Falcons best years, what were they for you

[383hq]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

The EA26 debacle basically destroyed Ford Australia

So it wasn't the button plan that wrecked ford australia, nor the 350+ types of vehicle introduced into Australia to make it the most competitive market on the planet with the lowest tariffs ?

Of course it was that 3.9 litre...

While we're speaking lemons, anyone remember the Capri - saw one running the other day! They're as rare as the camira on the road

[Itsme]

I would say at of all the falcons I've ever owned would be the AU, very reliable but a dog for looks.

[Eaturbo]

I had an AU2 Forte and it was the best Falcon I ever owned from a reliability and fuel economy point of view. It ran on the smell of an oily rag.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by P6LTD351

....yep, and enabled Holden to survive. Holden were broke and on their knees. Ford could have landed the killer blow

Exactly.
They didn't so much "rush" it, as much as they completely bungled it, actually delivered key components far too late and underdone.
The new OHC engine, 4sp auto, and 5spd manual were supposed to debut in the XF2, in time for ULP. They managed 1 of the 3.
It them became a race to see who could debut first, the EA or the horrible abomination that was the VN. The first gen OHC (3.9) was rubbish, the 4spd wasn't available until later, and despite numerous promises the saggy front-end wasn't really fixed until several models later.
Had FA debuted the EB2 as the EA, things would have been a lot different.

But perhaps the worst legacy of Bill Dix was that he not only wholeheartedly supported the Button Plan, but he told the government to cut tariffs MORE
At the time, FA was the only profitable producer in Australia. He believed that FA could survive whilst the tariff reductions and Button plan targets killed off the competition.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Eaturbo

I don't agree with this, if that much damage was done than Ford US would have not allowed future development of all new models. They did AU,BA(nearly all new),FG but more importantly a complete clean sheet new model with the Territory. If Ford US believed that Ford Aus was incapable of designing and building new models than there is no way that they would have approved the Territory. It was after all a completely new car with 7 seats and AWD.

Ford sent Jac Nasser out to clean up Dix's mess. Which he largely did, but it took years. As Jac was promoted upwards, ultimately to CEO of Ford, he continued to be a supporter of FA. Unfortunately he tried to reform Ford, and got stabbed in the back for his efforts. Support for FA went out the door with him.
Problem is that much of the damage done under Dix simply couldn't be reversed, and the bungled EA26 program, put FA so far behind that they never really recovered.

[4stanger]

I'm not a big person, so in the early 80s medium sized cars (Cortinas & torana) were more suitable for me, on occasions driving my brothers XA hardtop while was a thrill, it was difficult for me to feel comfortable driving the car with limited vision (me being short).
XD & XE were better for vision but they lacked standard power steering or the power steering available on them was not all that good.

For me the XF series 2 was a big change from previous Falcons, the power steering (standard) was much improved, you could raise the seat height (important back then for height limited people)it felt like I could drive these vehicles with the confidence of a medium sized car.
I couldn't afford the XF at the time but when I was up for a change and had the coin to do so a 2nd hand EA Falcon was available for me, These cars had some better improvements over the XF, more so for me was the style and it looked quite current at the time of purchase, I purchased a 1988 EA in 1994 just as the ED Falcons were coming to an end and the EF was coming out. Mine was the 3 speed auto and used as the family hack and did so very reliably for me.
Next was the AU series 2, again did the same job as the EA with school runs, kids sport, shopping and family road trip holidays. all done with hardly any issues.

[SpoolMan]

My BF F6 was my favorite Falcon I owned, 10 sec passes from a factory drive-line won me.

If I had a choice the 2 door XA to XC series would be the Falcon I would most like to own.

[buggerlugs]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeKFXvzPdeA

When the new BA came out, Gobsmacked..............

[Express]

The XB & XC in coupes and sedans are my favourite and I loved the look of the BA when it was released.

