Aussie Muscle!

[DFB]

If I could nit pick the above car a tad it would be this, they didn't take full advantage of the flaired wheel wells. Those wheels could use some more offset to give it a "flush" look, maybe another +15mm

Either way these special editions are truely SPECIAL

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Ford were and still are deeply conservative. At one stage the local team had to gain approval to specify a lower ride height on a particular high performance model because doing so would have breached the internal Ford limit. Silly stuff like that meant pretty much all Falcons sat up on their toes.

It was at its worst on the FG onwards utes, the rear wheels were buried inside the arches.

 

[Desertnate]

You are correct, the Falcon remained RWD till it was retired in late 2016. The taunting was from a rather narrow-minded person, completely un-aware of the world outside of what he knew. That was one of the drivers of this thread, a lot of people don’t know about these cars outside of Australia or the roles they played in peoples lives....

Holy cow that's a lot of info. Thanks! Are you a curator for the Australian Ford museum?

I remember many years ago spotting an Australian spec Falcon on the road and admiring the car. You might not want to hear this, but I always liked the Holden's too. Forbidden fruit for those of us in the US.

I think my most memorable exposure to the Falcon is watching them do battle with the Holden's in the V8 Supercar races at events like the Bathurst and others. Speed TV (who remembers that cable channel) used to show the races, or at least segments of them. It was like a mash up of sportscar racing and NASCAR on road circuits. Great stuff.

 

[DFB]

Holy cow that's a lot of info. Thanks! Are you a curator for the Australian Ford museum?

I remember many years ago spotting an Australian spec Falcon on the road and admiring the car. You might not want to hear this, but I always liked the Holden's too. Forbidden fruit for those of us in the US.

I think my most memorable exposure to the Falcon is watching them do battle with the Holden's in the V8 Supercar races at events like the Bathurst and others. Speed TV (who remembers that cable channel) used to show the races, or at least segments of them. It was like a mash up of sportscar racing and NASCAR on road circuits. Great stuff.

I WISH I WAS! Just a life long passion for the product. The Falcon was generally always the underdog in the fight, I guess I can relate to that personally and perhaps why I gravitated towards the Ford side.

I like the Holdens too, they did certain things better, certain things worse. In general, they kept the V8 engine in the Commodore while Ford abandoned it. Holden won a lot of sales with that strategy in the longer term. If you looked at and aspired to a V8 Holden in the late 80's as a child, chances were you would then go on to buy one a decade later. Ford lost a generation of enthusiast sales over that period.

 

[Klasse Act]

Ford were and still are deeply conservative. At one stage the local team had to gain approval to specify a lower ride height on a particular high performance model because doing so would have breached the internal Ford limit. Silly stuff like that meant pretty much all Falcons sat up on their toes.

It was at its worst on the FG onwards utes, the rear wheels were buried inside the arches.

Ford conservative, don't I know, my first new car was a 2000 Ford Contour SVT. This car could've been more with better seats, 17" wheels and a 3.0L instead of the 2.5L, ohh yeah a Torsen LSD too

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[DFB]

This might now be my favorite Falcon, WOW! This is like a Falcon going to 11 whereas the XR6 is a 10 These are certainly rare, I bet all the owners know each other even!

This car looks like a Lotus Carlton (Commadore) of the same era, it must've been quite a battle each year, blow by blow and who was going to have the best response next️

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There was an article published in one of the local magazines (Wheels) a couple of years ago interviewing two key staff from Ford and Holden who held management positions during the 90's and early 2000's. Both were adamant the rivalry between the brands spurred each side on to make the cars better and faster, ultimately a big plus for those who were buying the product.

 

[DFB]

Love all the colors

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Ooooh, you are going to regret making that comment! :laughing: Color is one the biggest interests I have in life, I don't know why color is important to me, I just love the variations color brings to life. You will notice a lot of RED in my posts, it's become a color that signifies confidence and happiness to me...........we all want more of that in our lives so that's why I have 3 red cars, red shoes, red phone cover, red computer mouse, red coffee machine, red.............you get the point.

During the 1970's, the automotive landscape was made up of a variety of interesting and wild colors. In those days, you could almost have any color you wanted.











As the 1980's flowed into the 90's, exciting color seemed to be a thing of the past. Holden reignited the color war with what they called 'hero colors' for the VT Commodore in 1998. Tigar Mica and Hyper yellow clearly resonated with buyers and was certainly noticed within Ford. (At this point I apologize for the Ford heavy content, while I certainly studied every move Holden made, it was the Ford side I supported.)





In late 2001, Ford released a color called Blueprint, a color that would start a decade of hot color options for the Falcon. Blueprint was actually a BA Falcon color that was released on the last AU models to stimulate sales and give a teaser at what was to come.

This pic is of a AU Series III T3 TS50, a car that I had the pleasure of owning for a couple of years (The TS50 had a story behind it's development, something that warrants a lengthy post on it own) -






As I mentioned in a previous post, the 2002 BA Falcon was to be the savior for the brand. The company left no stone unturned in releasing a car with no excuses. The visionary local managing of Ford Australia during those years, the late Geoff Polites, was quoted as saying he wanted to make the Falcon the most popular used car in the country. His reasoning behind that was if people were desiring Falcon's on the used market, that meant people would be buying new ones down the track. His vision was to invest heavily into V8 Supercar Racing and making sure that people WANTED to buy a Falcon rather than just being given one as part of their job or in the back seat of taxi. Higher performance models with aggressive styling and wild colors were a big part of that strategy. Where Holden had one main "hero" color, Ford had several of them all at once. At the same time, the Tickford line became FPV, think of it like BMW M or AMG Mercedes.

