Awesome video if you want more AU Falcon details: • Ford AU Falcon - Shann... Extra vids for Floaties! www.floatplane.com/channel/Th... Game Channel: / @helloimgaming Drum Channel: / @the.drum.thing . Tech Channel: / @dankpods
Seeing car stuff from an Aussie's perspective is so fascinating, it's like watching other car channels but just a little bit unusual, like a fever dream.
I was working for Ford at the time, and we were invited to a focus group introduction to the AU Falcon. I will always remember the stunned silence as the car was unveiled and my friend at the back, who shall remain anonymous said with a straight face "That's fucken ugly". Then the sales and marketering team trying to explain the car and the beauty and the evolving of the shape. We knew it was doomed to fail and it did. A few days later I was talking to one of the marketing team and they privately acknowledged that the response to the focus groups around the country had generally been very negative towards the car. All this data was sent through to head office, but the then President of Ford Australia Jacques Nasser was determined to launch the car as it was to try and fend of the onslaught of the new VT Holden Commodore, which was a superior product. In the end it doomed the Falcon to second spot and it would never recover.
I worked at the proving ground at the time and remember the first time I saw one. The proving ground manager was standing next to me after the covers had come off and he tried his hardest to sway me by telling me how great it looked. I didn't have the heart to tell him it looked like an absolute turd. The next few years were pretty depressing for Ford but when the BA came out things improved dramatically.
Idk if people are singing the same tune now... In hindsight, despite its ugliness the AU is probably the better car overall... Its a great platform for sporty driving with double wishbone front+rear, cable throttle, reasonable balance and relatively light weight. It can also be extremely comfortable, or be setup for towing/ute for work. Not too bad rust wise although certain plastic trims and panels become delicate in their age. I see more AUs and BAs running around than i do VT/VX/VY. AU also had the ford i6, a well regarded motor with great tuneability. You can push 500hp with a turbo setup and valvesprings on a healthy tune and motor with parts very easily found on ebay for relatively little money... I would take an AU over a ba/bf/fg too, better handling better driving. Edit: made this comment halfway through and the video covered this.
@@GeneralNOH I agree, the car did handle very well and was a driver's car, also it was the car that Ford Australia had the least amount of warranty claims. Just the styling was a little off-putting for the general public. I still think the AU XR6 and XR8 still looked the part.
@@warren5692 Maybe im biased, because i have one. but the truth is I thought they were a POS 2 or 3years ago. However I was priced out of other cars i wanted after covid. Started looking at later turbo falcons and inadvertently found out about how the AU is the best falcon on paper in terms of driving... Didnt know they had the least warranty claims! They are definitely a solid car minus some questionable auto electrics and trim pieces etc lol... Some of the motors werent built the best from factory but the blocks and heads themselves are solid so once you rebuild them you're sweet. In saying that many of them run for 100s of thousands of kms despite questionable engine builds😂 Some questionable design choices too, like my box drain plug being a 9mm hex key... However; this car handles insanely well considering. The only major let down in terms of being a drivers car is the light steering rack that also likes to leak. Some people complain about the T5 manual, Yes its agricultural, no it cant handle a lot of extra lower, yes the car has a cable clutch. But for some reason i LOVE shifting this car, maybe its the challenge, im not sure.
My dad always tells me the story of when he was an mta student and he was invited to rebel ford in Elizabeth for an unveiling party for the new au workmate and the forte. He said that it was all going swimmingly and everyone was extremely excited to see how they would top the excellence of the ef/el. It came time to show off the cars and as they where lifting the covers everyone was clapping and whistling and then the cover came all the way off and he said it was the fastest he had ever heard simultaneous silence in his life. Everyone hated it. He reckons it was horrible to watch the staff working there try to convince people the car wasn't "that bad". I still love seeing them roll around the road today though. The little cockroah that could. But the interior is inexcusable 🤣
Our family bought an AUII futura wagon back when it was new. In 2019, at 600,000 kms, we finally passed it onto my uncle. You bet it's just hit 700,000 and still going strong. Those things are absolute tanks. They were comfortable as hell too. Yes, it was a bit strange, but look at how many AU falcons you still see on the road. They're a plentiful currency. Love them.