[Dezza]

It's always hard to go past the BA when it comes to the best era of the Falcon. It was tough being a Ford fan during the AU era. It was being slaughtered in the marketplace and on the racetrack. There's no doubting that the AU was an excellent car, but it's styling really hurt it's sales hard. The fact that the Windsor 5.0i V8 was basically a bit undercooked compared to the Chevy 5.7 didn't help the situation either. Sure they did improve things during the AU series (T3 TS50 being the high point) but it was the BA that saved the Falcon (well, for another decade at least)

Thanks to the late Geoff Polites, the Falcon received what had to be the most significant "facelift" you could ever hope for! The new front and rear styling as well as the squared off windscreens really worked with the carryover doors. The new interior looked great and featured nice touches such as coloured LED lighting and autos receiving the sports-shift. Compared to the VY which just got a new dash and console, the BA interior was miles ahead.

Even though there was nothing wrong with the AU mechanicals, the BA also stepped it up big time. New suspension, a new twin-cam 4.0i 6, and of course the arrival of the mighty XR6 Turbo. The new Boss V8 was also a big power boost over the old Windsor. The introduction of FPV and the return of the GT model were exciting times as well.

The original drip-feed launch created a lot of interest in the new car and the advertising was brilliant. When the original BA V8 Supercar was unveiled, I was completely gob-smacked. It looked incredible, and thankfully at the hands of Marcos Ambrose, it went just as well as it looked. While Bathurst still evaded us for a few more years, it was the BA that broke the drought in 06' (and the upgraded BF model continued this in 07' and 08'). Of course, the BA was also followed by the Territory, which further added to the success. Sure, neither the BA or Territory were perfect (ie. diff bushes and ball-joints) but they were a strong case of the Falcon not going down without a fight!

[STINKY NINJA]

When they released the xr6 turbo,i thought the world was a much better place!
Pretty awesome thing for its time,then came the f6 typhoon,omg how much better can it get!
I guess next in line would be when the efi 5.0 got fitted to the eb after no v8 since the xe,awesome!

[Bearman]

For me, the '60's were pretty cool but the '70's were the best decade. Had the XA-XC Coupe, what more could be said?? Also the greatest day for Ford in its motor racing history in this country.

The '80's started OK then turned to shyte. Ford dropped the V8, bland ville descended, men's fashion turned effeminate and music went all poofy.

The '90's had a resurgence when the V8 returned.

The 2000's got better with the advent of FPV and the return of the GT.

The current decade we all know it's all over.

Been a helluva ride but if I could teleport myself back to the '70's I'd do it in a heartbeat!!!

[castellan]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

It might be a silly question, but was the crossflow a genius idea, or was having the intake above the exhaust better for cold climates? I'd think keeping the hot from the cold would make sense where it's warm, but years ago a mate of mine had a Datsun pulsar panel van that had a shutter on the air filter housing to redirect warmer air from behind the radiator to the engine intake, it was labelled summer winter. I have always wondered because years ago my brother had owned a handful of 6 cylinder toranas and real commodores (with steel bumpers) and it was only the fords that he and I have had that are x flowing. V8s don't make me wonder as the air goes in in the centre, exhaust out the the sides... shattering a tailshaft in a stock bf after smoking it through a roundabout and flicking a rock up wasn't fun, but when thompson ford in paramatta fixed it out of the warrenty for free, happy days

The Ford 6 cyl you are on about ? the log head was just about the bean counters saving money mainly as is the same with Holden 6 cyl having in and ex on one side, if they can save 1 cent on every head they will do it if they can.

I found the old falcon 6 was much better to drive first thing on a cold morning then the bloody Holden red 6 was, but the Ford X flow was just as good as the old log head 6 on a cold morning taking off.