Blueprint became a staple of the Falcon color palate for a number of years, here seen on the reborn Falcon GT with the optional silver stripes, and the Pursuit Ute -





The return of stripes to a Falcon was actually a last minute addition owing to a vocal outcry for them to be added to the options lists. FPV responded with the simple two equal width stripes but would go on to make them more prominent over the next decade, some were very bold while others merely complimented the lines of the car.



Other interesting colors included -

Phantom Purple -



Blood Orange (Note the cheeky reference to taming a lion..........the Holden logo was a lion) -



Citric Acid -



Acid Rush -



Ford would go on to offer some pretty wild color options for the remainder of the BA, BA MK II, BF and BF MK II models. Often, you could color coordinate the interior trim to the exterior color.

Here are a couple of the more bold offerings -

Envi (get it?) -



Menace with orange stripes (I tip my hat to anyone who ordered this spec) -



Bionic Blue and Toxic Green -



Rapid Yellow -



Octane -



The BF MK II also signaled the return of overhead stripes on the Cobra (Winter White and Blue) and 40th Anniversary GT (Silhouette Black and Gold) -





The momentum continued with the release of the next generation Falcon, the FG. Some colors carried over, having been released early on the BF MK II to spur sales until the new model was launched.

Dash Green -



Breeze -



Nitro -



Vixen Red with Gold stripes -



Octane was one of my favorites on the FG range, here shown on the FPV F6 -



By the time the announcement to close the factories was made, the amount of daring color options had diminished to a couple of key choices. Clearly, Ford had made the decision to halt any further R&D on the Falcon, color choice was one of those moves. Still, some colors stood out in a sea of neutral, staple tones.

Viper -



Swift -



The daring FPV GT R-Spec in Silhouette and Red -





By the time the FG-X launched, the only two bright colors were Victory Gold and Kinetic Blue -





My choice would end up being the stunning Emperor Red though -









This last pic shows off some of the gold undertones that Emperor has -



So did the wild colors work? As a whole, mostly yes. Private buyers gravitated to these bold choices as a way of expressing themselves and separating a basic white sedan from a high performance XR or GT.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Ooooh, you are going to regret making that comment! :laughing: Color is one the biggest interests I have in life, I don't know why color is important to me, I just love the variations color brings to life. You will notice a lot of RED in my posts, it's become a color that signifies confidence and happiness to me...........we all want more of that in our lives so that's why I have 3 red cars, red shoes, red phone cover, red computer mouse, red coffee machine, red.............you get the point.

During the 1970's, the automotive landscape was made up of a variety of interesting and wild colors. In those days, you could almost have any color you wanted.











As the 1980's flowed into the 90's, exciting color seemed to be a thing of the past. Holden reignited the color war with what they called 'hero colors' for the VT Commodore in 1998. Tigar Mica and Hyper yellow clearly resonated with buyers and was certainly noticed within Ford. (At this point I apologize for the Ford heavy content, while I certainly studied every move Holden made, it was the Ford side I supported.)





In late 2001, Ford released a color called Blueprint, a color that would start a decade of hot color options for the Falcon. Blueprint was actually a BA Falcon color that was released on the last AU models to stimulate sales and give a teaser at what was to come.

This pic is of a AU Series III T3 TS50, a car that I had the pleasure of owning for a couple of years (The TS50 had a story behind it's development, something that warrants a lengthy post on it own) -






As I mentioned in a previous post, the 2002 BA Falcon was to be the savior for the brand. The company left no stone unturned in releasing a car with no excuses. The visionary local managing of Ford Australia during those years, the late Geoff Polites, was quoted as saying he wanted to make the Falcon the most popular used car in the country. His reasoning behind that was if people were desiring Falcon's on the used market, that meant people would be buying new ones down the track. His vision was to invest heavily into V8 Supercar Racing and making sure that people WANTED to buy a Falcon rather than just being given one as part of their job or in the back seat of taxi. Higher performance models with aggressive styling and wild colors were a big part of that strategy. Where Holden had one main "hero" color, Ford had several of them all at once. At the same time, the Tickford line became FPV, think of it like BMW M or AMG Mercedes.

Blueprint became a staple of the Falcon color palate for a number of years, here seen on the reborn Falcon GT with the optional silver stripes, and the Pursuit Ute -





The return of stripes to a Falcon was actually a last minute addition owing to a vocal outcry for them to be added to the options lists. FPV responded with the simple two equal width stripes but would go on to make them more prominent over the next decade, some were very bold while others merely complimented the lines of the car.



Other interesting colors included -

Phantom Purple -



Blood Orange (Note the cheeky reference to taming a lion..........the Holden logo was a lion) -



Citric Acid -



Acid Rush -



Ford would go on to offer some pretty wild color options for the remainder of the BA, BA MK II, BF and BF MK II models. Often, you could color coordinate the interior trim to the exterior color.