There's a reason why the taxi companies used them almost exclusively back in the day. I always made a point of looking at the odometer on cabs when I was riding in them, and some of those Falcons would have 900K plus kms on them at only 5 or 6 years old and still be running strong (the suspension bushings and shocks by that stage were always toast and the ride would be crashingly harsh and rough).
@@philip4193 And the seals on the rear hatch let a whole heap of noise in, most of which was diff whine, but they still went like rockets. It feels like our local cab company only traded them in last week.
100%...and its an industry that flies under the radar too. Massive business for the truck makers here. When I worked at Ford on the AU we still made the Loueys locally. That was sold offf to Sterlin I believe.
@@georgefrederiksen4298 What are you saying? How can an Aust Kenworth truck be better than an American version when Kenworth is an American company? I know a guy who works at Kenworth Australia in Bayswater (Returns dept). He said there were lots of faulty parts on the Aust trucks.
@@garynewton1263 never said better. And as if being an American company means anything of pride anymore, like Australia. I'm saying we have unique requirements, from our length laws to our combinations and carrying capacity and Kenworth have been building trucks here since 1971 for local conditions. There is no C509 or K200, T909 or T659 in the US model range.
My dad gave me his au falcon ute last year after he retired and I wasn’t sure I wanted it. Its done a million kilometres and it is so wide and turns so badly that it’s guaranteed to mount the gutter in roundabouts of a certain size. But I took it and I swear everything that I see or read about the history of my very own landboat makes me love it even more.
Love the AU! Currently own a 2000 AU II XR8 and it's fantastic. Last Falcon with the 5.0 Windsor V8 and it makes an awesome sound even on the stock exhaust, and the XR ront end styling makes it look awesome, there's nothing else like it which is why I like it.
We only got the Windsor V8 until 1996 and that was only in Cobra and Saleen Mustangs I believe. You could get it in the Explorer until 2001 and those engines are some of the most sought after 302s from the junkyard.
Same here mate, my AUII XR8 is easily the best car I've ever driven. It's fast enough, it handles amazingly with the double wishbone IRS and LSD, gets good fuel economy for a 4 door V8, is super comfortable and planted even at high speed on rough roads, has good towing capacity, and a lot of room inside. It's just a pleasure to drive.
I really would like a S1 AU XR6 VCT 5 speed, in Polynesian green, with the 5 spoke 17” wheels, full Tickford body kit, including the double deck rear wing, and man, I would love that thing forever.
Older and popular yes. Classic no. No plastic bumpered car can ever be classic. In fact only cars with steel dashboards can be classic. I'll make it simple, the very last classic Aussie car ever built was the CM Valiant. Steel bumpers and steel dashboard.
@@rossbrumby1957 as time goes on more cars fall in to the category of classic. At the moment they are modern classics but the cars we invision as classic will fall in to the category of vintage. People back then never thought the cars they drove daily would become highly sort after vehicles
My first car was a 2000 AU Falcon Forte Wagon, with 380,000kms on it, given to me by my mum after she upgraded to a 2006 BF Falcon. Damn thing refused to die, I got T-boned in it, it got flooded, it chewed through alternators and power steering pumps, it got like maybe 15L/100km fuel economy, and it was as solid as cars can get. I sold it at 450,000kms after the speed sensor died and I needed something a bit better on fuel, but man I had some memories in that car. Sleeping in the back with all my mates while out camping, doing skids out the road at 4am, listening to music so loud that it made the rear view mirror fall off, taking it out bush with a billy hidden in the spare wheel compartment and sharing moments with best friends. That car got me from one end of Victoria to the other multiple times in comfort. I picked up my partner on our first date in that car, nearly 12 years ago. I backed it into my drummer's car after our first gig because my car was loaded up with guitar cabs, amps, guitars, drums, cymbals, and was squatted so low it was literally bottoming out in mud and I couldn't see out the back of it. I sold it and bought a cheap manual Camry because it was a bit more sensible and reliable lol. My next car was an 05 BA MkII XR6, and that was probably my favourite car to drive. It looked awesome, super aggressive, I put a big-ass 3" hotdogged Redback exhaust on it, 4490 headers, spent hours making a custom air intake for it, installed my first head unit, subs, and speakers and amps in that car. I drove that car to my first "proper" job interview, which turned into my first proper job, which turned into a career. I washed it every week, waxed it every week, just loved it. It was the first car I ever bought with my own money, the first car I ever modified, the first car I was proud of driving. Then I bought a 2013 Cruze SRi V and loved it until it fell apart just outside of warranty. I now drive a 2022 Hyundai i30 NLine manual and it brings back the same feelings of the XR6. I miss my XR6, though.
