantage. On top of that, the dynamics and precise handling of these cars have always been their strengths. It's just too bad that the TS50 is still down quite a bit on power compared to HSV's SV300, and will certainly be slower in a straight line as a result.

Sorry, European customers only. However, rumor has it that Tickford could hit N/A in the future