I remember a dude with a new HX 202 auto rev the hell out of it every morning to reverse out of his steep driveway, it was like stabbing the peddle to5000RPM time and time again, my mum would do the same to her HJ 202 auto but not as much as that bloke did, but our driveway was flat, it's a great trick for destroying the big ends. I ended up driving it and it tosses a rod out the side of the block and $330 later another 202 from the wreckers and then fitting it.
The Holden Gemini had that shutter switch as well I think, I don't remember anyone putting it on winter in QLD maybe in the temp like snow one could put it on winter.

[Big_Damo]

All good cars throughout the years but the best is the last one
We can not buy another new Aussie Falcon after 2016 so all those who have grabbed one hold onto it as the latest and greatest Falcon from Australia

[Sprintey]

For me it was the Tickford years. A few things happened, my Holden loving family got to compare EBII and VR side by side and the Ford was far more solid, comfortable, capable as a basic product. We discovered its engineering was far more in depth.

Also, with Tickford, you suddenly had a dedicated tuning house tailoring the cars to enthusiast drivers, a bit like how BMW likes to market itself. You had engineers in Geelong and the UK warming the motors, local suspension tuning set by Aussies for Australian conditions, and a brief to make them fantastic road cars for this country. Which they were. It was bespoke customisation, and the first time it was done on mainstream Aussie Fords outside of a dealer group or race team. You could argue that these 90's Tickford Falcons have more dedicated brilliant engineering in them than anything wearing the 'GS' badge from the 1970s (and I love this era and grew up driving XWs).

Although I loved the AU as well, the next 'best years' had to be BA and Territory, especially the latter. We will not see a vehicle with its SUV ride/handling capabilities south of 90 grand when its gone, again testament to Ford's Aussie engineering.

[Qwerty321]

Ford and Holden failed because of the materialistic, superficial attitude of the population. Everyone wants to show off and prove their wealth to everyone, and that means buying designer clothes, the latest iPhones (which really aren't that great, trust me. I know so many people who HAVE to own the latest iPhone, so they upgrade every year) and unfortunately cars became a part of this. Fords and Holdens were the default, average cars which everyone had grown up knowing. They lost their "WOW" factor a long time ago. Take my dads car and mine for example. Dad drives a slow and somewhat tired '98 Volvo S40. I drive a '05 Fairlane in effectively immaculate condition. Dad's car is valued (by insurance) at 2.5k, mine is valued at 14.3k. But mention to someone that dad owns a Volvo and their impressed, even though it's old. Mention to them I own a Ford and they just think "bogan"...

Ford and Holden made truly amazing cars, and the reason they failed is cause they sold too well. They became so common that the generation who grow up in the back seats of them don't see them as having any show value anymore. I remember a friend telling me another mate's Audi was faster than my ford because it's got "Sports mode" to which I counter "uh.. Ford's have Performance Mode too" and get the reply "but that's Ford Performance, Audi is better". Under what grounds lol? I've got twice the horsepower and RWD compared to FWD, but apparently the Audi badge is worth 2 cylinders, 2 litres and a drivetrain swap

That is the state of the consumer market these days. If the Falcons or Commodores were sold by BMW and Mercedes, they'd be flying off the shelves faster than the factories can make them.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

Ford and Holden failed because of the materialistic, superficial attitude of the population. Everyone wants to show off and prove their wealth to everyone, and that means buying designer clothes, the latest iPhones (which really aren't that great, trust me. I know so many people who HAVE to own the latest iPhone, so they upgrade every year) and unfortunately cars became a part of this. Fords and Holdens were the default, average cars which everyone had grown up knowing. They lost their "WOW" factor a long time ago. Take my dads car and mine for example. Dad drives a slow and somewhat tired '98 Volvo S40. I drive a '05 Fairlane in effectively immaculate condition. Dad's car is valued (by insurance) at 2.5k, mine is valued at 14.3k. But mention to someone that dad owns a Volvo and their impressed, even though it's old. Mention to them I own a Ford and they just think "bogan"...