btw some advice never sell your first car, my school teacher once said he did the same thing and he regrets it to this day, it holds alot of sentimental value. you can sell your any car after that but keep your first one
It's so great to see this stuff from an Aussie. All Aussie-based talk here in the UK is V8 Supercars and even then it'll only get outlined. So nice to hear about the history of a car I have literally never seen in the flesh as we don't have them. The BA really was a superb race car, Ambrose, Ingall in particular shone in those Stone Bros. Colours
Haha it's actually kinda crazy that people in other countries haven't seen these cars in person but it makes sense. These cars were very common back in the 90's, early 2000's. You don't see those older ones around much anymore
They may not have been sold officially in the UK, but there are some on the road over there - there is a British RU-vidr who goes by the screen name "HubNut" who has an AU Fairmont (the higher trim level - also got a better-looking grille), and has made a few videos of it.
A video showing the history of the Falcon in australia would be awesome! Here in Argentina the 60’s falcon would remain practically unchanged all the way until 1995, only with slightly better engines, plastic bumpers and a Ford Taunus interior. There in your country the Falcon had quite a lot of redesigns that would’ve been awesome to have here.
"Here in Argentina the 60’s falcon would remain practically unchanged all the way until 1995" That's cool! Although having looked at it with a 'modern' front end grafted on it, I have to say the styling is challenging and I think it looks worse than the AU, lol. Why do auto makers "modernise" 1960's designs only to make them look worse? (The Volga GAZ is also an offender on this front!)
You know what Ford Falcon is super cool? Ford Falcon XB coupe, very similar to the car used in Mad Max. My dad bought one in the 70's when they were cheap. Sold it recently because the movie made it worth a lot of money.
What I always found amazing about the AU Falcon was that no one seemed to notice that Mercedes-Benz made a better version of it when they introduced the original CLS in 2004. Very similar ideas and shapes, including the sad rear end.
man, you have a talent. You're phenomenal at taking something 90% of people wouldn't care about, and making them suddenly care about it. I don't know anything about nugget MP3 players, nugget cars, or nugget cymbals, yet here I am tuning in every single time I get notified of an upload. There's a reason you have one of the two patreons I subscribe to.
Fun fact mate an Australian holden designer became chief of opel design in Germany so the early "unaustralian" opels had an ex Holden employee designing them before he came back to be head of designs at holden and used the cars he over seen in design, old mates name is phil zmood and was the first Aussie to be head of design at one of the big three, and had alot to do with all the monaro designs
@Joe Shabidu yeah Holden had an American parent company but holden was still an Australian brand I dont know how I can make it clearer lol, if anything Holden is more related to opel then America
Love seeing you talk about the Ford falcons! As an Ford falcon driver myself I always geek out to my friends about these cars and like to show off my Aussie legend.
Yeah, there were nine generations of Falcon in Australia (more if you count facelift models). The first three generations of Australian Falcon were (essentially) the same as the three main generations of US Falcon. I see that the Ford Torino was originally the forth generation US Falcon for one year, before Ford changed the name. We never got that "Falcon" in Australia, nor the Torino, instead the third generation Falcon was replaced by a locally designed model called the XA Falcon.
I bought an AU Wagon in 1999 and I've still got it. I always thought it was an ugly car but the reliability has been amazing. In 22 years I replaced the brake discs (nothing wrong with them but they had worn to the minimum Ford specified thickness) a few sets of brake pads and engine oil and oil filter changes. Generally I've neglected the car but it just keeps going fine with the exception of the induction manifold to head paper gasket, which failed. Getting at the nuts to pull the manifold off the head to let me put a new gasket in was a bit of a pain, not much room to swing a spanner but not difficult, just tedious. I've never touched the engine, ignition, prop-shaft, auto-transmission, or differential, they still have the fluids in them that Ford put in them in 1999. Oh I did swap the front window open/close switches left to right (the switches are identical but each side uses a different half of the switch so when they fail you can double their life by swapping left with right). Oh and the roof lining hung down so I did replace that.