Here are a couple of the more bold offerings -

Envi (get it?) -



Menace with orange stripes (I tip my hat to anyone who ordered this spec) -



Bionic Blue and Toxic Green -



Rapid Yellow -



Octane -



The BF MK II also signaled the return of overhead stripes on the Cobra (Winter White and Blue) and 40th Anniversary GT (Silhouette Black and Gold) -





The momentum continued with the release of the next generation Falcon, the FG. Some colors carried over, having been released early on the BF MK II to spur sales until the new model was launched.

Dash Green -



Breeze -



Nitro -



Vixen Red with Gold stripes -



Octane was one of my favorites on the FG range, here shown on the FPV F6 -



By the time the announcement to close the factories was made, the amount of daring color options had diminished to a couple of key choices. Clearly, Ford had made the decision to halt any further R&D on the Falcon, color choice was one of those moves. Still, some colors stood out in a sea of neutral, staple tones.

Viper -



Swift -



The daring FPV GT R-Spec in Silhouette and Red -





By the time the FG-X launched, the only two bright colors were Victory Gold and Kinetic Blue -





My choice would end up being the stunning Emperor Red though -

There's an FG FPV GT in Octane hidden in a garage a couple of streets from me, it's in pieces, but still drivable. The owner was telling me he tries to get it out the garage and drive it up and down the street every so often, but the neighbours complain about the noise. I pass his house every day when I'm walking my dogs.


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[Coatingsarecrack]

Nice historic write up on some very cool muscle. We don’t get the love the rest of the world has for performance sedans and wagons…. Crying shame.


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[Klasse Act]

Wow Deyon, your passion and knowkedge about your homeland cars is unmatched, wish Marc could've gotten you on the podcast!

That orange FPV F6 has a really cool treatment under the headlights, bet that's really intimidating coming up behind you️

The very first Falcon you posted made me day outloud "Last of the V8's"

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[DFB]

Wow Deyon, your passion and knowkedge about your homeland cars is unmatched, wish Marc could've gotten you on the podcast!

That orange FPV F6 has a really cool treatment under the headlights, bet that's really intimidating coming up behind you️

The very first Falcon you posted made me day outloud "Last of the V8's"

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

The black/grey treatment under the lights of FPV FG models ended up being termed the "panda eyes". This painted contrast was a feature of the GT, Pursuit and F6 models. Depending on the model, the color ranged from pewter grey to black.











There were a couple of versions that got those sections painted in body color, each loosing some of that aggression.

The GT-E and F6-E were more luxurious models that retained the performance but were more discrete about it -





The GT Black was another -



As was the GT R-Spec -

 

[Klasse Act]

Ford is either hit or miss with their 5 spoke designed rims

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[DFB]

The Tickford FTE T-Series, one of my all time favorites!

In the early 90’s, Ford went looking for a partner to help them inject some much-needed passion back into the Falcon brand. Tickford would end up with the contract, setting up shop across the road from the main Ford assembly plant in Broadmeadow’s, Melbourne. The partnership would involve engineering and manufacturing assistance to help Ford create models that would have otherwise not been possible. As mentioned previously, Tickford would end up to be Ford’s rival to HSV (Holden Special Vehicles), much the same as BMW M models or AMG Mercedes. Tickford would ultimately begin the long series of XR6 and XR8 models, as well as the 25th and 30th Anniversary GT models.

ED Falcon XR6 -



EL Falcon XR8 -



AU II Falcon XR8 -



For the AU Falcon, in addition to the XR models, Tickford offered an even higher level of performance via their FTE (Ford-Tickford-Expirence) T-Series models. The goal for the T-Series was to offer a more premium, European inspired luxury cruises. The TE50 and TS50 were both based on the then new AU Falcon sedan and the TL50 was based on the long wheel base Fairlane sedan.

T1 TE50 -



T1 TS50 -



T1 TL50 -



The initial line up which would go on to be labelled the T1 consisted of the TE50, offered with the 200 kw / 268 hp 5.0 Windsor V8 paired with a 5-speed manual or the adaptive 4 speed auto. The TS50 was a higher specification and fitted with the most powerful factory 5.0 Windsor, putting out 220 kw / 295 hp and only available with the automatic. The TL50 had the 200 kw / 268 engine. The 220 version had a lot of local content in it. Tickford had to take crate motor Windsor’s, strip them down and rebuild them with revised intake manifolds, throttle body, exhaust headers, a special cam and rockers. The engine builder would then add his name to rocker cover before being trucked across the road to be fitted on the main production line.

Styling changes made them less overt than their XR siblings, using the regular Falcon headlamps rather than the XR’s four eye setup. The bumpers, grills, side skirts and wheels were all unique to the T-Series. The interior had a range of cosmetic changes and included unique seats for the TS and TL. The suspension was returned and the brakes larger too. Things like the bumpers, spoilers, brake upgrade and T-Series specific wheels were all fitted at the Tickford facility after the car went down the production line.







These cars did not perform as well as the Holden and HSV rivals (the Commodore of the period had just gone to the GEN-III Chevy small block), nor did they look as wild. But the chassis dynamics of the T-Series won a lot of fans, the steering feel especially. And the little Windsor put out a delicious exhaust note, something the Chevy V8 lacked here locally, and made up for the lower performance.

