Ford Fairlane (Australia)

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Ford Fairlane 500 (1960)
Ford Fairlane (1962)
Ford Fairlane (1967)
Ford Fairlane (1995/96)
Ford Fairlane (2005-2007)

The Australian Ford Fairlane and Ford LTD were initially only import versions of the US models, but were continued as separate models after they were discontinued in the USA.

history

The Fairlane was exported from the USA to Australia as early as 1959 - for a short time the full-size model , and from 1962 the mid-range model . From 1967 the Fairlane was also built in Australia, which meant that the Australian Fairlanes differed in detail from the North American versions.

The break came in 1971 when it was decided not to offer the new Ford Torino in Australia. In North America, not only the Fairlane but also the Ford Falcon had been discontinued a year earlier . But since the Falcon sold well in Australia and was the main competitor of the Holden built by General Motors , it was continued there. When a new, now purely Australian model of the Falcon appeared in 1972, a new Fairlane came at the same time as a larger model on the technical basis of the Falcon.

It stayed that way until 2007. The Australian Fairlane followed the somewhat smaller Falcon across all model generations. It had a longer wheelbase and a slightly larger body in the same style as the respective Falcon. The engines were also the same as in the Falcon. Most recently (2007) there was either a six-cylinder in-line engine manufactured in Australia with 4000 cc and an output of 190 kW (258 hp), or a 5400 cc V8 with 230 kW (313 hp), which was imported from North America.

At the end of 2007 the production of the Australian Fairlane was stopped. The increased gasoline prices had caused the demand for the big car to fall further and further. Also, unlike its main competitor Holden, Ford Australia was not able to open up new sales markets abroad, especially in the rich Gulf States.

The stability of the model names in Australia is remarkable. There you have no problem calling the larger models manufactured in the country Falcon and Fairlane for decades , while in North America and, to a lesser extent, in Europe, the names change every few years.

Web links

Commons : Ford Fairlane (Australia)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files