The straight 6 Ford in Australia was one of the best engines I’ve encountered in my lifetime. It has a cross flow head so the fuel goes in one side and out the other - no U-turns. It had some teething problems as they started with a cast iron head moved to alloy which took some development before they eliminated head gasket problems and started out carbureted and evolved through the stages of fuel injection before they got it right, but when it was cooked it was just one of the best cars I’ve ever driven. The independent rear suspension was amazing particularly after you drove a wagon which had a conventional rear axel and drove like any 60s America wagon in terms of that heavy lump in the back. Independent rear suspension was truly nimble on the sedans. These straight six Falcons running on LPG dominated the Australian taxi industry before they were replaced by special upsized hybrid Toyota Priuses. I prefer the cross flow six to the V8s of any brand because I like torque and prefer the smoother feel of the six.
The crossflows and earlier weren't a patch on the Hemi in the Valiants. But once Ford owned Jaguar and started copying the AJ16, they never looked back. I've owned many Valiants and Hemis, and now drive an AU traytop with dedicated lpg. Ford even admit to Jaguar having input on the intech crankshaft design. Good thing too, I've also owned a couple XJ40's and those 3.6 and 4 litre AJ motors are bulletproof- they were originally designed to be strong enough with the intention of a diesel version (which never eventuated)
And the dizzy buried under the intake, a hernia inducting head to remove, and you had to lift the head to get to the lifters. Oh, and you can drop a pushrod into the sump. A mate did it. Plus the genius idea to put the timing cover oil seal INSIDE the timing cover. Real smart Henry!
The VE/VF series were totally Australian, built on its own Zeta platform (briefly shared with the Camaro) and was not based on any European models. Props to Ford for continuing development on a large RWD platform as long as they did, when in other markets they had already given up.
I swear you can make anything interesting. First iPods, then headphones, relighted my snake addiction, and drums and now I think your getting me into cars. I am so glad I found your channel!
You can see a bunch of the older Falcons and Holdens in the original Mad Max. Max's car is a slightly modified XA/XB or XC Falcon, I forget the exact type now.
Fun fact for you aussies: here in Brazil, your 1997 holden commodore was sold here as a new generation Chevrolet (opel) Omega. They dont even bother to put the parking brake on the other side for us lol. My dad have one and we just simply love it ❤
We Australians used to battle to the death over Holden vs Ford. Now we have nothing. If only we'd called a truce and enjoyed what we'd had, together as one. Can't do anything about it now though sadly.
@@zippy3377 Because people started buying Great Walls and LDVs instead of Rangers and Colorados. Not because they were good, they were just dirt cheap.
If I understand correctly, Toyota Australia were the only ones who were still profitable when they closed. The benefits of having a world car Camry to build (not an orphaned car like Falcon or Commodore, with development costs that were difficult to make back), and Toyota actually allocating a good number of export markets (unlike the minimal export markets allocated by GM to Holden -- so much pushback from US GM plants over the Chevrolet SS program apparently -- and the **zero left hand drive export markets allocated to Ford Australia by Ford!). ....As to why Ford and Chevrolet didn't drop the Taurus and Impala and make Falcon and Commodore into fully funded world cars that were designed in Australia but also manufactured in North America is hard to say...
Bought my AU1 in 2000 - one year old and 44K on the clock. Still have it - now 344k on the clock and has never let me down. Replaced the rear springs to make it handle better. Love it!
I will always love the AU, i remember dad getting the series 3 forte sedan with two spoilers in 07, it was quite, had lots of power, reliable as all hell and was my daily driver up until a week ago.
I love the way certain countries/regional accents pronounce certain words beautifully. Well that ‘pastie’ would count as Royal Family standard in the UK. The AU Ford reminds me of the Scorpio in the UK which was also an ugly bug, but good underneath. I always liked it
This was real cool, love the short storytelling format! I'm pretty sure my mum had one of those old AU Fords when I was super young, I'd recognise that horrendous interior anywhere :')
As a car enthusiast I love the change in content on your channels. I love ipods and headphones but I also love cars. I can't wait to see what is to come.
Hey I cared little to none about audio until I found your content and I've always had a hard-on for the Australian automotive market this channel is a blessing and very interesting to those of us outside please keep it up!
My '98 AU Futura is still running fine at 330,000km on the original engine. She's had the transmission and muffler replaced and leaks a bit of oil but she still gets me from A to B.