After a lukewarm response to the T1, FTE launched the T2 Range in 2000 based on the updated AU Series II Falcon/Fairlane. There were changes to various styling elements, new wheels, more vibrant interior trim choices and every model got the more powerful engine, with the 5-speed manual having been strengthened to withstand the higher outputs meaning the TE and TS could now have the manual.

T2 TE50 -







The main event was still to come though.

Ford and Tickford wanted to land a punch and draw a line in the sand with the next T-Series, the T3. This time, Tickford were let off the leash and told to go-get-em (HSV). The result was a more powerful and overt performance car designed to grab people’s attention in the same way Holden’s and HSV’s were doing. The styling changes consisted of a much beefer body kit, including the V8 Supercar esque high rise spoiler. Previous T-Series had euro style hidden exhaust tips, these were replaced with a set of square chromed tips, again more in keeping with the overtness of its rival.













It was the engine that was the big talking point. Once again, Tickford were stripping and re-building Windsor V8’s, however this time they were fitting a stroker crank. This took capacity out to 5.6 litres / 347 cu. An unique set of exhaust headers, a locally made large high rise intake manifold and various other related parts were swapped for locally made items. The result was 250 kw / 335 hp with a huge for the time 500 Nm / 369 ft-lb of torque. The 4-speed auto was beefed up and a newer Tremec 5-speed manual adapted to fit the Windsor. To contain that added power, a Brembo brake package was also offered.







They also made a ute version called the XR8 Pursuit 250. These kept the XR front styling in difference to the T-Series -







The 5.6 Windsor was a torque monster of an engine and with the help of that new intake manifold, could actually breath above 5,000 rpm. And the sound! That gloriously old-school V8 beat sealed the deal. The only bad thing this engine did was consume premium gas at a humorously high rate.

So all of that lead me to idolizing the T3 T-Series range. I was 15 at the time, this was my poster car! One of my fathers employees had a red T3 TE50 and a Blue TS50 and would go to sell and then buy them back again.

In January 2012, after months of looking, I got to meet my hero.

These cars were rare and even rarer today. Across all T1, T2 and T3, 841 of these were made. Of the T3 TS50 I was aiming for, a total of 220 were made, 70 manuals and 150 autos. I wanted one with Brembo brakes as a minimum and ideally one with the color contrast leather trim.

I would eventually find a one owner TS50 in Blue Print with only about 45,000 km / 27,000 miles on the clock. After teeing up an inspection, which I had to drive to the other side of my state, I just knew this was THE car. When I went into the garage, the car was covered in thick blankets. Once unwrapped, we took it for a test drive……………my first drive of my hero car. The engine builder was stamped “Phil Geroulis” and the build number was 154. The car also had premium sound system, four speed auto with steering wheel shift buttons and the Wild Blue leather trim. The car was also featured in Wheel magazine, and was part of a function with Ford management. I paid a deposit and went back a week later to pick it up, the poor guy was sheading tears as I dove it away.









The TS50 held a huge presence on the road, the spoiler attracting plenty of attention. These cars were brilliant to drive, mine was fitted with the standard Koni dampers so the ride was brilliant but still exceptionally adept at fast cornering. The compact nature of the Windsor V8 also had a lot to do with this, something the tall and wide modular V8’s could only dream about.









I would go on to own this car for a couple of years, selling it fund the purchase of my current XR8. The car was purchased by another Ford man interstate who I have maintained occation contact with, he is enjoying the car like I did.

Waving goodbye was hard, I of course sent it away as clean as I would have liked to receive it myself -





On a club run with the new owner, second from the left -



Since then, the value of these cars, in particular T3’s with a manual gearbox, have sky rocketed, probably three times the price I sold mine for. Despite that, I consider myself privileged to have had the opportunity to own and drive my boyhood dream car.

As the AU III made way for the vastly improved BA Falcon, the Tickford and FTE brand was re-birthed as FPV. The T-Series was no more, in it’s place the reborn GT range. The T-Series has become a significant point in the local Falcon’s history, marking a time when Ford and Tickford responded with gusto to it’s long time rivals.

This article is a good explanation on how the engines were made -

https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/archive-morley-builds-5-6-windsor-v8

And some sound to put to the words -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOjsbqUFkMM&t=14s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-1S2uFtYsU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDZbIscDzuo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJvUrgJla5k&t=5s

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

The Tickford FTE T-Series, one of my all time favorites!

In the early 90’s, Ford went looking for a partner to help them inject some much-needed passion back into the Falcon brand. Tickford would end up with the contract, setting up shop across the road from the main Ford assembly plant in Broadmeadow’s, Melbourne. The partnership would involve engineering and manufacturing assistance to help Ford create models that would have otherwise not been possible. As mentioned previously, Tickford would end up to be Ford’s rival to HSV (Holden Special Vehicles), much the same as BMW M models or AMG Mercedes. Tickford would ultimately begin the long series of XR6 and XR8 models, as well as the 25th and 30th Anniversary GT models.

ED Falcon XR6 -



EL Falcon XR8 -



AU II Falcon XR8 -



For the AU Falcon, in addition to the XR models, Tickford offered an even higher level of performance via their FTE (Ford-Tickford-Expirence) T-Series models. The goal for the T-Series was to offer a more premium, European inspired luxury cruises. The TE50 and TS50 were both based on the then new AU Falcon sedan and the TL50 was based on the long wheel base Fairlane sedan.