Ford and Holden made truly amazing cars, and the reason they failed is cause they sold too well. They became so common that the generation who grow up in the back seats of them don't see them as having any show value anymore. I remember a friend telling me another mate's Audi was faster than my ford because it's got "Sports mode" to which I counter "uh.. Ford's have Performance Mode too" and get the reply "but that's Ford Performance, Audi is better". Under what grounds lol? I've got twice the horsepower and RWD compared to FWD, but apparently the Audi badge is worth 2 cylinders, 2 litres and a drivetrain swap

That is the state of the consumer market these days. If the Falcons or Commodores were sold by BMW and Mercedes, they'd be flying off the shelves faster than the factories can make them.

Back it down a gear. Your ex taxi fairlane has upwards of 400 thousand kays on it. The Australian car industry has gone the way it has for a number of reasons. The cars were never entirely bad, but one factor is the price of labour. If somewhere else is cheaper, they'll move there. 7 years ago I did a few jobs for tyco's brand amp net connect in kingsgrove. 2 months later I went back for a different issue, and the factory was empty. They moved production to new Zealand because labour was cheaper then machinery. Now it's all done in south America. 14.3k for a clapt out fairlane, if you get that after aiming for a power pole, you're laughing

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Back it down a gear. Your ex taxi fairlane has upwards of 400 thousand kays on it. The Australian car industry has gone the way it has for a number of reasons. The cars were never entirely bad, but one factor is the price of labour. If somewhere else is cheaper, they'll move there. 7 years ago I did a few jobs for tyco's brand amp net connect in kingsgrove. 2 months later I went back for a different issue, and the factory was empty. They moved production to new Zealand because labour was cheaper then machinery. Now it's all done in south America. 14.3k for a clapt out fairlane, if you get that after aiming for a power pole, you're laughing

I have no idea how the insurance valuations work mate. I just rechecked the valuation and It's now 12,350 NZD. Which is about a year on from earlier. They have my number plates and my last odometer reading is listed as 403k . Looking back on it your quite right. 14.3k for my car I'd quite ridiculous. I wouldn't consider more than 3-4k if I was buying it again. Let's just ignore that section of what I said because your quite right in thinking it sounds stupid.

My point was that the issue with selling Ford and Holden are their badged, pure and simple. The rest let's just put down as misinformed rambling.

[castellan]

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

I have no idea how the insurance valuations work mate. I just rechecked the valuation and It's now 12,350 NZD. Which is about a year on from earlier. They have my number plates and my last odometer reading is listed as 403k . Looking back on it your quite right. 14.3k for my car I'd quite ridiculous. I wouldn't consider more than 3-4k if I was buying it again. Let's just ignore that section of what I said because your quite right in thinking it sounds stupid.

My point was that the issue with selling Ford and Holden are their badged, pure and simple. The rest let's just put down as misinformed rambling.

Well just look at what selling the most nowadays, just rubbish small cars, no one could say that they are better than a Commodore or a Falcon in reality.
People nowadays are all about the BS air bags and trendy tec all that type of rubbish.
I think it maybe a faze trend the nation is going through, you see people bagging the trends of their years gone by and they think they are just so with it nowadays what fools, in the next 10 years they will be bagging what they did today.

Trendy is BS, a woman can look great in what ever she wears well and the trend means bugger all.

In 10 or 20 years people will look back and think, boy them V8 Holden's and Falcons were the ducks nuts ! what happened to the real men who drove real cars man (dowg ). do you want me to tell you truly why, just quietly their an't many real men about nowadays. Political Correctness came about and destroyed all of them and turned them into lily livered candy puffs who can't think for themselves. not to mention mug book rules there lives.

[LyleXR8]

BA XR series, the AU forte was ugly as sin, front and rear, the BA XR was such an upgrade, but for me I absolutely love AU series 2 and 3 XR and T series models

[Sar4890]

1960s falcons the style the simplicity its very hard for me to say whats the best easier to say what the worst would be and that can be very subjective.