One edit I'll suggest about the Commodore being a rebadged Opel is that they were extensively re-worked for Aussie conditions, and the VE/VF platform was entirely engineered and made here in Australia...
Exactly, also the camaro was built on a holden zeta platform yet its known as an all American muscle car but yet the commodore shares a platform with an opel and all of a sudden the commodore is called a rebaged opel, a bit harsh to say the least
Apparently when they brought the first Opel over (for what would become the VC) it lasted about 50km before it started to fall apart on our country roads. It deservers more credit than to be called a rebadged Opel.
Australia was just the chosen location to do the design and engineering for a global car. If they were actually designed for Australia, the fuel filler would have been on the left like the Falcons- which weren't designed as a global car. The later Commodores were designed to supply larger lhd markets that hopefully make the Australian market versions sustainable. In the end, it didnt support the aussie holdens enough.
@@rossbrumby1957 Yeah but at least GM was trying to do something good, even if it was poorly executed... Ford should've done the same thing with its Falcons...
I had an AU wagon as a taxi.640,000 klms later, ( it had been retired and I kept it), duel fuel, it finally got tired enough. I put her down. Currently, a BF.. 643,000. After being another retired cab. I had bloody good drivers and I kept the cars well cared for. They were all legendary. Staff and cars.
We actually do get lots of weird cars here in Saudi Arabia the commodore and the Holden caprice were insanely popular they are still desirable to this day and everyone was devastated when the cancelled it because holden got deleted even though they said they wouldn't and they didn't even bring in the chevy SS as a caprice damn you GM
Unfortunately, unlike with General Motors, I don't think Ford US ever approved the funding for Ford Australia to make any of the modern Falcons (or Territories) in left hand drive, so exports of Falcons were much more limited compared to the Commodore or Caprice.
@@TassieLorenzo Ford ME "Middle East " wanted to bring the AU Ford Falcon but it was too costly to convert them to left-hand drive and start selling them here most western companies always underappreciate the GCC/ME market they did however bring the new Chinese-made Ford Taurus and it was developed with Ford AU and Changan and It looks too similar to a ford Falcon
Us Australians love that you guys enjoy Holdens! I'm part of some Facebook groups where people share their Commodores and Statesman's from all over the world, and ME people are regulars! You guys are crazier than us with cars and that's saying something
@@madkills10 Sorry for the late reply but Thanks we do love Holdens here and they are still driving on the road with most changing the Chevy badges to Holden ones and most use it in drift events and drag events sad to see them being discontinued
As a South American I’ve always been fascinated by the car industry you guys got down under, having my favorite aussie youtuber talking about cars is the best thing that could’ve happened
@@lightningfun6486 in a way. they were making cars for a small segment of the population only, and exports were failing. if their failure to make anything people wanted to buy didn't kill them, ultimately EVs certainly would have. the innovation just didn't exist.
@@karLcx for a long time our motor industry was great, Holden and Ford has most of the market share. Thanks to governments inability to support the industry by taxing imports they only had a luxury car tax so the Asia cars were cheaper.
The story of the Canadian automotive industry is kinda similar, we used to have some Canadian car brands but they got either bought out or bankrupted (I want a Bricklin SV1). Strong manufacturing here though, Ford GTs, Dodge Challengers, Dodge Chargers are all made in Canada. I’m excited to see what the future has but my hometown of Windsor ON has a lot less factories than we used to making a lot less cool stuff than we used to. The Chrysler WAP used to make Darts, Valiants, and Barracudas but now just makes minivans, kinda like Chrysler as a whole. Ford manufactures the 5L V8 here, so all those mustangs and F150s are using an engine made here in my town which makes me happy
If I were to import an American car model, I'd prefer one manufactured at a Canadian plant rather than the USA. I think the quality would be that little bit better than a U.S plant and the speedometer would be in metric. My 1992 Aussie Fairlane Ghia has a V8 built in Canada from factory. It's been sitting gathering dirt in the driveway due to ignition problems and electrical gremlins since 2020. Don't know what to do with it.
Dude you don't know the true beauty of the AU Falcon till you own 12ish of them, me and dad have been collecting AUs around Victoria for the last couple of years and our entire family now dailys them. Seriously good cars if you know how to look after them.