T1 TE50 -



T1 TS50 -



T1 TL50 -



The initial line up which would go on to be labelled the T1 consisted of the TE50, offered with the 200 kw / 268 hp 5.0 Windsor V8 paired with a 5-speed manual or the adaptive 4 speed auto. The TS50 was a higher specification and fitted with the most powerful factory 5.0 Windsor, putting out 220 kw / 295 hp and only available with the automatic. The TL50 had the 200 kw / 268 engine. The 220 version had a lot of local content in it. Tickford had to take crate motor Windsor’s, strip them down and rebuild them with revised intake manifolds, throttle body, exhaust headers, a special cam and rockers. The engine builder would then add his name to rocker cover before being trucked across the road to be fitted on the main production line.

Styling changes made them less overt than their XR siblings, using the regular Falcon headlamps rather than the XR’s four eye setup. The bumpers, grills, side skirts and wheels were all unique to the T-Series. The interior had a range of cosmetic changes and included unique seats for the TS and TL. The suspension was returned and the brakes larger too. Things like the bumpers, spoilers, brake upgrade and T-Series specific wheels were all fitted at the Tickford facility after the car went down the production line.







These cars did not perform as well as the Holden and HSV rivals (the Commodore of the period had just gone to the GEN-III Chevy small block), nor did they look as wild. But the chassis dynamics of the T-Series won a lot of fans, the steering feel especially. And the little Windsor put out a delicious exhaust note, something the Chevy V8 lacked here locally, and made up for the lower performance.

After a lukewarm response to the T1, FTE launched the T2 Range in 2000 based on the updated AU Series II Falcon/Fairlane. There were changes to various styling elements, new wheels, more vibrant interior trim choices and every model got the more powerful engine, with the 5-speed manual having been strengthened to withstand the higher outputs meaning the TE and TS could now have the manual.

T2 TE50 -







The main event was still to come though.

Ford and Tickford wanted to land a punch and draw a line in the sand with the next T-Series, the T3. This time, Tickford were let off the leash and told to go-get-em (HSV). The result was a more powerful and overt performance car designed to grab people’s attention in the same way Holden’s and HSV’s were doing. The styling changes consisted of a much beefer body kit, including the V8 Supercar esque high rise spoiler. Previous T-Series had euro style hidden exhaust tips, these were replaced with a set of square chromed tips, again more in keeping with the overtness of its rival.













It was the engine that was the big talking point. Once again, Tickford were stripping and re-building Windsor V8’s, however this time they were fitting a stroker crank. This took capacity out to 5.6 litres / 347 cu. An unique set of exhaust headers, a locally made large high rise intake manifold and various other related parts were swapped for locally made items. The result was 250 kw / 335 hp with a huge for the time 500 Nm / 369 ft-lb of torque. The 4-speed auto was beefed up and a newer Tremec 5-speed manual adapted to fit the Windsor. To contain that added power, a Brembo brake package was also offered.







They also made a ute version called the XR8 Pursuit 250. These kept the XR front styling in difference to the T-Series -







The 5.6 Windsor was a torque monster of an engine and with the help of that new intake manifold, could actually breath above 5,000 rpm. And the sound! That gloriously old-school V8 beat sealed the deal. The only bad thing this engine did was consume premium gas at a humorously high rate.

So all of that lead me to idolizing the T3 T-Series range. I was 15 at the time, this was my poster car! One of my fathers employees had a red T3 TE50 and a Blue TS50 and would go to sell and then buy them back again.

In January 2012, after months of looking, I got to meet my hero.

These cars were rare and even rarer today. Across all T1, T2 and T3, 841 of these were made. Of the T3 TS50 I was aiming for, a total of 220 were made, 70 manuals and 150 autos. I wanted one with Brembo brakes as a minimum and ideally one with the color contrast leather trim.

I would eventually find a one owner TS50 in Blue Print with only about 45,000 km / 27,000 miles on the clock. After teeing up an inspection, which I had to drive to the other side of my state, I just knew this was THE car. When I went into the garage, the car was covered in thick blankets. Once unwrapped, we took it for a test drive……………my first drive of my hero car. The engine builder was stamped “Phil Geroulis” and the build number was 154. The car also had premium sound system, four speed auto with steering wheel shift buttons and the Wild Blue leather trim. The car was also featured in Wheel magazine, and was part of a function with Ford management. I paid a deposit and went back a week later to pick it up, the poor guy was sheading tears as I dove it away.









The TS50 held a huge presence on the road, the spoiler attracting plenty of attention. These cars were brilliant to drive, mine was fitted with the standard Koni dampers so the ride was brilliant but still exceptionally adept at fast cornering. The compact nature of the Windsor V8 also had a lot to do with this, something the tall and wide modular V8’s could only dream about.









I would go on to own this car for a couple of years, selling it fund the purchase of my current XR8. The car was purchased by another Ford man interstate who I have maintained occation contact with, he is enjoying the car like I did.

Waving goodbye was hard, I of course sent it away as clean as I would have liked to receive it myself -





On a club run with the new owner, second from the left -



Since then, the value of these cars, in particular T3’s with a manual gearbox, have sky rocketed, probably three times the price I sold mine for. Despite that, I consider myself privileged to have had the opportunity to own and drive my boyhood dream car.

