Ford Falcon 1982 News

As Ford this week announced plans to axe 440 jobs from its two Victorian plants and throw the future of the Falcon into jeopardy, the legendary five-time Australian Touring Car Champion and three-time Bathurst winner has come out in support of the family car and the company. “Certainly from our perspective it would be a shame to see the Falcon disappear off the face of the earth,'' he said. “It's one of few rear-wheel-drive platforms in the world and Aussies have traditionally enjoyed rear-wheel-drive cars.'' Johnson says there is nothing wrong with the product. “The product is an excellent car. All Ford products are excellent,'' the long-time Ford racer said. “I don't think the styling is bad and now that they've brought out the four-cylinder model and have the EcoBoost engines, they are much more economical. “Surely there is still a market for people who enjoy the luxury of a car with a lot of room.' 'He says the problem is the lack of an export market. “Where Holden have a slight advantage over Ford is they have an overseas export market which keeps production numbers up,'' he said. “That's the problem. They need an export strategy. Ford is reducing daily production from 209 to 148 vehicles in November in response to an industry-wide slump in large car sales, despite a $103 million funding package Ford received from its US parent company, the Victorian and federal governments in January. The package is aimed at securing the manufacture of the Falcon and Territory SUV at Geelong and Broadmeadows until at least the end of 2016. Industry analysts predict the Falcon will be axed at the end of that period. “I hope they keep it. It's been very good for us,'' Johnson said. “I don't know where it's heading. Between now and 2016 we may see a resurgence in sales. “Markets change and one would hope the economy will repair itself in the meantime and we might see a few things pick up. “I'm the eternal optimist.'' Johnson, who runs a three-Falcon team in the V8 Supercar series, says he will he still race Falcons even if they are scrapped from production. “My favourite Falcon is any one that won a race,'' the laconic driver said. “Realistically the ones that most people relate to is the XD and XE. They were tough-looking cars.''  

Married with a daughter (who is also a Ford fan), Mr Watson currently has an FPV GT 335 sedan, the latest in a long line of Ford products."We have had around 20 Fords - various models, not just Falcons - after some Holdens. We have had many Fords, one has followed the other ever since and we have no plans to change camps," he says.Mr Watson looks at the red versus blue rivalry as something that is now generational. "When it started it was Moffat versus Brock and has grown since then to have people either red or blue, now we're talking second and third generation fans as children follow their parents," he says.The family has had an FPV GT since April - the supercharged 335kW version - and now wouldn't have anything else. "I absolutely love it, the supercharged V8 has plenty of power - we use it for normal road work, not track days, we don't push it that hard, but it has plenty of poke for overtaking," he says."We're also restoring an old XB Falcon - a full bare-metal restoration - with 393 stroker V8, that will sit proudly next to the new GT," he says.A big shed and a tolerant wife are two key ingredients to Daryl Leaker's impressive stable of Holden product. The 1998 HSV Senator Signature 220i shares garage space with a number of Holden, HSV and HDT machines."I've got a very big shed for them all, I've always liked Holdens because my father was a Holden salesman so it is in the blood I guess," he says.Mr Leaker hasn't always just owned Holdens - a Mitsubishi Pajero replaced a Ford Territory recently, but there balance of power has always been to the General, harking back to his formative years with a Holden salesman for a father."It was great when Dad was selling Holdens, I got to drive GTR XU-1s and 327 Monaros when they were brand new," he says. "When I turned 21 I bought myself an HQ GTS coupe and got some discount through my father, I wish I still had that car as well."The HSV shares shed space with a VN SS Group A and an HSV Statesman, as well as a HDT VK Brock Commodore SS in silver and an HJ Monaro four-door."I'll always be a Holden fan - I think I'd die of shock if the missus came home in an FPV GT," he says.