Some might say having to own 12 AU’s is equivalent to a stint in Long Bay😂 I bet in your group you’re the “different” one.. just stirring ya Aido, even though looking at them always felt like a stick to the eye I respect your family’s efforts to keep some Aussie motoring alive. Fukn tragic what has happened to our motoring heritage 😖
Seriously durable machines. I'm pretty proud to have been part of designing it now. Less so when it was launched and tanked. You still see them around 20 years after they stopped making them which says a lot about their durability.
I see I have a long way to go to reach your elite au ownership portfolio , having just bought my third au wagon ( all lpg ) my first one is still going strong after 18 years of ownership , used regularly to raid council cleanup days where the car runs all day , idling , drive 100 metres , repeat , with air con on & towing a trailer which gets filled with all manner of treasures & then towed home with up to 2 tonne behind , maintenance is religious & yes I have a reco auto , power steer pump & alternator among other things but the “ ugly “ inside is fine with me because it just doesnt break , the missus bf interior has a different track record . The wagons on lpg are getting hard to find in decent or even resurectable condition now , most had a shitful maintenance record due to many male owners wanting it dead so they could buy a flash dual cab or suv . I treat them like gold as far as maintenance goes , including a fabricated tray below the power steering pump to stop the alternator dying due to fluid/dirt ingress from leaks or possibly even catching fire , magnefine filter in the power steer return line ( easy as piss to do ) using Mobil 424/8 fluid & NOT transmission fluid makes the pump quieter & the rack last longer , that one is nearly 500000 & untouched except for a pressure switch , oil changes every 5000k & filtermag magnets on the filter , check diff breather hose & change diff oil every year , again easy as to do especially with a pump on a 20litre drum of LS90 gl5 oil , replace most of the cooling system every 10 years including the gas converter ( these can fail in such a way as to push coolant in to the engine along with the gas , happened on the bf & thought it was the head gasket ) , genuine air filter at about $10 is easy & inexpensive yearly job . Transmission serviced not exceeding 40000k Yeah I look after them but then where can you get a large comfy car that will tow 2 tonne & fit a shit ton of crap in the back as well as a 10ft fishing rod inside & run it for less than the cost of a Holden barina or similar ? , yep with lpg at 84 cents a litre currently where I live , it’s ridiculously cheap to run for such a large car . On RU-vid , it might be funny & even eye opening as to the punishment they will take to some but to see people destruction testing these cars on youtube gets to me , the parts I can see being shitcanned brings a lump to my throat . Mechanically , I reckon they will outlast me ( corrosion needs keeping in check with rustproofing ) , in fact I hope that if I live long enough to see the end of ice cars maybe someone will invent a hydrogen conversion kit so the au can roll on into 2030 & beyond . Long live the most despised falcon in ford Australia’s history , it’s a bloody ripper.
Mate, this was brilliant 🤣 I remember seeing them first in a wheels magazine in '98... and like most people, my jaw hit the floor and i felt the impending urge to chunder my lunch... I have to say though, a few weeks later I was at a Ford Dealer, and walked through the show room and saw an AU Fairmont... and it all made perfect sense in the flesh! Even though i was always a "Holden Boy" thru and thru... (although, ironically i never bought one of them with my own money 🤣) I have to say that the AU Fairmont is one of my favourite Fords of all time. As an important side note tho, i was one of only 3 actual Australians that i am aware of that loved the Taurus...
I KNEW I RECOGNISED THIS VOICE!!! What a car to talk about an AU is my first car and I still have it, she goes hard and looks great doing it, honestly an under appreciated looking car imo
Being a Californian and dankpods fan, I never thought that that this channel would be so interesting. But it’s really fun to watch an Australian man play with cars a tell us about them.
Oh boy , here in South Africa we also got a few Ford Falcons and surprisingly we got the AU Falcon , one of the more popular models here was the Fairmont Ghia with upmarket wood trim so the interior wasn't too bad ... sadly the AU was the last Falcon we got here but it didn't sell that bad here , I still occassionally see them :)
It was so nuts to go from the ef/el to this. They are still good looking cars. My first car was an EF Fairmont in polynesian green. One of the best looking cars Ford Aus ever made, I think. And yeah, on the "aussieness", I always found it confusing how the Commodore had people believing it was the real Aussie when Ford Aus was doing so much more on development and design.