As the AU III made way for the vastly improved BA Falcon, the Tickford and FTE brand was re-birthed as FPV. The T-Series was no more, in it’s place the reborn GT range. The T-Series has become a significant point in the local Falcon’s history, marking a time when Ford and Tickford responded with gusto to it’s long time rivals.

This article is a good explanation on how the engines were made -

https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/archive-morley-builds-5-6-windsor-v8

And some sound to put to the words -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOjsbqUFkMM&t=14s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-1S2uFtYsU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDZbIscDzuo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJvUrgJla5k&t=5s

The blue on that TS50 is stunning. Absolutely gorgeous.

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[SWETM]

Man so much of car history thanks for sharing!

Cool to see the AUS versions and know of the US ones. Then I'm from Sweden so we have the Ford EU versions here. Family members has have Ford but not me. I see some that looks like the Ford Sierra that where here. Sierra Cosworth 4×4 is a favorite and was something that I looked at when I finally bought my Audi S4 Quattro 1992 in the early 2000. And as a rally fan the Ford Escort the 70's modells is a favorite as well. Seen and driven some Ford Fiesta and Focus RS versions and they are so fun in cornering. 2 cousins works as mechanics at a Ford dealership. So they have had some cool Fords.

Falcons is so cool and we don't have many of them here. And the Barra tuned engines is so cool as well. Look up Adam LZ Youtube channel as he has Barra swapped Mustang GT350. After a engine fire he decided to swap in a Barra in it. A cool swap to be doing in the US. I also follow a aussie drifter on Youtube. There I see some cool Falcons and other AUS cars. The AUS car sceen is lovely to see. And I think that the crazy aussie burnout comps are getting a hold in the US as well. Cleetus McFarland and on his race track in Florida has some cool Burnout events and have been in Australia as well and driven there. They had a couple of burnout cars from Australia locked in the US during the start of the pandemic. So some cool videos of War Bird as the car is called that can be fun to watch. I think that War Bird is a classic Falcon. Sorry if I'm wrong about that.

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[Klasse Act]

Deyon, that passion runs DEEP️

LOVE the round headlights on that ED Falcon, very clean design and then it got even better! Are those Morette headlight housings?

I also love that wine colored interior as well, the two-tone treatment makes quite the visual impact!

Those FTE rims...nailed it, although a +1 would've looked better but back then that was already "big".

Those videos of the cars driving, especially the first one...what a sound! Those twin tips have a great shape too, reminds me of Borla

This content reminds me of the YouTuber Motorbox, I could listen to you guys talk about these cars all day️

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[DFB]

Man so much of car history thanks for sharing!

Cool to see the AUS versions and know of the US ones. Then I'm from Sweden so we have the Ford EU versions here. Family members has have Ford but not me. I see some that looks like the Ford Sierra that where here. Sierra Cosworth 4×4 is a favorite and was something that I looked at when I finally bought my Audi S4 Quattro 1992 in the early 2000. And as a rally fan the Ford Escort the 70's modells is a favorite as well. Seen and driven some Ford Fiesta and Focus RS versions and they are so fun in cornering. 2 cousins works as mechanics at a Ford dealership. So they have had some cool Fords.

Falcons is so cool and we don't have many of them here. And the Barra tuned engines is so cool as well. Look up Adam LZ Youtube channel as he has Barra swapped Mustang GT350. After a engine fire he decided to swap in a Barra in it. A cool swap to be doing in the US. I also follow a aussie drifter on Youtube. There I see some cool Falcons and other AUS cars. The AUS car sceen is lovely to see. And I think that the crazy aussie burnout comps are getting a hold in the US as well. Cleetus McFarland and on his race track in Florida has some cool Burnout events and have been in Australia as well and driven there. They had a couple of burnout cars from Australia locked in the US during the start of the pandemic. So some cool videos of War Bird as the car is called that can be fun to watch. I think that War Bird is a classic Falcon. Sorry if I'm wrong about that.

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While Ford Australia had their own design team, they did lean on styling trends from the American and European design teams.

The XA, XB, XC generation had a lot of Ford US DNA in the styling, think Torino.

The XD and EA generations had a lot of influence from the European Ford Granada and Sierra.

And of course the final FG and FG-X's had Mondeo/Fusion/Taurus influences.

 

[Klasse Act]

I love how people from and the can share their passion about cars, everywhere infact. We take this form of communication for granted but it's really "a somethin"

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[DFB]

Deyon, that passion runs DEEP️

LOVE the round headlights on that ED Falcon, very clean design and then it got even better! Are those Morette headlight housings?

I also love that wine colored interior as well, the two-tone treatment makes quite the visual impact!

Those FTE rims...nailed it, although a +1 would've looked better but back then that was already "big".

Those videos of the cars driving, especially the first one...what a sound! Those twin tips have a great shape too, reminds me of Borla

This content reminds me of the YouTuber Motorbox, I could listen to you guys talk about these cars all day️

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The wine colored seats were called "Aubergine", only available on the T1 TS50 and TL50, and T2 TL50. The standard fitment was warm charcoal/black.



For T2 and T3, you had the option of Warm Charcoal with grey Momo steering wheel/shift knob (boring), Vibrant Red with red steering wheel/shift knob, Vivid Blue with blue steering wheel/shift knob.







