Ford Falcon Pricing and Specs

This sounds like a case of the air-conditioner freezing up over time. It can be caused by a few things, but essentially, it will start out cold and then gradually lose effectiveness till it's hardly blowing air at all, and that air is no longer cold.

It's caused by a build-up of ice in the system which blocks the air flow and prevents any further chilling of the air coming into it. To check this, next time it happens, jump out, open the bonnet and see if there's ice forming on the air-conditioning pipes under the bonnet. If that's the case, an air-conditioning specialist should be able to identify the problem and sort it.

This is a classic case of how long is a piece of string. Without knowing things like the car's condition, its service history, mileage and its specification, it's impossible to hazard a guess. These things sell for anything from $500 in rough, running condition with no registration nor roadworthy certificate, all the way up to $40,000 for an immaculate V8-powered, highly optioned version. So, somewhere between those two figures is your answer.

But assuming a six-cylinder car in decent condition with average mileage, with a RWC and no damage or serious wear and tear, you should be looking at something like $3000 to $8000. Sorry I can't be more specific than that.

It sounds like you have a very odd vehicle, Ian. All the information I've ever seen tells me that the BA Falcon range was released on September 30 2002 (not October as many believe) and that the Boss 260-powered XR8 didn't hit showrooms until early (January) 2003. Which makes your BA XR8 with a 2001 build-date a real anomaly.

Possibilities include your car being a very early prototype that escaped the crusher (which was the fate of most prototypes) and is possibly an AU Falcon bodyshell that has been converted to BA Falcon panels. The two models shared a lot more metal than they appear to, which was the clever part of Ford's update of the AU to BA.

But here's another clue: From memory, the AU Falcon used a conventional compliance plate rivetted to the car's underbonnet. But the BA was (I think) the first to use a sticker rather than a stamped plate. If your car has a stamped plate rather than a sticker, that suggests it has AU Falcon origins.

The ULEASHED decal on the bonnet is another mystery and is unlikely to have been a Ford Australia addition. Which makes me wonder if perhaps the car wasn't an early BA Falcon XR8 mock-up that was used for promotional purposes, say, for a race-team.

You used to be able to contact Ford Australia and quote the car's VIN which would enable the car's origins to be traced, but I believe that service has been discontinued. There are also online VIN decoders that might give an answer, but since it appears this car is a one-off, maybe it won't recognise the VIN. It all sounds intriguing, so please keep us in the loop.