Holden were too cheap to even make the Commodore look like an Aussie car- fuel fillers all on the wrong side because Germany is a left hand drive country. The last aussie design holden was the wb with the fuel filler on the left.
My AU is pure gold! Coming up to 24 years old and has been in the family for 21 years. Well maintained and goes like a dream. 8 years ago an RACV mechaninc took it for a drive and remarked that he hadn't seen one in such good shape for a long time. My mechanic is eager to buy it but he will have a long wait. 191k on the clock and it should outlast me with an luck.
Fun fact: That "Opel Omega" was sold here as the Cadillac Catera, aka the Caddy that zigs. It suddenly failed because of GM incorrectly knowing their market, so they got it right with the CTS successor!
Super interesting how GM and Ford always had their own, separate history in Australia. Would love to see more Aussie auto history in this style, it’s great
The early 90's falcons shown at 1:14 were great cars and very will built. And very comfortable to travel in. My parents still have the Fairmont model of this falcon which is actually the mid range luxury model before the more top of the range Fairlane. Even how old it is to today it has aged very well and still is very reliable as an everyday car.
God's chariot! 😍 Funnily enough the pov spec Forte in the series 1 still has a live axle rear! No fancy rear wheels capable of independant thought! Own one of these and love it but it's definitely a massive nugget
Most people disliked it and with the way they setup the Forte in series 1 form I'm not surprised but after seeing the prototype drawings especially the XR, I knew that if it was lowered, had nice wheels, the sideskirts and bi plane spoiler that it actually looked good. But sadly the prototype drawings and how aggressive it was compared to what we actually got. However I'm still a proud AU XR6 VCT series 1 sedan owner after 19 years and it still to this day actually looks pretty decent with lovells and bilstein shocks and full tickford body kit pack with bi plane, side skirts and front/rear accents. charcoal interior and custom blue interior. love that double wishbone IRS. the shape certainly aint perfect but its amazing how different a base forte looks to a lowered XR with really nice wheels and full bodykit, two completely different cars
I'm with you on the VT commo love. My missus still has a VT Olympic edition wagon with over 600,000kms on the original engine and gearbox. That Buick V6 will run forever. The LPG Ford intech engines were wicked too, a mate of mine had an ex taxi AU falcon with over a million kms that just wouldn't quit!
2:12 those seats look so darn comfortable. I think Ford's new edge design cars were rather like marmite; you either loved it or hated it (especially depending on the car you looked at that had it). One thing's for sure though, most Fords of this era were legendary, like the Focus and the Ka and the Falcon (although I never experienced the Falcon because they weren't sold in my country). Also I really like your content!
I'm not much of a ford man so I dont know about the falcons, but certain commodores (with certain trim levels) had some very comfy seats. Its like sitting in a lounge chair.
There really is this whole little nugget of the car world, separated and isolated on this sweltering sand croissant, that very few people know about but it totally cool and rich with the culture of Australia. It's a shame there isn't more of this.
Hey mate good to see ya doing well🤙. I had a XF ute with a commy V6 in it and a Toyota SC14 supercharger strapped to the V6 Regency approved back in 92. Really enjoy all your content mate keep it up.
I had a cream XE Falcon with 3-3 six and four on the floor. Seeing that blue XD in the opening shots was nostalgic. That shape is the one Ford sold most of in it's peak. After the XF, the gradual decline began. In the late noughties, they brought out another big sedan, well after the public had shifted to SUV's, twincab utes and small hatches. Government had dropped import tarriffs to virtually nothing, and our workforces were too expensive to employ. My XE wasn't a bad car, but had some issues, and gave a general impression of ordinary quality. It had rust at six years of age, and silly little things kept creating drama on the road:- clutch cable snapping, faulty oil light switch, and door handles that kept breaking. The 2012 Corolla sedan I own now has literally never given me a drama, and is tight as a drum. Everything still works. I don't baby it but it does get serviced and garaged. As for the AU, never liked it's styling, and particularly found the Fairlane version rather plain and insipid. However, I loved the ute, particularly the trayback...........that was one AU that the buyers flocked to, becoming the No.l seller in it's segment.
Great video. The big problem with the AU is that the Forte is what everyone thinks of when you say AU, when in reality it was only one of many variants. The XR6/8, later Fairmont Ghias and TS/TE50s looked fantastic (IMO) but no one remembers them. Only the dead beat dad Forte, thats what everyone thinks when you say AU.