The round head lamps was the signature of the XR models. The first XR based on the EB Falcon used the regular headlights, from ED onwards the "four-eyes" became a key XR styling feature.



The earlier models had four individual lights mounted to a carrier/bucket before being mounted to the car and the one or two piece bumpers then fitted over them.



ED -



EF -



EL (these differ in that they have an upper grill opening) -



AU (an acquired taste) -



AU II & III (redesigned bumper, same lamps) -



BA - BF MK II (now full one-piece lamps) -



FG (an refinement on the BA/F concept) -



FG-X (all FG-X lights were the same shape, the DRL LED lights simulated the four eyes, my favorite) -





These lights had a little Easter Egg, the little XR logo on the reflector -

 

[DFB]

The Ford Barra Inline 6 - The beginning and ending of an era.




The name Barra is the universal name for both the naturally aspirated and turbo versions of Ford’s DOHC Inline 6. The code name for this engine when it was being developed in the late 90’s was actually DINGO, and the turbo version was cheekily called the GULL…………as in, and I’m not joking here, that it was going to S..t on everything from above. :laughing: And boy! did that codename name play out to be true. The BA Falcon was actually an abbreviation of the Barra (Barramundi) engine name.

Before delving deeper into the Ford Barra, first we mush go back to where this engine came from. One of the key reasons Ford Australia chose the Falcon as it’s new competitor to the Holden was the fact it came with a 6-cylinder engine. This was in comparison to the other model being considered, the Zephyr, which only had a 4-cylinder engine. One of the key selling points of the Holden was it’s 6-cylinder engine, being more economical than a V8 but much better suited to the long distance travel Aussies had to endure when compared the underpowered 4-cylinder British cars of the time.



The original Falcon 6 was the same design as the North American version, although it was locally manufactured in Geelong from local castings. This was an all-iron OHV inline 6 initially available in 144ci and 170ci displacements, with a larger 200ci version available in the mid 60’s. The 144 was dropped by 1966 and in 1968 the deck height raised to allow for a longer stroke, the 188ci and 221ci the result. Early engines had four main bearing cranks, from 1965 this changed to a 7 main bearing design. In 1970 the engines grew in capacity again, 200ci and 250ci the result and would stay like that until the late 80’s. Other key revisions included a new cast-iron crossflow head and a non-integrated intake manifold in 1976, with an alloy version of that head made by Honda was introduced in 1980. In 1983, the larger 4.1 / 250ci engine gained EFI as an optional extra.







Those OHV engines were hardly anything to get excited about, then and now. They primary purpose was to move the masses, the low rpm torque suited to highways and towing. They were noisy, rough and sounded like a bucket of nails. While these engines were replaced in 1988, the OHV engines continued on in the Falcon Ute and Van.

1988 would mark the single biggest change in the Ford Inline 6’s history. The biggest point of difference was the move to a SOHC alloy cylinder head, but the iron block was also revised to account for deletion of the camshaft. The bore size was also reduced. Three versions of this new engine were offered, the 3.2 with throttle-body injection (TBI) and a 3.9 TBI, the flagship was the multi-point 3.9. Throttle body injection was purely for cost control and the 3.2 was so gutless that no one even asked about it and was quietly dropped after less than 12 months. Owing to the huge amount of revision this engine brought, these were very poorly regarded with widespread head-gasket failures and overheating. They were also still pretty uncouth above 4,000rpm and suffered from hideous fan noise.



The 1992 EB II Falcon signaled the introduction of the 4.0 capacity, which would stay the same until the last engine was made in 2016. All engines now had multi-point injection and the bore was increased again to 92.3mm, the stroke remained at a long 99.3mm. Head gaskets on these were still problematic. Around the same time, the XR6 became available, identified with a red rocker cover with the Tickford wings. Key revisions of the head and camshaft increased the standard 4.0 from 148 kW (268hp) and 348 Nm (257 lb-ft) to 161 kW (216hp) and 361 Nm (266 lb-ft). For the 1994 EF Falcon, there was a new dual-length intake manifold, bumping power to 157 kW (211hp) / 357 Nm (263 lb-ft) and 164 kW (220hp) / 366 Nm (270 lb-ft). Also new were twin electric thermo fans, no more fan noise!



For the new generation AU Falcon, Ford offered several versions of the inline 6. The power figures of the standard and XR6 engines remained the same but much was revised. The main bearings were increased in size and a ladder style stud girdle with an integrated oil pan increased rigidity and refinement. Ford in partnership with Tickford also engineered a version with variable-camshaft-timing (VCT). The scope of variance available on a SOHC engine was minimal though and power increases were modest. This was the engine fitted to higher trim levels, the luxury models had 168 kW (225hp) and 370 Nm (276 lb-ft) and the XR6 VCT was fitted with a slightly less restrictive exhaust for 172 kW (231hp) and 374 Nm (276 lb-ft). Ford also offered a LPG only fueled version fitted with a green rocker cover making 143 kW (192hp) and 362 Nm (267 lb-ft). The LPG engine was popular with fleets, taxi’s and tradesman. All XR6 and VCT powered versions had a red rocker cover for distinguishment.





Those last SOHC versions were more refined than the previous models but were still wheezy up top and were best kept under 3,500rpm. For reference, these engines had a 5750rpm limit, they were luggers not rev happy race engines.

