Request for Help on AU article

[Dauphin]

Hi everyone,

Recently, I asked for input on redeveloping the aufalcon.com website. A common theme was for a comprehensive article on the AU series of vehicles.

So we don't just plagiarise someone else's research and effort from existing articles, I'd like to propose a group effort that will result in hopefully the mother of all AU articles.

I'd like to request that everyone who knows something about AUs, can you please write on this thread and tell us what you know? Anything, no matter how insignificant, in small doses.

Facts, trivia, specs, problems, improvements, production info, etc. I plan to take it all and integrate it into a huge article to put on the new website that is in the pipeline.

Please:

1. Try not to repeat anything that has been said here before;
2. Correct anything that may be in error and;
3. Try to keep it short and clear.

I'll start with some facts and some questions:

1. A special 75th Anniversary range was released in July, 2000, to celebrate 75 years of Ford in Australia. This included special editions of Falcon Futuras, Fairmont Ghias and Fairlanes.

2. Some ex-police Falcons were sold through a few particular dealers who refurbished and packaged them as R Series Falcons. These generally had 3.45 ratio LSDs, ABS, Tickford suspension, police speedo with more increments and dual airbags. Some R Series cars had a 164Kw XR6 motor and deeper front seats for the cops with their utility belts. Listed with an empty weight of only 1,438kgs. Louder road noise inside. Not many around.

3. The high spec AU trip computer and climate control displays suffer fading problems after about 6 - 8 years. They can be replaced via swapping on eBay or a specialist.

4. The stock AU torque converter is 1800 rpm. Is this for a six and / or an eight? Any different in auto T-series cars?

5. The LTD featured a clear-lens reflector strip / garnish across the lower part of the boot lid running into each tail light.

I only numbered mine so it's easy to read as separate items in this post.

I hope that together we can get enough info to make up a very comprehensive and leading article for this vehicle.

I look forward to your help,

Andrew.

[Dauphin]

The Ford AU was styled in Ford's "New Edge" design language at the time, requiring triangles and polygons to make up most of the design. Ford Australia dropped this design language after sales were negatively impacted.

[T3man]

The AU was the first Australian family sedan to break under the 0.3 drag co-efficient rating. This was actually a very significant thing but for some reason Ford/Motoring Mags never made "news" of it like they should have. Consider that most four door sedans were traditionally in the 0.4 to 0.5 range for the past 5 decades, and also that back in the '70s only high end sports coupes could reach in the low 0.3 area or under. It was said by designers/stylists back then that it was impossible to design a four door family sedan with a co-efficient less than 0.3.

And to think that people "bagged" the AU shape - to me it is one of the single most important designs ever to evolve from Australia.