@@rossbrumby1957 Really? I quite liked it (especially in the V8 supercar series at the time) it just goes to show, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Hahaha. Have a good one Ross. :)
I think it is great that today, they are loved ironically. I am always happy to see one on the road. Most probably went to the wreckers many many years ago
Looks aside, they truly were one of Ford Australia's best. The combination of the unbreakable Intech, the live rear axle and the more rigid, aerodynamic body than it's predecessors really did make them fantasitc to drive and very capable in all conditions. I've had half a dozen of the dumb idiots over the years and loved every one.
A 2001 dedicated gas Ford Falcon AU Ute with a steel tray and roof racks mounted was my first ever car. Hideous and beautiful all at the same time ❤️ those were the days
I remember my parents had a navy blue Series 2 AU Forté wagon from when I was born until I was about 9 years old when we sold it for a VE Commodore. Our AU was actually an unmarked ex cop car, in which as a result it had better suspension than a standard Forté. My mum and dad bought the AU in a rush from an auction as they had my twin sister and I (twins weren’t very common back in 2003) and our twin pram did not fit in the little Hyundai they had at the time. I have a lot of memories in our old AU; we always used to take 9 hour drives to Port Lincoln every few months to visit my cousins and we used to drive to Melbourne for holidays in it, mum always used to drive me and my primary school friends in it, and I even remember jamming to tunes back in 2009-10 on the radio on the way home from swimming lessons 😂 Despite its not so great looks (though, in my opinion, the XR6 and the Fairmont Ghia look better), the AU Falcon was an absolute tank, they refuse to die, and it amazes me that I still see so many of them driving around Adelaide all the time, more than I see VT/VX Commodore’s driving around now. As they say, you can’t spell Australia without “AU” 😂😂
AU Ford ex cop car? What Police force in Australia would be stupid enough to use those pieces of shit? Oh.....let me guess, NSW or QLD......that makes sense!
@@BaileyEthanRawson South Australia had AUs as police vehicles? Very disappointing. AU was one of THE worst Falcon models ever along with the EF. I lived in Adelaide from 92 to 2005 and 2015 to 2022 and never saw any Fords being used by SA police. VP, VR, VS, VT, VX, VY, VE, VF etc. Of course they used VLs as did Vic police. My VX Exexcutive is an ex unmarked SA Police taskforce vehicle. Dark blue. I had a White VS Series II esteem commodore before this one, it was brilliant. The Ford Falcon didn't match Commodores until the BF model.
@@garynewton1263 I wouldn’t remember as I was born just when the AU’s were replaced with the BA’s. It’s possible our AU might’ve been an unmarked cop car interstate, not 100% sure of the backstory but all I know is that my parents bought the AU II second hand at an auction when I was born as my mum needed a wagon to fit the twin pram in the boot, and it was apparently an ex cop car.. We also used to have a 2001 VX Equipe wagon in bronze, from the same era as our AU, except it wasn’t an ex cop car; my grandparents gave it to us as they had bought another car. Funny how we had the two direct Aussie motoring competitors of the same year in our driveway at the time LOL. The VX was a nicer car but it ran into more problems mechanically as it aged than our AU.
@@BaileyEthanRawson Yes, the VT and VX were not free of mechanical issues. The engines in the VR to VY were rubbish and noisy. The Ford straight 6 esoecially the Tickford was excellent.
Will never not love the AU, I bought one off someone for the price of it's rego and drove it from Adelaide to Sydney and back again That weekend. You just can't kill them! I drove it for a few years until I was offered an FG Falcon for a steal of a price and sold the AU to my younger brother, who still drives it to this day. My dad still has an XR8 Ute and that thing is incredible. Those V8's are killer.
I was always a Commodore kid, but my AU ute is by far the best car I've ever had... I keep saying "I'll buy a new ute this year", but the old falcon is on 450,000ks and still runs like the Swiss rail network. Never even hints at letting me down. I didn't love it when I bought it, but God damn do I love it now. PS. The AU in my name thingy is pure coincidence, I used it long before I bought the Falcon or RU-vid.
Im not an Australian and never been to Australia but an mere American, I still remember that iconic Supercar AU's circle headlight from the Gran Turismo 3 days!