In the early 90’s, Ford investigated a twin cam head but was dismissed due to cost. It would take another 10 years before a DOHC head would get the nod. This is where the Barra comes into the spotlight.



Starting with the iron block, there were revisions to relocate the oil pump from a jack shaft to be directly driven off the crank. The sump and girdle carried over, as did the intake manifold. The big change was the new 24 valve, DOHC alloy head. The basic layout/concept of the new head was modelled on the modular V8 and Duratec V6 of the time. Noisy rockers were replaced by compact roller finger followers and VCT was added to both camshafts. Coil-on-plug ignition and fly-by-wire throttle made their appearance too. The rev limit was raised to 6,000rpm. Suddenly, the Falcon had a truly modern engine.









There were two naturally aspirated versions of the BA, a regular gas/petrol powered version called the Barra 182 and the “green-top” LPG version called EGAS. Power outputs jumped noticeably from 157 kW to 182 kW (244hp) and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft). My parents at the time had a brand-new BA Falcon, a car I would learn to drive in, having that much power was a revelation after the first-gen Subaru Forester it replaced and it’s anemic 2.0 boxer. And finally, a Falcon 6 that had a decent tone to it and could actually rev right out to it's redline.

The GULL Turbo version was the talking point though. Dubbed the Barra 240T and featuring the trademark red rocker cover, this engine received a huge Garret GT-3582 turbo and a single length intake manifold. The exhaust was modified, sodium filled exhaust valves specified along with a stronger set of rods. Power was 240 kW (322hp) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft), with the torque figures being capped to protect the gearbox’s. The Turbo Barra was a massive step in the right direction for the Falcon and Ford itself. The turbo introduced a whole different buyer group to the Falcon brand. It was powerful right out of the box and was praised for it's smooth, deep engine note. And owing to the high strength iron block, MASSIVE power gains could be had, only limited by the deepness of your pocket. I remember being taken for ride in an orange XR6 Turbo ute at the time of release, it further cemented my passion for the brand.





In 2004, the FPV F6 Typhoon (sedan) and Tornado (Ute) were released. These can be identified by their blue rocker covers. Power output was bumped to 270 kW (362hp) and a massive 550 Nm (406 lb-ft). This version would pretty much outrun anything GM made at the time.





For the 2005 BF Falcon, the Barra got a number of key changes to further improve refinement and fuel economy. There were also new transmissions offered (the manual was changed to the Tremec 6 speed in 2004, the auto now a ZF 6 speed), this allowed the engines to make more torque. The results were the Barra 190 with 190 kW (255hp) / 383 Nm (282 lb-ft) and the Barra 245T with 245 kW (329hp) / 480 Nm (354 lb-ft). The LPG version stayed the same. Once again, these BF spec engines lifted refinement, with Ford spending a lot of time tuning the induction note to be less intrusive and more ‘cultured’. The rev limit was again raised marginally to 6250 rpm.

For the FG Falcon in 2008, the cylinder head was revised with new combustion chambers and a new composite dual length inlet manifold. Again, it was about finessing the refinement and fuel economy. Power upgrades with modest on the NA version (LPG was still offered but remained the BF spec), on regular octane, 195 kW (261hp) and 391 Nm (288 lb-ft) were the result. On premium octane, power crept to 198 kW and 409 Nm, on ultra-premium gas the engine would crank out 208 kW and 420 Nm. (Guess which fuel I use in mine then!) This version of the Barra is probably the best sounding Ford inline 6 ever in my opinion, it has a raspier tone to than the turbo’s.

















The Turbo version went up to 270 kW and 533 Nm, using a smaller Garret 3576 turbo. The FPV F6’s kept the older and larger turbo to achieve 310 kW (416hp) and 565 Nm (417 lb-ft). These cars are wickedly quick with flat boost curves and massive amounts of torque. There is a reason why these are now very hard to find in clean, original condition…………..and why they are shooting up in value.







In 2011, Ford released a FG spec LPG fueled version of the Barra, this time having a much more sophisticated injection system, boosting power to 198 kW and 409 Nm, a big increased compared to the older EGAS motor.

The Barra engine was then left alone for several years. The last of the line XR6 Sprint had a number of upgrades from the F6 spec Barra engine, boosting the power to 325 kW (436hp) and 576 Nm (425 lb-ft) and making the most powerful 6 cylinder Falcon of all time. These can be identified with black rocker covers with a build number and are fitted with a carbon fibre inlet tube.









In October 2016, Ford closed it’s engine facility along with it’s other Australian plants, ending 56 years of Inline 6 engines.





Myself, I have driven a number of these engines, included a couple of the OHV versions, many of the SOHC units and healthy selection of each iteration of the NA Barra. The first car I ever drove was an EB II 4.0. I have sadly not had a chance to drive one of the Turbo’s.

My First car was fitted with one of the last SOHC ‘Inteck’ engines, which I traded for my current XR6 fitted with the Barra 195.







In Australia, it would be hard to find someone who hasn’t at least ridden in a car with a Ford Inline 6. Appropriately, the last car down the line was fitted with an inline 6. Millions of them were made over those 56 years, and many are still running today.

 

[Klasse Act]

There's historians and there's Deyon️

I love that manifold that looks like a row of turbos️️

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