As Dan Bowden, 35, says: "This is a collection, not a museum.  A museum is for things that are dead or dying.  We are proud of the fact that all these cars are running and going."The collection of about 80 vehicles from a 1932 Ford roadster to a 2007 Dick Johnson Racing BA V8 Supercar includes a 1965 Ford GT40 and a 1965 Shelby Cobra each worth $2 million.  Bowden says Shannons has insured the collection for $22-$23 million.The only way to get in to see the collection is to buy one of Bowden's Own big car care kits, the super size or mother bucket kit. The tickets are free inside.  Even then, you can't walk up to the doors with your ticket and demand entry. In a covert operation, guests gather at a nearby service station and are escorted to the large shed set back in a massive suburban lot sheltered from the road by thick rainforest.  "We have to shut the doors when we turn the cars on for our Sound Tour because our neighbours complain," Bowden says.No wonder. The collection features Norm Beechey's 1970 350 GTS Monaro which is credited as being the loudest car to race on Australian tracks.  They took it to England last year for the Goodwood Festival of Speed and won the trophy for best-sounding car. "It scared the Poms," says Bowden.They get about 1000 people through the collection in a year with a tour every second Sunday and some evening corporate days.  They've had visitors from the UK, US, Germany and New Zealand as well as around Australia.  "We get about 30 to 40 calls a week wanting to come through," he says.The collection and car care business are run by Dan and his brother, Chris, who also specialises in finding rare race cars for buyers.  "I've always been into cars," he says.  "Dad (David) was a hot rodder and he instilled that love of cars into us."At one stage, we had a (Falcon GTHO) Phase IV as the family car.  "I remember being at Lakeside in 1982 and I was just seven years old and it was the first time I'd been to a race track.  "People were screaming and dad was so excited and he let us eat junk food and I thought `wow this is great'."Dad's a stock market trader and he's done well, so he's put his own money into old race cars because he saw them rusting and being wasted."  His first historic race car buy was Pete Geoghegan 600bhp Super Falcon in 1982."It was in a million pieces and dad just about cried," Bowden says.  "He then got to wondering where all the great race cars were and so he started a quest to find them and restore them.   When he started he was the only one doing it, but now a lot of people are into it.  Race cars are a massive part of our history and we need to preserve them."When the Bowden's started collecting, the cars were cheap and they cornered the market. Since then the prices have gone ballistic.  "We couldn't afford to do it now," Bowden says.  "People even blame us for inflating the prices of muscle cars."Bowden has about 20 staff working on the car care business and the collection, including four mechanics who restore the racing cars to working order.  "We don't restore cars better than they were made for racing. We take them back to what they were, not show car standard," he says.Their most recent restoration project is three 1970s Falcon hard tops raced by Murray Carter, John Goss and Colin Bond.  "As far as I'm concerned the restoration isn't finished until we get the original driver in it," he says."Bondy is champing at the bit to drive this one and he might be in the seat for the Gold Coast 600 in October."  Bowden's Own came to the rescue of the Gold Coast event last year after the A1GP went bust.They sent several historic cars to the event to be driven in demonstration laps by their original owners, although Bowden admits Dick Johnson and Jim Richards got a bit "enthusiastic".  He plans to send more cars down this year."We have to be very careful about what drivers we get in them because we have a lot to lose," he says.  "We do a lot of speed events, historic meets and car shows, but there's just too much going on to get around to everything."  As for the collection, Bowden says they have enough.

The type of used car you buy could mean the difference between life and death, an Australian study says.The study found, for example, that drivers and passengers are 26 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a Daihatsu Hi-Jet microvan (made between 1982-1990), than a VW Golf hatch (1999-2004), the 2007 Used Car Safety Ratings report says.And the Transport Accident Commission believes the report's release could potentially slash the road toll by a third.Released in Melbourne yesterday, the study examined more than 2.8 million cars of 279 different types involved in crashes from 1987-2005 in Australia and New Zealand.Researchers rated vehicles on how much protection was offered to drivers and how much the vehicle was likely to harm other road users in an accident.Small cars and other vehicles built before 1990 performed worst for safety, with the Daihatsu Hi-Jet, Daewoo Kalos (2003-2004) and Ford Falcon XE/XF (1982-1988) poor examples.About two-thirds of cars in the worst performing category were light cars, including the Daewoo Kalos (now badged as Holden Barina) and the Hyundai Getz.Cars rated the highest for protection were the VW Golf and Bora models (built between 1999 and 2004) and the Holden Astra TS (1998-2005).Most four-wheel drives scored average or better results for occupant protection, but were more likely to harm or kill other road users.The report was conducted by the Monash University Accident Research Centre with support from Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, TAC, VicRoads and state and federal road authorities.VicRoads vehicle safety chief Ross McArthur said selecting a vehicle that met minimum safety standards was not enough.“You can get good performing cars that are cheaper and you can get cars that are more expensive that don't perform as well,” Mr McArthur said.“As a rule, the newer the car is, the better performance it has, but that's not always the case so you need to be informed.”The cost of a vehicle also did not necessarily mean it was safer, said RACV chief vehicle engineer Michael Case.Consumers needed to consider the safety ratings when buying a car to ensure its safety.Mr Case said structural design and safety equipment such as airbags played an important role.“Among small cars, the Toyota Corolla, the Holden Astra and the VW Golf have performed well and these vehicles are very affordable for used-car buyers,” he said.  Safety scoreVehicles scoring better than average in crashes:VW Golf/Bora (1999-2004)Holden Astra TS (1998-2005)Toyota Corolla (1998-2001)Honda Accord (1991-1993)Mercedes C Class (1995-2000)Peugeot 405 (1989-1997)Subaru Liberty/Legacy (1989-1993)Toyota Cressida/Mark II (1989-1993)Subaru Forester (1997-2002) Models that scored worse than average:Mitsubishi Cordia (1983-1987)Ford Falcon XE/XF (1982-1988)Mitsubishi Starwagon/Delica/L300 (1983-1986 and 1987-1993)Toyota Tarago (1983-1989)Toyota Hiace/Liteace (1982-1986 and 1987-1989 and 1990-1995).Source: 2007 Used Car Safety Ratings report